Edamame Snacks

Snacking is always fun, Unfortunately it's not always healthy which is a pain. That problem can be solved by making those yummy soy beans or edamame. These beans are not only fun but good for you. They make a great treat for movie night or during football games.

The beans were the subject of Mark Bittman's column How To Cook Anything in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. Edamame is an excellent snack along with any other bean as Mr. Bittman points out, He seems like an avid vegetable gardener as he describes the variety of his homegrown legumes from black beans to scarlet runners. Any bean can be turned into a snack, All you do is just boil them, drain them and then sprinkle them, preferably with coarse sea salt. They're an excellent source of protein which are rich in proteins and good carbohydrates.They're also devoid of all that fat and transfat most snacks have.

Now here's th e fun part. Use spices and sauces to jazz up them and any other bean. Most people like edamame just with a sprinkle of sea salt and maybe dipping the pods in a rich dark soy sauce. However , there are other dips that work just as well, Try rice vinegar or lemon juice for a tart variation.Toast sesame seeds til they pop and sprinkle them onto the shelled beans. You could also add a few chiles for some bite.Toast nori or Japanese seaweed and crumble on top. You can also toss the shelled beans with curry or chili powder for some fun fire,. Another idea is to  sweat some garlic or ginger in peanut oil. Drizzle this over the edamame.

Edamame is a good and healthy snack. Have them plain or with a variety of sauces for a different kind of nibble. They're fun and unusual , but better than the usual fare.

Cooking With Ms Stewart

Martha Stewart is a Renaissance person  for the home arts. What she does and has done is amazing as she initiates America and the world to domestic creativity. Her cooking and baking are well known as are her recipes . She can take any recipe whether simple or complicated and turn it into a unique masterpiece.

She was the subject of the new New York Daily News Wednesday food section. (usually my Wed entry is rserved for the New York Times Dining section however that may change thanks to the Daily News ). The News' Patty Lee interviewed her about her new half hour  show Martha Stewart's Cooking Show."which is on Sundays at 4 PM.In it she harks back to another PBS master cheff , Julia Child. Unlike the second she will explain each recipe and step in her unique, authoratative way. This is a great show for beginners because each step is thoroughly explained.

The recipes given range from super super easy to relativehard. There is an easy one for an herbed omelet  made with clarifued butter. This is a great way to not only enjoy a perfect omlet but to experiment with herbs like tarragon , parsley and chervil. There is also a brown sugared carrot recipe, perfect with r. The baked mac and cheese is pure Martha. She adds not only cheddar but also Gruyere and fontina along with grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese as well.THis is an adult version of th family classic and it would go well with a fine dry white wine..There will be episodes as well. Martha Stewart is a great inspiration to anyone, whether they be a cook or craftsman.Her new show will garner her a lot of new fans. They will certainly benefit from her recipes and advice.

Time For Applesauce

Now that it's apple season it;s time to make the classic applesauce. This is a great way of using the apples and also creating a versatile dish. Applesauce can be used as a side or as a dessert, as well as a healthy snack. It's also a cinch dish for novices who want to create a tasty dish using the fruit.

Applesauce requires cooking apples. If you go apple picking or even if you're picking them up from your local grocery store, look for these. The best are Fuji, Golden Delicious, JonaGold, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, or the Mackintosh. If you want to spice it up a bit , mix up a few varieties together.You will also need cinnamon, either the stick or powdered form, along with both brown and white sugar.Lemon juice and zest is needed to preserve it Cook 20 to 30 minutes in a big pot (a lobster pot is great for this) and then mash with a potato masher. Don't worry if you make a lot. Applesauce freezes well and can last up to a year in the freezer.

Now that you have it you can use it as a side or a dessert. Most Germans usually serve roast pork with a heaping side of it. The apple's enzymes breaks down the pork's fibers when they're eaten together, making for a better digestion,  You can also make it as a side with pork medallions too. For breakfast try it to liven up some oatmeal or farina. As a snack, try it mixed in with honey into Greek yogurt. A nice dessert is an apple sauce parfait with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. Another good use for it is in baked goods Apple sauce cuts the fat, making any baked  product healthier.It also improves a cake's or cookie's texture as well.

Cook all those apples you've picked in a tasty homemade applesauce. It's a great way of getting an apple's nutrients but also the delicious taste. Try it with a meal or as a snack. It's a scoop of homemade goodness.

The Fall Harvest Is Here Part One

Fall is officially here and with it brings a wide variety of good for you fruits and veggies. This is the season to not only eat well but to eat healthy. There are a wide variety of produce out there you can make any way, from fun snacks to delicious meals and sweets.Take advantage of this cornucopia of harvest delights.

This is the season for apples and pears. Many farms right now are offering pick your own jaunts through their orchards. Apples are rich in Vitamins A, C and K. They're rich with the B vitamins like thiacin and niacin. Try them as a sweet snack or in a pie or cake.Pears are also in season right now and they too are rich in Vitamin C along with fiber.Pears can be good on their own but they're also wonderful in a buttery tart or a spicy crisp. Grapes are another fall fruit and this is the season for the red variety. These are a wonderful snack or can be used giving color to fruit salads. Also have them with a ripe cheddar fpr a different dessert.

