An Interesting Resolution List

Yes this is January 1st.Yes, this is the time for resolutions (as I pointed out in yesterday's entry) and yes you should resolve to eat right.The problem with trying to break bad habits is that all of us attempt a Herculean feat when baby steps do the trick better. Try little tricks to eat healthy instead of going cold turkey . Mark Bittman gave his spin on resolutions in the very first issue of The New York Times Dining section.His ideas make very good sense.One is buy half as much meat but make it a better quality.With it comes a recipe for a tasty Thai beef salad using grilled flank steak with a dressing part fish sauce and part jalapeño.Another good idea is cooking big batches of grains and beans.This lightens the daily cooking load because both are easy to make.It's also a healthy switch to pastas and bean dishes.Again the recipe he includes with this is a tasty white bean one with kale and sausage, a perfect dish for a snowy day.Mr Bittman does not recommend getting out of season fresh fruit and vegetAbles because they don't taste as good as when they're in season.He believes that the frozen kind can do the trick as well.His best resolution is splurge when you can but on good stuff such as dark chocolate.That way it really is a treat. Some of his recommendations seem a little off the wall.Not many people would cotton to his eat veggies for breakfast philosophy.His reasoning is that we eat fruit ,so what's the difference?Also he cites other countries such as Isreal that make salads as a day starter.Stick with fruit and oatmeal if you want better eating.He also suggests cooking plants as you would meat.With this he gives recipes for breaded eggplant ,which is always a crowd pleaser.Some veggies such as the root ones do taste good roasted.The better way is steaming them for optimum nutrition and adding spices , lemon juice or even soft tub margarine later on.Since Mr. Bittman is a gourmand, one of his ideas is cooking out of one's comfort zone.This will work for the adventurous home chef but may be daunting for the more timid ones.A better idea would be stick with what you know and then vary it when you become bored with it ortheway it's prepared. Resolutions regarding food are always hard ones.The best advice is to not only eat wisely but shop wisely too.Take from what experts ,like Mr.Bittman,say and make it your own. Decide what works for you and go with it.

Our Foodie Resolutions

Most New Year's resolution revolve around quitting vices and improving our lives.One of the best is modifying our diets.The benefits are legion and unlike smoking or drinking. Is surprisingly easy to do.It does take a will.Yet it also takes a way too and that way is just being a smirk eater and shopper. One of the easiest ways of amending your diet is just reading labels.Be aware of what is put into your food.Check not only how much calories and fat but also the percentages of vitamins and minerals that are in it.Also be familiar with natural and man made ingredients.The more the company uses whole grains and less preservatives ,the better the product.Another way to healthier living is buying organic.Most super markets now have extensive organically grown fruits and veggies .Start buying these and freely incorporate them into your daily diet.Choose whole grains breads and even flour.Seven grain breads actually taste better than just plain old white bread.Switch to these for sandwiches and morning toast.The same for rice.Nix the white kind and start giving your family brown wild rice.Again it's more flavorful and you and your family will actually like the switch. One of the biggest New Year's resolutions is forgoing snacks,both sweet and salty.Unfortunately this is broken by mid January.You don't have to give up snacking if you eat healthy.You can still have nibbles ,not just rich ones.Instead of potato chips ,try whole grain pretzels.Another idea is baked potato chips ,made without all that grease and oil.For dips sub in plain Greek yogurt and onion flakes for a healthy dip.Hummus is another great snack.It's high in protein and Vitamin B.Serve it with crudités or fresh made pita chips.Sweets are always on the must give up list.Instead of candy ,then re discover fruit.Enjoy oranges and tangerines right now and berries when summer comes.This is the year to discover the monk fruit which creates a natural sugar.You can buy it at any grocery and use it to sweeten teas and coffees.As for that bane of any diet, soda, get rid of it and sub in flavored seltzers. You have the bubble and taste but without all that sugary badness. Resolve to eat better in the new year.It's easier than you think , especially when you rediscover all the good basics like fruit and veggies.You'll not only rejoice but your body will too!

Your Healthiest Party Ever

new Year's Eve parties are rarely known for their healthy and low calorie foods and drinks.Yet you can be a concerned host and actually serve nibbles and shots that are good for your guests.These are not only beneficial for the waistline but also for the psyche too.None will wake unfeeling either bloated or even hung over. As I've always stated a party is defined by its' foods.Party foods should be fun and full of flavor.They don't have to have empty calories and fat.One of the easiest dips to make is salsa.It's also chockfull of vitamins and minerals.Start with tomatoes and onions.You can add corn or scallions for some thing different.Some add mangoes too.Serve with whole wheat tortilla chips.Dips can also be healthier by subbing in plain Greek yogurt for sour cream.Kabobs ,always a party fave can be made with grilled chicken or shrimp. Add peppers and eggplant for variety. Asian style appetizers are always a good choice.Start with shredded chicken and fill with carrots,Ginger and carrots. Use regular lettuce for the exteriors .This can be served hot because it just takes five minutes to cook and create.A variation of lettuce cups which is just putting scoops of the chicken mix into whole lettuce leaves.Mini pizzas are also good.Try whole wheat pita as a base and fresh tomatoes instead of sauce. Drinking and toasting are a New Year's tradition.Yet too much can cause tremendous damage.What you can do is sub in the non alcoholic ciders and champagnes(yes they do exist). if not think about spritzers.This is taking any wine and combining it with seltzer. Red wine on it's own is chock full of antioxidants. You can make it less alcoholic by loading it with ice and letting the ice melt.Another idea is drink liquor.It's low in calories.Surprisingly most martinis are also low in calories as are gin and tonics.For safety ,add just a hint of gin and go heavy on the tonic.For beer drinkers have lite beers handy.However the healthiest and sanest drink for the New Year's is a flute of flavored seltzer with a twist of lemon. Also have black coffee ready for those driving home in the early hours. A New Year's party should have special food and special drink.Start it off right with healthy food and drink.It'll be a great way of starting the new year right.

