Spring is the time for all things green - and that includes diets. It's time to shed those heavy winter dishes and think lighter and brighter. Embrace low calorie meals and a different way of eating during the warmer days.
The colder months leave us wanting heavy, gravy rich meals. This is fine. because we need more energy in shoveling snow and just dealing with frigid temps. However now that some areas are hitting sixty and even seventy degrees , it's time to serve lower in calories foods. Luckily Spring ushers in asparagus season. One serving is only thirty calories. Asparagus is delicious when it's dressed with melted butter, sliced hard boiled eggs and Parmesan cheese. However these amp up the calories and fat. What you can do is try a low calorie cheese and margarine. As for the eggs you can scoop out the yolks if you want and just chop up the egg whites.Artichokes are also big right now. It's tempting to stuff them with oil soaked bread crumbs and mozzarella however think lighter. Imagine dipping the leaves in a refreshing lime vinaigrette where fresh squeezed limes sub in for lemons. Add some oregano or dried cilantro for some zing. This makes a nice appetizer for early season barbecues. Dandelion greens are also in season. These can easily be picked from your yard and turned into zippy salad. Remember to wash them very well because every creature in the neighborhood could have sniffed them or worse.
Spring is the time of foraging. One of the biggest woodland harvests right now is fiddlehead ferns. These are a dieter's dream with only ten(!) calories a stalk. Many will balk, wondering what the flavor will taste like. Not to worry. Fiddleheads have a flavor that's that some compare to asparagus, broccoli or green beans. Try them sauteed in margarine and chopped garlic. They're the perfect foil to grilled chicken or salmon. Ramps are also growing right now and they're ready for the picking. They have an onoin-y taste and again, think of them as a great side to chicken or fish. The Spring season is the start , not just of the growing season but also the grilling season. It's tempting to throw a steak on the coals and just feat. Yet the average eight ounce steak has close to a whopping five hundred calories, more if you brush it with any kind of butter.Opt for salmon instead which is only about two hundred and thirty calories. Even better are scallops with only eleven (!) calories for each one. You could even afford to brush them with butter.Serve them with morels , a wild mushroom that can be foraged. These tasty forest nuggets are only ten calories a mushroom. It's an elegant dinner , full of substance , but light and airy.
Warmer weather means a change of diet. Think chicken and fish, along with the greens of the season. It makes for a wonderful, and healthier change of pace.
Monday, April 2, 2018
Saturday, March 31, 2018
My Big Easter Tofu Extravaganza
Easter dinners are always special and a challenge when you have vegetarians in the house.What happens to that heavenly baked ham? It becomes tofu - namely tofu baked in the style of ham.
I found this recipe during a search. I had scoured my local Stop & Shop for the Gardein Holiday Ham loaf. Nothing. Not even the turkey one. I guess those are made ar only Thanksgiving and Christmas. I bought a block of Nasoya Hard Tofu, hoping to find a recipe. Bingo! It was a Washington Post entry by Joe Yolan about a spin on a recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowicz. It's part of The Superfun Times vegan Holiday Cookbook. I added some of my own spin on it.
First here is the tofu,
I found this recipe during a search. I had scoured my local Stop & Shop for the Gardein Holiday Ham loaf. Nothing. Not even the turkey one. I guess those are made ar only Thanksgiving and Christmas. I bought a block of Nasoya Hard Tofu, hoping to find a recipe. Bingo! It was a Washington Post entry by Joe Yolan about a spin on a recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowicz. It's part of The Superfun Times vegan Holiday Cookbook. I added some of my own spin on it.
First here is the tofu,
This is what you should have, Then it's wrapping the tofu brick in paper towels
Doing this soaks up the water (because tofu is basically a sponge).I double wrapped it in two paper towels. Then to squeeze more water out of it, I put a can of soup on a plate over it.
In the meantime, I made the marinade. It takes three tablespoons of grated ginger
You need a ginger grater for this, A hasp or a micrograter can work too.
This was probably the hardest part of it. Four cloves of finely chopped garlic are also added.