Vegetables also shine during the autumn season.Squash is huge right now and one of the stars of the family is the pumpkin, It's bright orange colors signifies that's it's rich in beta carotene.You can go either way with it. It is chock full of calcium and potassium too. It can make a wonderful pie filling or mousse or can be a delicious soup, rich with onions and cream. Another biggie is kale. Kale is one of the best vegetables to eat.It is loaded with Vitamins C and K along with caretonoids and flavanoids. Eating it will prevent block clots and heart disease, along with lowering high blood pressure. Make the always healthy kale chips for a fun snack or unusual hors d"ouevre. It;s also good stir fried or  sauteed with olive oil and garlic.

Use fall harvest to improve your overall health.Try the many bounties of healthy fruits and vegetables in a variety of differnt dishes and treats. Take advantage of this great season and all it has to offer

Apple Picking Time

Now that it's officially fall, it's time to pick apples. This is the season when some of the best varieties are ripe and ready for desserts or just a healthy snack..What are the  kinds to look for right now? There are several that ripen in early to mid October. It's just a matter of knowing what to  pick.

Right now several types are ripening. These are perfect for almost everything from pie filling to crisps. They;re also good just sliced and dipped in caramel. Braeburn apples are probably the most abundant right now. These have red and orange vertical stripes and have a combination sweet and tart flavor.Because of their completely rounded or spherical shape they are the best for baked apples. The Rome variety which is the most widely known is the perfect apple we see depicted in still lifes as well as being the symbol for all apples. The flesh is very firm and meaty.They're also good for baked apples although they re better sliced  and dotting an apple crumb cake.

If you want something just a tad different then try the Winesaps or Granny Smiths. Winesaps are mainly used in cider production although  they're  better in baking. They impart a sweet ,almost mild taste to breads, cakes and muffins.They have a firm texture which is good for any cooking or baking application, You can even slice and cook them with a roast loin of pork. Granny Smiths are fine for the taking as well. These are bright green and have a lovely tart taste that make them perfect for candy or caramel apples However they;re excellent in salads too.You can even slice them into a slaw with raisins carrots and walnuts. This would be perfect for those tailgating barbecues  and would offset  the smokiness of bratswursts hot dogs and hamburgers.

This is  the time to head to an orchard and start picking.There are so many different varieties , to make into a slew of dishes. You can have your pickings baked or dipped in caramel, turned into a salad or a side dish. Use them anyway you can to enjoy fall's bounteous harvest!

Frico Fried Cheese Treats

Want a different kind of snack this weekend? Then try making frico or fried cheese. It's an unusual departure from the typical weekend snacks like mini pizzas and shrooms. It's also easy to make  - which is good. People can't stop eating them once they've been made.

Frico was the subject of this week's A Good Appetite, Melissa Clark's weekly column in the Wednesday's New York Times Dining section. The recipe is easy . All you need is grated or shredded Parmesan, Pecorino or Romano cheese. Just fry them up in olive oil in a large frying pan. I guess you can mix the cheeses for a varied taste or even toss in some dried rosemary or oregano for added zest. Ms. Clark recommends making the frico into one large crisp to be broken apart later.The cheese can be served hot or cold. If you're making it for a crowd then fry it into neat little rounds about the size of potato chips or Ritz crackers.

Ms. Clark pairs it with zucchini which adds a certain sweetness and offsets the supreme saltiness and bite of the cheeses,It's  made the  same way as plain frico but then the zucchini slices are added on top along with shredded basil. Sliced squash is good but I would add sausage rounds for an entirely different adventure in taste.Another idea is teaming the frico chips with thin slices of prosciutto or even regular ham. Ms. Clark also recommends rose or white wine to go with the chips. Since this is cider season as well I would go with a strong heady alcoholic one to complement the cheese's saltiness.

Frico is a great weekend dish. Make it for yourself and enjoy the crunch and flavor of fried cheese. They also make a great appetizer for when friends drop by for a movie or a game. Either way , they are tasty and a great way to use any Parmesan, Pecorino or Romano cheese.

Blue Crab Season

This is the season not for apples but for the Atlantic  blue crab. Right now the tasty shellfish is running.It's a fall tradition in some areas to have crab fests and either eat them with drawn butter or in delicious and varied dishes.Either way, eating them is a great way to welcome in a new season.

The species was mention in a cowritten column in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. Regular contributor John Willoughby along with Chris Schelesinger wrote about the crabs, and gave ideas for how to make them. Late September is the time when the shellfish are at their most bountiful.They're found along Massachusetts' southeastern coast in the briny tidal rivers. Dozens of crabbers come out to catch them. This requires some skill along with chicken necks. The meat is dangled on lengths of twines in the rivers and the crabs come to get them. It is then, that crabbers slip a net under the shellfish and scoop them up into buckets.

All this is worth it. Blue crab meat is one of the most delectable, even beating out the famed Dungeness and stone varieties along with the Jonah for flavor and texture. After steaming they can served with drawn butter or made into a variety of different dishes.The recipes given are varied. There is the spicy Malaysian ginger chili which is a mix if the meat, fiery spices and scallions. For those who like a calmer and tamer crab and corn relish served on sliced beefsteak tomatoes.You can even just have the corn relish on its' own. A more down home recipe is a hush puppy made with the crab along with bacon and corn meal. Remember though to use lump or flaked crab meat. These are taken from the body and are more tender. Meat from the claws tends to be fibrous and a little chewy.

Now is the time for Atlantic blue crabs. Have them to celebrate the new season ahead. Try them the traditional style with butter or more adventurous ways with Malaysian spices or seasonings. They'll taste good no matter how you have them.!