Springtime Diet Time

The calendar says April and that means only one thing bikini season is just a month away.It's time to give up those heavy yet comforting winter meals ,desserts and snacks.However this isn't necessarily a bad hinge.Going on a diet means eating healthy along with other benefits.Trading lush dishes for lighter ones means more nutrients and less carbs and fats. One of the biggest changes is going to be breakfast.How many of us have started off a snowy day with pancakes,French toast ,eggs and bacon.These were great when we had to grapple with shoveling snow or sledding with the kids.The weather is warmer now and that means egg white omelets ,chock full of veggies or just plain.Use the lighter in calories turkey bacon as opposed to the pork one.Berry season will be here before you know it and you can start the day off with puffed wheat or Special K cereal topped with blueberries or sliced strawberries.Another good for you start is mixing these fruits along with peaches (which will be in abundance in another month or so) with plain Greek yogurt.You can also lighten up on your snacks too.Nix all those cookies and cupcakes that kept you going when the temps dropped .Replace them with fresh fruit which is a great mid morning or mid afternoon boost.Fruit itself is also a better pick me up than that sugary donut with a mocha latte.You can also switch beverages too.Those cappuccinos and hot cocoas were great chill chasers, but now think about light passionfruit or mint teas.These have zero calories yet provide the same boost as any syrup laced java.Also add ice to them as the temps warm up for a refreshing break. Some of the biggest dietary changes are going to be with lunch and dinner.One of the best parts of Spring cooking is that it doesn't require labor intensive recipes.Instead of spending hours making a weekend roast,you can do a light sauté with steamed veggies.Not only is this healthier for you it's also a change of pace as well.Three or four months of meat drowned in gravy can be a bit wearing on the old taste buds.This is the season for asparagus with its fresh earthy flAvor.Make it as a side,drizzled lightly with butter or Parmesan or have it as part of a main dish inside a crepe or grill it with other vegetables.Lunch is also lighter.Instead of those big hearty sandwiches or even the occasional burger, you can go light with easy to make salads and wraps.Try different variations to mix it up.Think beet salad topped with goat cheese crumbles and dried onions .Tomatoes on their own make a good salad,especially if you add rosemary and a fresh sliced onion.Another light treat is a mini salad Nicoise, made with tuna, olives and artichoke hearts.Enjoy it outside on a warm Spring day and you'll feel like you're in Provence. Spring is here and with it comes lighter ,healthier eating. Leave the heavy food behind until nextbwinter.You'll feel and look better when you're ready to try on that bathing suit,

A Good Saute

Sauteing is one of the easiest and quickest ways to prepare dinner.It's a versatile way of cooking both meats and veggies for an afterwork dinner or even a Saturday or Sunday supper.All you need is a skillet along with oil or butter to create a tasty dish done in minutes. sauté come from the French word meaning to leap.This has to do with the way the food is cooked, being tossed in a pan.You can use your every day skillet or buy a saute pan. The only difference is that a skillet has sloped sides while the sauté pan has straighter one will work.Use butter or olive oil in small amounts.Another option is Land o'Lakes Saute Express butter squares.The are little butter bricks,marbled with spices, lemon and herbs. It saves you the time of adding flavorings.Cooking time should be about until the meat or veggies are done. There really is no set time frame.Some take longer than others,For example mushrooms take a minute to cook up while something denser ,such as Savoy cabbage takes up to five minutes or more.Reduce the flame until everything cooks up and then serve.You can deglaze what left over as a sauce. What makes for the best sauté?Chicken, beef or any kind kind of fish.You can lightly dredge the chicken and fish. doing this make for a more tender texture. Afterwards add lemon and a tiny splash of white wine for a variation of Meuniere sauce?Sauteed beef is another option.The best bet here cut wise is tenderloin pieces.They're all the same size and cook up quickly.It can also be sautéed.The best ones are Savoy cabbage, mushrooms and green beans.Frozen vegetables can also be sauteed.Microwave or steam them first so they're not so icy when you put teem in the skillet.Garlic can also be sautéed and you can use it as a pizza topping or to liven up a tomato sauceSauteed veggies are wonderful on rice or any type of pasta. Sautes are great time savers along with sealing in the flavor. They make for an excellent meal without any fuss or muss.They let a home chef create a fancy meal in just minutes.