Now for the orange. Ms. Moskowicz recommends blood oranges which I could not find. I subbed in D'Angelo which have more or less the same tangy sweetness as the blood oranges. Both the juice and the zest had to be used. I started with a micro grater or hasp, Bad idea I used a regular grater. The orange looks like a shaved peach,
Use a heaping tablespoon of zest and 1/2 cup of juice. This is mixed with two tablespoons of maple syrup and four teaspoons of low sodium soy sauce. Also add two tablespoons of olive oil. Whisk everything together
The tofu was then cut into blocks. I was able to get five
Then covered in plastic and marinaded in the fridge for two hours.
Cover with foil. Bake in a 375 degree Farenheit oven for twenty minutes.
Take the foul off. Flip the bricks and bake for another fifteen minutes.
And this is the finished product served with mashed , soy buttered cauliflower.
It was very good but very labor intensive. Next time. I'll just use orange juice and marmalade along with ginger paste. Still it was pretty tasty - the perfect Easter meal for ham starved vegans.
Friday, March 30, 2018
Good Friday Thoughts
Good Friday is a day of reflection and thinking of others. It should be very apparent this year with the protesters and LGBTQ bans from certain chain restaurants. They need not just our support but alimentary support too.
If you're a restaurant owner think about donating food to your local demonstrations. Sandwiches and small salads will be fine along with cold bottles of water. If it's more organized, think about getting together with a few other restaurant owners to form a buffet.The hot dishes will be appreciated if there's rainy or cool Spring weather.Even chains such as McDonald's or Wendy 's can participate.
As for tolerance, everybody should be allowed to eat where they want to eat or order a wedding cake. Think about tolerance and how the New Testament emphasizes that. Protest eateries and shops that promote exclusion. A big enough backlash can close down one place.
Be thoughtful for this Good Friday and practice tolerance and acceptance all year round.
If you're a restaurant owner think about donating food to your local demonstrations. Sandwiches and small salads will be fine along with cold bottles of water. If it's more organized, think about getting together with a few other restaurant owners to form a buffet.The hot dishes will be appreciated if there's rainy or cool Spring weather.Even chains such as McDonald's or Wendy 's can participate.
As for tolerance, everybody should be allowed to eat where they want to eat or order a wedding cake. Think about tolerance and how the New Testament emphasizes that. Protest eateries and shops that promote exclusion. A big enough backlash can close down one place.
Be thoughtful for this Good Friday and practice tolerance and acceptance all year round.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
The New Kitchen Must Have The Egg Spoon
Every year , or more like every few months there's some kitchen gadget or device that capture the cooking community's eye. This time around it's the egg spoon.. This simple fusing of metal is causing quite a stir , both with professional and home chefs. Is this new addition worth it?
That's the question regular contributor, Kim, Severson, wrote yesterday in The New York Times Food section. What is it exactly? Imagine a mini frying pan with a long handle that allows you to hold it over a campfire or hearth fire,It has a primitive look, like what our ancestors cooked with two hundred years ago, The egg spoon is sort of reminiscent of the scoop Mel Gibson's character in 2000 movie "The Patriot" used when melting his son's tin soldiers into musket balls. Alice Waters,the famed chef, and Slow Food innovator had the first one,specifically made for her by Angelo Garro., after she saw one in William Rubels' The Magic Of Fire: Hearth Cooking :One Hundred Recipes For The Fireplace or Campfire. A female blacksmith. Ms. Lovell now forges them for Ms. Waters" daughter, Fanny Singer for her website Permanent Collection. The price is a whopping $250 which is part of the backlash against it.Yet it is selling out, probably due to the fact that Ms. Singer is the only one selling it.Not even Etsy, the purveyor of all things unique has it . Neither does Amazon which sells all sorts of kitchen gadgets.
This rare culinary bird has caused quite a lot of controversy. Many see it as the height of indulgence and privilege., especially with the price. However those against should take into consideration that it is hand wrought and made of a sturdy iron.The price could drop if other companies such as Williams-Sonoma, make one of their own. Samin Nosrat, who contributes regularly to the food section of New York Times Sunday magazine , says that a $300 sous vide is more elite than cooking an egg over an open fire. Also five percent of the profits go to Waters' own charity, The Edible Schoolyard Project, which provides schools with gardens and the know how of caring for them. Despite all this, the egg spoon still can rile . Ms. Waters used six cords of wood to cook one egg for Leslie Stahl in a 2009 Sixty Minutes piece. People saw that as a waste of wood. It also has sparked a feminist debate, fueled by the current MeToo movement. Some feel that if a man had promoted it , it would have been received better, but because a woman introduced it, received criticism. Even Anthony Bourdain, who first fueled the egg spoon war concedes that there is a bit of sexism, but make chefs have created much sillier and worse.
