Festive Chickpeas A Crunchy Healthy Snack

 It is hard to find a snack that's good for you and good for your taste buds. Luckily there is one, Festive Chickpeas that fit the bill. These are great , delicious snacks that can be eaten at home or on the run.

One of my favorite beans is the chickpea. They're phenomenal in a summer salad or added to pasta sauce. Dried ones, which are the best ,are usually sold at Italian festivals only held in September. These are the best They are crunchy and salty, the perfect snack. Luckily Festive has come along and not only given us sea salted dried butter flavored chickpeas but ones that are ranch flavored along with honey barbecue, sour cream and onions, and two kinds of spicy, mild and fire hot.  The flavors are not so overpowering. You can still taste the chickpea's unique nutty sweetness and the extra seasoning complements them.They come in one ounce and two ounce bags. They're the perfect lunchbox or picnic snack but also would make a fun stocking stuffer too.

I like these for so many reasons. They have a good crunch and the flavors are  tasty. I can even see Festive Chickpeas in a salad, giving it some oomph and zing. There are other pluses too. The chickpeas are non GMO and there are no preservatives. Also chickpeas are chock full of manganese. You can also eat a handful of any of the Festive kind and feel full. No need to eat  a bowl of them. Chickpeas also help regulate blood sugar and promote brain health. Chickpeas in general help lower Type Two diabetes, cancer  and heart disease. Imagine any other snack doing that!!

Switch over to Festive Chickpeas if you want a healthy good for you, crunchy snack. They are perfect nibble for binge watching or a great side to a fall picnic. Try all their flavors for a delicious and healthy alternative to chips and popcorn!!!!

Four Years Without The Master Chef

 It's hard to believe that four years have elapsed since I lost my Mom, our family's Master Chef. This past year would have made her worry but amused and maybe thrilled that her kids managed.

I know she would have been worried out of her mind about my twice broken arm and the surgery that followed the first break. What would she have made of my brother's spinach salad and his successful attempt on our family's potato salad recipe? She would have liked the spinach salad and maybe the ingenuity he put into the salad. He used already boiled potatoes and a variety of vegan mayonnaise. Would she have liked the added capers and green olives? Maybe. She would have said maybe add more celery and a bit more onion, both needed for crunch and texture.She definitely would have offered input on jazzing up store bought tomato sauce that my brother is fond of having with his penne or rotelli. His Halloween barbecue would have tickled her and she would have loved bundling up in front of the fire pit munching on a "real" hot dog and having a plate of potato salad, followed by hot coffee and Halloween cupcakes.

What would she have thought of my "one arm cooking"? She would have worried that I was doing too much and hurting my afflicted arm when I made my well known air fryer portabellas. Yet she would have been happy that I was actually cooking and would have been at my side to do most of the work. My taking the right vitamins and my daily dose of calcium  would have been her top priority. She would want me strong again and healthy. I think she also would have wanted me to eat more protein, namely meat and dairy to build stronger bones. We would have had more rotisserie chicken from the Acme and may even steak sandwiches along with a snack of Brie on crackers. She definitely would have made me drink cow's milk instead of the usual almond milk and also eat more yogurt too. We would have gone the Piedmontese route with using butter to fry and saute - after all it is dairy too  - instead of relying on "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter". Greens , especially kale and spinach would have been more on the menu. These too are rich in iron and good for healing bones.

This would have been a tough year for her to witness but she was tough and could handle anything thrown her way. A kid with a twice broken arm wouldn't have fazed her. She would definitely go into Master Chef mode and created healthy, protein rich dishes for us.

The Thanksgiving Issue Part Two

 Yesterday The New York Times Food section printed their unofficial Thanksgiving issue. It was chock full of ideas and recipes. There is still more to go over and share with family and our veterans alike.