A Holiday Trip To Greece

Holiday fare is always special.There are always traditional foods and drinks to sample and savor.One of the oldest inEurope, and perhaps the world is Greece.It is millennia old and full of interesting ingredients as well as stories.Both Christmas and New Year's are no different. Christmas in the Greek Orthodoxy comes after a forty day fasting period.The dishes are well thought out and celebratory.Since eggs and dairy were forbidden during the fast Christmas Eve dishes are loaded with eggs and dairy.One is Sesame Baklava ,redolent with honey and sesame seeds.Meat include pork and the ever present lamb.The last has been used in feasts and dinners since antiquity.With it comes Christ's bread or Christopsomo.It's sort of like fruitcake with the added boost of red wine and brandy.Spice cookies or melomakarona share the spotlight too.This is an orange cinnamon cookies that are soaked in a honey based syrup after baking.The Northern Greeks have contributed stuffed cabbage to the dinner table as well. Christmas is surprisingly a minor holiday in the Greek calendar.New Year's Dayr or the Feast of St Basil is the star.Here young men dive into icy waters in his name to retrieve a gold crucifix that Orthodox priests have previously tossed into either bay ,ocean or river.There is the traditional cake with his name.A coin is baked into it and it brings good luck to the one who finds it.Greek shortbreads or kourapiedes are made too.Nuts and fresh fruit are also put out on the table too, symbolizing hope for a prosperous new year.Pork is also served ,usually roasted for the meal of the day. Greece is a country long on holiday traditions as well as foods.They celebrate with gusto as they create time honored dishes.They make both Christmas and New Year's memorable with aromas and flavors.

Holiday Party Treats

With New Year's beckoning and holiday open houses happening ,it's time to look into fun party nibbles.These are the kind that everyone loves (or will love).After all nothing defines a party more than its'food.Keep guests sated with hors d'ouevres that rock the house and satisfy your guests. There are two great recipes to try , thanks to the Christmas issue of the New York Times Dining section.Melissa Clark offers a Southern classic grits while David Tanis gives us a spin on blinis.Ms. Clark gets her recipe from chef Kyle Knall at New York's Mayville Restaurant.This is a supremely easy recipe.The only labor intensive step is cooking the grits for an hour to an hour and a half.Afterwards fry them in grape seed oil.The golden squares are topped with shredded ham slices and bourbon mayo.The mayo is a quick recipe,with homemade mayo.Dijon mustard and lemon juice is added for more flavor.To continue the theme, you could serve bourbon shots with the squares. David Tanis of the City Kitchen column offers a more traditional fare in the shape of blinis.Inspired by ano D Eartha Kitt song "Mink Schmink" that has a line about chicken blintzes.Mr.Tanis fills them with roasted chicken along with rich Chanterelle mushrooms.Along with the golden fungi,leeks are also used to impart more flavor.Creme fraiche is also added.On it's own this filler would be elegant over toasted brioche as a kind of luxe chicken ala king.The blinis can be made in advance but you could also make them with crepe batter too.Mr.Tanis adds a dollop of more creme fraiche and mushrooms on top of the blinis.He recommends them with a glass of celebratory champagne but a good white wine will do too. Good food means a good party.Have an update of a Southern classic or a Russian favorite for your holiday party.If you're a busy host or hostess ,serve both.They are delicious treats your guests will truly love.

Le Saison Pour Chocolat

This is the week for sweets.No matter where you are in the world right now candies rule .France ,the center of good food and good wine is no different.The French delight in all things chocolate and The Christmas season is no exception. Elaine Sciolino got the chance to write about this in yesterday's special Christmas New York Times Dining edition.She sampled some of France's best cocoas.The all time best is from a town outside of Grenoble inVoiron.Chocolatier,Stephane Bonnat has created premium chocolates by checking the beans first for insects and then mold.They are then cleaned and roasted on an toque roasting machine.There are several other processes before the beans are turned into edible silk.Since the area is also known for the acid green liqueur chartreuse, there are chocolates filled with them.There are also bars such as le Madagascar which has a sublet flavor and the Cote d'Ivoire,which has a perfumed light flavor in the mouth.There is also one that celebrates Peru's contribution to the industry. Monsieur Bonnat has competition in the unlikely famed chef, Alain Ducasse. Chef Ducasse is known more his famed restaurant.As he does with his signature dishes he goes overboard with his chocolate making.He does it from scratch,much the same way chocolatiers did a century ago?Unfortunately the reviews have not been favorable.The best and actually most affordable is Vahlrona.It comes from Lyons in the south of France.It is smooth and silky ,perfect for eating on it's own or added as a luxe ingredient.Surprisingly the family who owned it sold it to French industrial giant Groupe Soparind Bongrain. Anything chocolate is a staple right now.The French have taken this holiday classic and turned it into a high art.Vive le chocolate!

A Food Filled Christmas

Have a very merry Christmas filled with good food and tasty treats. Remember to give to those less fortunate than you. Most of all celebrate with those Eat well eat wisely