What is the fate of the egg spoon.? A good one, if the price goes down. If not, then it' will just be another expensive cooking gewgaw only chefs can afford.
That's the question regular contributor, Kim, Severson, wrote yesterday in The New York Times Food section. What is it exactly? Imagine a mini frying pan with a long handle that allows you to hold it over a campfire or hearth fire,It has a primitive look, like what our ancestors cooked with two hundred years ago, The egg spoon is sort of reminiscent of the scoop Mel Gibson's character in 2000 movie "The Patriot" used when melting his son's tin soldiers into musket balls. Alice Waters,the famed chef, and Slow Food innovator had the first one,specifically made for her by Angelo Garro., after she saw one in William Rubels' The Magic Of Fire: Hearth Cooking :One Hundred Recipes For The Fireplace or Campfire. A female blacksmith. Ms. Lovell now forges them for Ms. Waters" daughter, Fanny Singer for her website Permanent Collection. The price is a whopping $250 which is part of the backlash against it.Yet it is selling out, probably due to the fact that Ms. Singer is the only one selling it.Not even Etsy, the purveyor of all things unique has it . Neither does Amazon which sells all sorts of kitchen gadgets.
This rare culinary bird has caused quite a lot of controversy. Many see it as the height of indulgence and privilege., especially with the price. However those against should take into consideration that it is hand wrought and made of a sturdy iron.The price could drop if other companies such as Williams-Sonoma, make one of their own. Samin Nosrat, who contributes regularly to the food section of New York Times Sunday magazine , says that a $300 sous vide is more elite than cooking an egg over an open fire. Also five percent of the profits go to Waters' own charity, The Edible Schoolyard Project, which provides schools with gardens and the know how of caring for them. Despite all this, the egg spoon still can rile . Ms. Waters used six cords of wood to cook one egg for Leslie Stahl in a 2009 Sixty Minutes piece. People saw that as a waste of wood. It also has sparked a feminist debate, fueled by the current MeToo movement. Some feel that if a man had promoted it , it would have been received better, but because a woman introduced it, received criticism. Even Anthony Bourdain, who first fueled the egg spoon war concedes that there is a bit of sexism, but make chefs have created much sillier and worse.
What is the fate of the egg spoon.? A good one, if the price goes down. If not, then it' will just be another expensive cooking gewgaw only chefs can afford.
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
The Artisanal Food Magazine
It should come as no surprise that food magazines are now indie and artisanal. After all,most foods are, Why not the magazines that feature them? It's a new food trend that may just be a permanent one.
Tejal Rao, the famed chef and, cookbook writer wrote about them in today's New York Times Food section It's a movement that arose from frustration. Many of the people, creating these are stymied by what they see in the long established cookery magazines. There are ones that recipes cater more to novices than seasoned chefs or the ones that are so corny and homey that it hurts to read them, despite the fact that some actually do print pretty good recipes. Many of these indies combine lifestyle with cooking as Jarry, one created by Lukas Volger and Steve Viksjo.It celebrates the meeting of food and queer culture.It gave an L.G.B.T.Q. spin on food. Unlike other food magazines, there's an article on designer , Zac Posen who also has a cookbook out as well as a culinary tour of Milan. Dill magazine, created by only (!) twenty year old Shayne Chammavanijakul on South Asian noodles along with flavors and dishes . There are some interesting recipes you wouldn't see in standard lifestyle or cooking magazines.The wittily named Toothache was created by pastry chef , Nick Muncy, for chefs. It may be the first of its' kind because it offers recipes in technical terms not ones for foodies or home chefs .