Waffles For All Day

Homemade waffles are always a treat.Nothing beats s fresh from the iron .Yet you can also have them for lunch or dinner with a more savory feel.After all, waffles are a type of bread ,so why not treat it as such.It makes for a fun and interesting main meal or change from the ordinary. New York Times Dining contributor, Melissa Clark explored all variations of this classic dish derived from the French gauffre in her A Good Appetite column yesterday. She has created an excellent recipes all from the acquisition of a brand new waffle iron,She replaced her old one, a cast iron and chrome one from her parents(and one of their wedding presents no less) for a bright stainless steel one.These are the best to have.They're easy to use and also to clean.It makes for having more homemade waffles. A regular treat ,not one that's made a few time a year.Thanks to her new waffle iron,Ms Clark has come up with some interesting spins. To be honest waffles are one of the most versatile recipes.Anyone can experiment with different flours and with adding herbs and spices along with toppings for some unique eating. Ms. Clark starts off with an easy to replicate recipe.It does does have yeast added which results in a lighter, fluffier waffle.It has dry yeast and baking soda for lift along with whole wheat flour.This give the finished product a tang that goes well with any topping .Make the batter the night before or very early in the morning and then bake.There is also a recipe for cornmeal waffles.This too also has Greek yogurt to it for a bite to offset her suggested topping bananas with a bourbon syrup.For a savory waffle she adds Yukon Gold potatoes.It is topped with creme fraiche and smoked trout, a sort of play of caviar and sour cream on buttered toast points.This last was inspired by a savory waffle she had eaten at M.Wells steakhouse in Long Island City.The waffle was topped with smelt , creme fraiche and trout roe. If you don't like fish, then try a savory waffle with ham hash and scrambled eggs, or serve it like chicken a la king with chicken bits in a rich sauce purée over one or two waffles. A well made waffle is a culinary dream come true.It can be made sweet or savory ,for breakfast ,a main meal or even dessert.Try any recipe or create your own and enjoy the crisp golden treat with syrup or with meat and a sauce.

Keeping Italian Traditions

Even traditional Italian food is under the threat of extinction.Younger generations are following trendy food shows and neglecting their family and regional dishes,However thanks to an unlikely savior piatti classic won"t disappear all that soon. Rachel Donadio interviewed this angel of sorts in today's Dining section in today's Wednesday's New York Times.The angel is Daniele DiMichaele who's more in his element deejaying.However he is one of Italy's most fervent food activists.He's concerned that Italy is losing its'culinary heritage thanks to a multitude of factor such as EU or European Union has certain regulations along with the proliferation of processed foods.Also there is the Influence of flashy American influenced cooking shows. he is doing his best to make sure Italians don't forget centuries old dishes. Signore DiMIchaele is encouraging people to send in their recipes to his blog.It's being sponsored by the Bologna Food Association,Artusi, named after Pellegrino Artusi ,the author of Italy's first cookbook. Ms. Donadio went with this DJ who has provided music for some of Europe's and New York City's Ballroom , to the beautiful Amalfi Coast.There they sat down with sausage makers about making traditional hot pepper encrusted sausages.The DJ is from Otranto himself, an area rich in seafood and good recipes .It's also a region that prides itself on handing down dishes through the centuries.The sausage recipe is an artesenal one, not mass produced in a factory but hung to dry, placed outside the kitchen where it was mixed.This is what Italian cooking is about.He is interested in food"s history ,where did it come from ,how was it invented, why did the original cooks choose the ingredients at they did.This curiosity sort of stemmed from his interest in Carlo Petroni's Slow Food Movement of the1980.s Where as Mr Pertroni was interested in excellence, he was more concerned with a dish"s story. Italian cooking has been around since ancient times.Thanks to Daniele DiMichaele, those same dishes will be around and made for years to come.These are the recipes that made Italian food great and he will see that they will continue to do so.