 We discovered spins on turkey thanks to Padma Lakschmi and some interesting dishes from a Liberian Thanksgiving. Now it's time to look into traditional and classic New York Times recipes. These reflect over 150 years of them from The Times. Krysten Chambrot food editor of the section  created the assembly of these tasty dishes.She's had help from Amanda Hesser, co-founder of the cooking and home company Food 52, and former Times food writer and editor. Some of the recipes weren't originally meant for the holiday but they can easily be made for it.  You could easily start the meal off with Craig Claiborne;s Florentine dip first published in 1959.It's a heady mix of anchovies, capers and lemon juice mixed into a blend if sour cream and cream cheese. Chives, garlic and parsley add to the flavor. A different side is red cabbage glazed with maple syrup. This would also be good with a holiday pork roast or  a Christmas ham too. It's from 1991 , created by Yves Labbe. Red cabbage is first sauteed in bacon drippings with onions, apples, a bay leaf and maple syrup. This is then baked in the oven for thirty minutes after being seasoned with salt and pepper.

You can never go wrong with an Edna Lewis recipe. Her recipe for baked sweet potatoes with lemon was first published in 1993 right after she wrote her seminal cookbook "The Taste of Country Cooking" when she worked at the famed Gage & Tollner.The sweet potatoes are first boiled as a syrup of brown sugar, lemon zest and nutmeg in water. Butter is whisked in and then lemon juice. The potatoes are then sliced into half inch thick  discs or coins and put into a buttered shallow baking dish. The lemon syrup is poured on top and the whole dish is baked for half an hour at 425 degrees. What to end the dinner with? Not a traditional pie but David Lebovitz's fresh ginger cake first made by Times readers in 1999. Mr. Lebovitz was the pastry chef at the famed La Panisse in Berkeley California. This recipe is from his first cookbook "Room For Dessert". It's sort of like a gingerbread, but made with fresh peeled and cur ginger along with cloves , cinnamon and black pepper.It only has two eggs so it's not as rich as other holiday cakes. It would go well with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

These are great Thanksgiving recipes to be shared with everyone, including our veterans. They can also be made for other holidays too. Enjoy these New York Times classic recipes and their classic flavors. They are the perfect accompaniment to turkey, ham or roast port.

Your Must Have Thanksgiving Issue Part One

 Thanksgiving is almost two weeks away and it's going to be a big one. It's the first major holiday where we can sit down with family and friends after being separated for so long. The meal has to be spectacular  with fantastic recipes.

This is where today's New York Times Food section comes in It is an unofficial guide to Thanksgiving cooking and baking. It's definitely an inspiration with different spins on classic dishes and new recipes that every home chef has to try.Turkey and gravy lovers will enjoy trying Padma Lakshmi's spin on the holiday bird with a boozy gravy spiked with Calvados,. Regular contributor and great food developer herself interviewed Ms. Laksmi who is more known for being a judge on Top Chef and her eye opening travel and food show "Taste The Nation" streaming on Hulu. Yet it's her turkey recipe that will make an impact on mant Thanksgiving table. She treats the turkey as if it were a very large chicken.It's brined first  in a spicy blend of buttermilk for tenderizing and cayenne pepper for zing and heat. The turkey itself is stuffed with lemon , ginger thyme and garlic for a truly flavorful bite. It's then drizzled and rubbed with olive oil before being  slow roasted in a pan of water. The gravy is a blend of the Calvados with the combined juices of  mashed Fuji and Granny Smith apples, along with red and yellow onions and fennel. The juices are whisked into to a roux of butter and flour and then the Calvados is stirred in.

You could easily add some of the dishes from Liberia;s Thanksgiving day celebrated on the first Thursday of the month.It wasn't modeled on the American holiday and is fraught with a lot of history, festivities and food.Another weekly contributor to the New York Tines Food section, Priya Krishna interviewed Liberian-American chefs who bring their spin and traditional recipes to the American Thanksgiving table. Theirs is different. The day is spent with family , playing kickball and getting dressed up. The ingredients such as cassava and sweet potatoes. There is no turkey in Liberia. There is chicken however and Ms. Krishna gives a recipe for Liberian chicken gravy. This is chicken thighs first rubbed with a fiery mix of  black pepper, cayenne seasoned salt, onion powder and garlic. The gravy is then made with yellow onions garlic cloves and a cube of Maggi chicken broth. This is added to olive oil and tomato paste simmered together. It and the chicken is then baked together for thirty to thirty-five minutes. There is also pan fried collard greens.cooked with either a  cut up Cajum turkey or regular one neck and wings. You can add fish(!) such as dried barracuda or other kinds if you want, It;s still flavorful with  the addition of ham hock, yellow onions and habanero peppers  This is all cooked together for five to ten minutes on a stove top and served with rice.