Is it easy to create a artisanal magazine? Like food blogging it does require a large chunk of time to come up with ideas and format. , It is also costly unlike food blogging, which just requires signing onto a free blog.A print magazine needs ink and paper along with contributors to create an issue. This requires money, easy to get from a publisher , not so from an independent one. Dill's creator, Ms. Chammavanijakul had to work nights at Chipotle just to pay her contributors.Family and friends also chipped in with financial and editorial support. Staffs on these artisanal issues tend to be small. Sometimes it's just a staff of one or possibly two doing everything, from layout to promotion. The circulation also is very small. Readership could only be around one hundred and fifty subscribers.Pricing is also high.Dill is nine dollars an issue. Toothache is a whopping twenty dollars for two biannual issues.Yet, unlike, the mass produced food magazines, these come with saturated ink drawings along with original articles that would appeal to a more experienced crowd.
These new artisanal magazines may last as long as their more established counterparts. They show a side of cooking and food not always seen. This may be more than a trend. It may be the start of an entirely new publishing phenomenon.
Tejal Rao, the famed chef and, cookbook writer wrote about them in today's New York Times Food section It's a movement that arose from frustration. Many of the people, creating these are stymied by what they see in the long established cookery magazines. There are ones that recipes cater more to novices than seasoned chefs or the ones that are so corny and homey that it hurts to read them, despite the fact that some actually do print pretty good recipes. Many of these indies combine lifestyle with cooking as Jarry, one created by Lukas Volger and Steve Viksjo.It celebrates the meeting of food and queer culture.It gave an L.G.B.T.Q. spin on food. Unlike other food magazines, there's an article on designer , Zac Posen who also has a cookbook out as well as a culinary tour of Milan. Dill magazine, created by only (!) twenty year old Shayne Chammavanijakul on South Asian noodles along with flavors and dishes . There are some interesting recipes you wouldn't see in standard lifestyle or cooking magazines.The wittily named Toothache was created by pastry chef , Nick Muncy, for chefs. It may be the first of its' kind because it offers recipes in technical terms not ones for foodies or home chefs .
Is it easy to create a artisanal magazine? Like food blogging it does require a large chunk of time to come up with ideas and format. , It is also costly unlike food blogging, which just requires signing onto a free blog.A print magazine needs ink and paper along with contributors to create an issue. This requires money, easy to get from a publisher , not so from an independent one. Dill's creator, Ms. Chammavanijakul had to work nights at Chipotle just to pay her contributors.Family and friends also chipped in with financial and editorial support. Staffs on these artisanal issues tend to be small. Sometimes it's just a staff of one or possibly two doing everything, from layout to promotion. The circulation also is very small. Readership could only be around one hundred and fifty subscribers.Pricing is also high.Dill is nine dollars an issue. Toothache is a whopping twenty dollars for two biannual issues.Yet, unlike, the mass produced food magazines, these come with saturated ink drawings along with original articles that would appeal to a more experienced crowd.
These new artisanal magazines may last as long as their more established counterparts. They show a side of cooking and food not always seen. This may be more than a trend. It may be the start of an entirely new publishing phenomenon.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
The Greatest Book Of Grilling
Despite the cold temps and occasional snow flurry , it's Spring and that means grilling season is here.It's time to get the grill ready to go.before you do , there's a phenomenal book , chock full of all sorts of on the grill recipes , from appetizers to even dessert - yes, dessert!
Char-Broil's Great Book Of Grilling (Fox Chapel Publishing 2018) is a compilation of recipes from the folks at Char-Broil Grills.The company is well known for its' wide variety of gas and charcoal grills along with electric and portable ones. Charbroil also has an extensive line of both oil-less fryers and BBQ smokers. The company is also innovative, creating a line of hybrid grills that incorporate both gas and charcoal. Charbroil is all things outdoor cooking so it makes sense that they have a cookbook all about the cuisine. Novice grillers will appreciate the first chapter which explains everything from the difference between barbecuing and grilling( the first is a slower method of cooking),to infra-red frying.A big plus are the cooking table times for the various meats and fish. Following this , there should be no under cooked meat . There is also pages on pantry essentials such as brown sugar and ketchup and tips for creating the best tasting burgers, chops, wings and even fruit slices. A very important section is dedicated to grill safety.It's full of such wise tips as grill in a well ventilated area and wearing "safe clothes" such as no hanging shirt tails, frills or apron strings.Another important section is grill maintenance and how to clean the various grates with different cleaning implements and soap.