A Fool For April's Fool

What better dessert for today and for the rest of Spring than a fool.This traditionally English dessert is easy to make and a great way for both kids and adults to eat fruit.As the season progresses you can have fresh strawberry, peach or blueberry fool.This is a treat that can also be varied and amped up. Fools have been around since the time of the Plantagenets and got into full gear during Elizabeth I's reign.It's an easy dessert (and I'm surprised it's not common here in the States, given its' easiness). The name possibly could come from the Old French word fouler to crush ,but it's not certain.It's is the perfect dessert for a neophyte cook who is trying to impress. Slice any kind of fruit into small pieces and cook with sugar until semi soft.Fold into already whipped cream ,swirling the fruit mixture into pretty whorls.The English still use currants and gooseberries which tints the cream a lovely deep purple with strands of lavender.The original recipe also says you can use apples but berries work the best.Strawberries are good as are blueberries however you can also try blackberries for more bite or raspberries for a more mellow flavor.Peaches are also good too. You may want to spike them with some sweet white wine when cooking them.Rhubarb is also puller although it does require a lot of cooking and sugar Fools can also be varied in ingredients. a traditional fool may have just custard or a blend of custard and cream well mixed so it's light and airy.What I would do is make zabaglione and stir in fresh cut strawberries or blackberries ,letting these cook as the custard cooks.Don't add overly sweet fruit to this Italian classic.It's already sweet from the sugar and Marsala already added.One of the best British dessert is Eton mess.It originally served at Eton during the summer cricket games, this is mix of meringues,broken into a strawberry fool.You can try this too with chocolate snaps( those one you use for that easy refrigerator log) .For the cream.whip in shaved dark chocolate to the cream.You can also add a surprise layer of homemade fudge sauce too.Again,if you're making this ,stick with cherries,strawberries or raspberries. Make a yummy fool. Not just for today but for the days ahead.Spring will give us some of the best fruit.Use it in a light and airy dessert , perfect for the warm days ahead.

The NY Times Food And Drink Issue

Yesterday's New York Times magazine was chockablock with articles about food.There were a few recipes included but mostly about what's happening on the food and drink scene,Nothing is boring ,that ,s for sure.It's an interesting issue that still can decreed on theTimes site. One of the most impressive was an interview with young culinary star,Flynn McGarry.At the age of fifteen this super nova has created some of the country's most talked about meals . He has created a beet Wellington for one of his in house tasting tables.He is a genius with food and preparing it, taking ordinary ingredients to new heights.He even invites chefs over, such as the Food Channel's Tyler Florence.Even when he was three,McGarry was dressing up as Emeril Lagasse.He started seriously cooking at ten when he grew tired of his mother constantly bringing home take out.It was an interesting insight into the mind of a young cook and also an interesting peek int o his life.There was also another interview with the Danish beer makers who are each other"competition along with a piece on the scrappy chef,Barbara Lynch. The other articles were about the French New Wave of cooking.This is ironic be use the chefs are not French but are transplants from Japan,Australia , America and Britain.These chefs are infusing flavor and spice in a bored Parisian market.British born Matt Ong and his Aussie partner, Hayden Clout have created both a go to eatery as well as a must see wine shop.Japanese born Dai Shinozuka whips up hearty Gallic fare such as baba au rhum with whipped cream and a lobster with a celery remoulade.One of the best articles was a pictorial about what chefs keep in their fridges and crispers.Theirs are not so different from us home chefs with our hoards and troves of special sauces and our half eaten apples or carrots. There are some recipes but surprisingly for cocktails from some of the country,s trendiest bars.They're worth making for a Spring get together with friends.There's a true rum daiquiri a Along with an adult chocolate milk. The New York Times has always been cutting edge when it comes to food and drink.Go online and see what the food issuecis all about.It's eye opening and interesting, as it anticipates upcoming trends.

Light Sauces For Spring

Our cooking definitely change when Spring arrives. There's a decidedly lighter hand when it comes to preparing meals. Gone are the heavy sauces  and in their place, something lighter and airier. The new sauces work well with the onslaught of greens coming out as well as for holiday meals.

One of the best sauces  for Spring is hollandaise. When done right it's light , airy and frothy. Skip those gunky mixes and make your own. It's a simple mix of butter, egg yolks and lemon. It can work well over asparagus which are now in season or over Eggs Benedict in an Easter brunch. You can also create a low calorie version subbing in light mayo for the eggs. Another idea is just melted butter or margarine mixed with Parmesan cheese. This is the perfect topper for asparagus or even spinach.

One of the best meals for warmer weather is chicken with a white wine sauce. This can be served over rice or Bulgar. It's a simple mix of chicken stock and white wine with the addition of shallots.Try a white wine one with quartered vine ripe tomatoes for a lighter sauce over angel hair or spaghettini. Fish  will be served soon, thanks to Holy Week and Passover . Since the flavor is strong, it too needs a delicate sauce for balance,Try a lemony one , made with fresh squeezed Meyer lemons and dill. The base is butter and chicken broth (surprisingly). Use this sauce for pastas too, especially if you add scallops or shrimp to the dish.

This is the start of cooking light. Try these airy sauces to give your meals a fresh, Spring feel. It's a nice welcome to the season.