The recipes are mouth watering. Carnivores will drool over the Bloody Mary London Broil which is London Broil with zippy Worcester sauce and tomato juice along with the Montreal Grilled T-Bone which comes with a fiery Cajun sauce. For tradtionalists there is beer-can chicken.It comes with two rub recipes, one spiked with cumin and coriander and a fiery sweet one, rich with sugar and cayenne pepper. There's the simple but packed with flavor with Grilled New York Steak.It's just brushing them with melted butter or oil. Poultry lovers will also enjoy the grilled duck breasts with sweet potato fries and BBQ turkey wings cooked over cherry wood chips. Pork and lamb are also represented Affectionados will enjoy the pulled smoked pork with the tongue seairng mop sauce and lamb chops with rosemary and cumin. For those who prefer seafood there is the delicious rainbow trout stuffed with lemon, shallots and herbs.A tasty twist on a salad is Cajun grilled mahi-mahi with avocado slices.Sides and desserts are also here, with some component being cooked over an open flame., A pool party would be more fun with grilled and stuffed potato skins or grilled scallops with prosciutto. End with grilled peaches with raspberry puree or grill baked chocolate chip cookies.
Before you know it, warmer weather will be here and that means firing up the grill.Have the Char-Broil Great Book Of Grilling on hand. It's loaded with recipes that will keep your fire going until tailgate season!
Char-Broil's Great Book Of Grilling (Fox Chapel Publishing 2018) is a compilation of recipes from the folks at Char-Broil Grills.The company is well known for its' wide variety of gas and charcoal grills along with electric and portable ones. Charbroil also has an extensive line of both oil-less fryers and BBQ smokers. The company is also innovative, creating a line of hybrid grills that incorporate both gas and charcoal. Charbroil is all things outdoor cooking so it makes sense that they have a cookbook all about the cuisine. Novice grillers will appreciate the first chapter which explains everything from the difference between barbecuing and grilling( the first is a slower method of cooking),to infra-red frying.A big plus are the cooking table times for the various meats and fish. Following this , there should be no under cooked meat . There is also pages on pantry essentials such as brown sugar and ketchup and tips for creating the best tasting burgers, chops, wings and even fruit slices. A very important section is dedicated to grill safety.It's full of such wise tips as grill in a well ventilated area and wearing "safe clothes" such as no hanging shirt tails, frills or apron strings.Another important section is grill maintenance and how to clean the various grates with different cleaning implements and soap.
The recipes are mouth watering. Carnivores will drool over the Bloody Mary London Broil which is London Broil with zippy Worcester sauce and tomato juice along with the Montreal Grilled T-Bone which comes with a fiery Cajun sauce. For tradtionalists there is beer-can chicken.It comes with two rub recipes, one spiked with cumin and coriander and a fiery sweet one, rich with sugar and cayenne pepper. There's the simple but packed with flavor with Grilled New York Steak.It's just brushing them with melted butter or oil. Poultry lovers will also enjoy the grilled duck breasts with sweet potato fries and BBQ turkey wings cooked over cherry wood chips. Pork and lamb are also represented Affectionados will enjoy the pulled smoked pork with the tongue seairng mop sauce and lamb chops with rosemary and cumin. For those who prefer seafood there is the delicious rainbow trout stuffed with lemon, shallots and herbs.A tasty twist on a salad is Cajun grilled mahi-mahi with avocado slices.Sides and desserts are also here, with some component being cooked over an open flame., A pool party would be more fun with grilled and stuffed potato skins or grilled scallops with prosciutto. End with grilled peaches with raspberry puree or grill baked chocolate chip cookies.
Before you know it, warmer weather will be here and that means firing up the grill.Have the Char-Broil Great Book Of Grilling on hand. It's loaded with recipes that will keep your fire going until tailgate season!
Monday, March 26, 2018
Revamping The Classics
Classic recipes are just that - classic. However sometimes they need updating or varying to add more zing and flavor or to make them healthier.After all change is good. Change keeps a recipe going for the next generation.
The idea came to me after looking at the original recipe for Tollhouse Cookies in today's New York Times obituaries. Yes, obituaries. The Times is doing a salute to famous women that were ignored or barely written up when they passed. One was Ruth Wakfield who left us forty years ago. Thanks to her , home baking was never the same. She invented chocolate chip cookies by adding smashed dark chocolate to a buttery brown sugar snap. It took off like crazy, thanks to Nestle's creating chocolate chips to suit the recipe. Many have not wanted to redo this classic but sometimes an update helps. For a healthier bite try subbing in carob chips which have a similar taste to chocolate.One of the earliest variations was subbing in M&M's for the chips. Then there is the flip chocolate chip , chocolate dough and white chocolate chips.The basic sugar cookie is also getting an upgrade with the addition of vegan butter and whole wheat flour.A truly colorful alternative is the addition of colorful sprnkles or jimmies to the dough. These amps up the fun in a simple classic. Brownies, always a must have , have also been tinkered with to create a more delicious treat. Coconut, marshmallows and a variety of nuts have been added over the years along with dried cherries, cream cheese and even cranberries!
Savory recipes also have gotten upgrades over the years. Take pasta aglia et olio, pasta with garlic and oil. For years it was served with fettucini, spaghetti or angel hair pasta These were all good but try the sauce with rotelli or shells.It works perfectly because the roasted garlic gets caught in the curves and lifts the flavor of the pasta itself. The same can be said for pasta con burro, , usually served with long strands. Try it with a chicken ravioli or tortellini, Mole sauce, that Mexican classic , made with cocoa powder and chile peppers. is usually served with chicken but it can also be a great foil for beef such as London Broil or pork. It can even be used as a sauce for a burger for a change of pace. Side dishes can also be varied for a fun twist.Cauliflower , always made into a soup or breaded for frying can be riced to create a fun new dish. It's just putting broken florets into a food processor or mini chopper and pulsing them until they resemble couscous. Add spices or just butter for a tasty and fun side. The same can be done to broccoli too. Instead of the usual broccoli salad, think a riced one. with olive oil and garlic. The process is simple. Cut the florets and stems into workable pieces and drop into a mini chopper. You make have to work in batches if you have a big bunch.
Change is good. Changing a classic is even better. Take basic recipes and tinker with them to create something more delicious and new.
The idea came to me after looking at the original recipe for Tollhouse Cookies in today's New York Times obituaries. Yes, obituaries. The Times is doing a salute to famous women that were ignored or barely written up when they passed. One was Ruth Wakfield who left us forty years ago. Thanks to her , home baking was never the same. She invented chocolate chip cookies by adding smashed dark chocolate to a buttery brown sugar snap. It took off like crazy, thanks to Nestle's creating chocolate chips to suit the recipe. Many have not wanted to redo this classic but sometimes an update helps. For a healthier bite try subbing in carob chips which have a similar taste to chocolate.One of the earliest variations was subbing in M&M's for the chips. Then there is the flip chocolate chip , chocolate dough and white chocolate chips.The basic sugar cookie is also getting an upgrade with the addition of vegan butter and whole wheat flour.A truly colorful alternative is the addition of colorful sprnkles or jimmies to the dough. These amps up the fun in a simple classic. Brownies, always a must have , have also been tinkered with to create a more delicious treat. Coconut, marshmallows and a variety of nuts have been added over the years along with dried cherries, cream cheese and even cranberries!
Savory recipes also have gotten upgrades over the years. Take pasta aglia et olio, pasta with garlic and oil. For years it was served with fettucini, spaghetti or angel hair pasta These were all good but try the sauce with rotelli or shells.It works perfectly because the roasted garlic gets caught in the curves and lifts the flavor of the pasta itself. The same can be said for pasta con burro, , usually served with long strands. Try it with a chicken ravioli or tortellini, Mole sauce, that Mexican classic , made with cocoa powder and chile peppers. is usually served with chicken but it can also be a great foil for beef such as London Broil or pork. It can even be used as a sauce for a burger for a change of pace. Side dishes can also be varied for a fun twist.Cauliflower , always made into a soup or breaded for frying can be riced to create a fun new dish. It's just putting broken florets into a food processor or mini chopper and pulsing them until they resemble couscous. Add spices or just butter for a tasty and fun side. The same can be done to broccoli too. Instead of the usual broccoli salad, think a riced one. with olive oil and garlic. The process is simple. Cut the florets and stems into workable pieces and drop into a mini chopper. You make have to work in batches if you have a big bunch.
Change is good. Changing a classic is even better. Take basic recipes and tinker with them to create something more delicious and new.
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