These are just some of the recipes you can use for your own Thanksgiving table. They offer a fresh brightness to the table/.They will make this holiday stand out.

All Vegan French Toast

 Nowadays it's easy to make a vegan meal, especially one for breakfast - or breakfast for dinner. Thanks to Just Egg home chefs can make the classic French toast without any guilt. Best of all it tastes like the real thing, egg-y, custard-y and full of cinnamon and vanilla.

I had some left over Just Egg from yesterday's scramble so I decided to make a recipe I've been craving for a long time - French toast.

I went full vegan also using Blue Diamond Almond Milk. I followed Just Egg's recipe for the Frrench toast, omitting the two teaspoons of sugar. It was going to have enough thanks to drowning the slices in maple syrup later on.It was one cup of the mung bean mix to a cup of almond milk. A teaspoon of both the cinnamon and vanilla were added for that traditional sweet flavor.

                               The mixture was whisked for about five minutes to thoroughly blend all the ingredients.
I used Aldi's Artisenal bread because it looked sturdy . This was soaked in the custard for a few minutes.

                                                     I thought it would be a good choice.

   It wasn't. The bread got super mushy and didn't brown properly. The inside was too gooey , almost like pudding.The slices flopped when flipped and broke into pieces.

                                                        One slice managed to come out OK.

 Despite the texture the taste was pretty spot on to the real thing made with whole milk and eggs. I know the next time I make Just Egg French toast I will definitely use French or Italian bread,It's sturdier and can hold up to a good soaking. It's also has a great chewy texture that lends itself very well to the recipe.

Going vegan doesn't mean giving up favorite dishes like French toast. With the right bread it can be heaven, Try the vegetarian version with Just Egg and Blue Diamond Almond Milk for a tasty spin on this breakfast comfort food.

JUst Eggs Just Scrambled

 It is tough cooking in a vegetarian and vegan household. One of the missed foods is scrambled eggs and omelets. There's a new product , Just Egg from San Francisco  that helps to eliminate those egg yearnings. It's a completely plant based egg substitute and can do the work of the real thing.

Just Egg has been on my radar for the past couple of weeks. I was happy to see that my local Acme carried it. I had to buy it, dying for a good scramble and eager to compare it to chicken eggs. It's a small bottle with only twelve fluid ounces.It's probably good for only two recipes though.

It takes one cup of the liquid made entirely from mung beans to create a scramble for two people.It's melting butter or what I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. Just Egg has to be poured evenly into the frying pan.

I wanted to give it a Florentine omelet vibe so I mixed in a bowl of torn baby spinach.

It does look like a spinach omelet..

The spinach was added about five minutes after the Just Egg began to cook. Now it's time for scrambling.

 

It really does look like the real thing with creamy yellow curds.Of course any egg dish deserves a good sausage patty. I bought Acme's in house brand of vegan patties.

                                       Together they made a great breakfast for dinner. The spinach scramble was pretty on point  with taste and was delicious with the patties.

Next time I 'm going to try a traditional bacon and egg breakfast for dinner using Morningstar Farm's' bacon. I plan to try the Just Egg for baking too to see how it works out.I also plan on making tasty veggie omelets and a Piedmontese family recipe of the delicious tomato and eggs.

Vegans and vegetarians should rejoice. Just Egg is a great egg substitute perfect for scrambles and omelets. Try it today for a tasty break and to help the planet.

Test Runs

 Thanksgiving is around two and a half weeks away. It means a busy kitchen and this year cooking for many  in some families. Yet some of us are rusty with cooking fancy foods or large quantities. It's time for a test run to not only test out new recipes but to also brush up on cooking and baking skills.

One of the most daunting courses is the turkey. Luckily there is still the Butterball Hotline to help during those iffy moments on Thanksgiving Day. However get yourself acclimated again to cooking the roast. Assess your pans, are they still good? Do you need to get new ones or the disposable aluminum kind? Get  to know brining liquid and how to brine your bird. You may want to try a new recipe or tweak the old one. Once roasted , go over the pros and cons. ask yourself was the meat moist and juicy or dry? How can that be fixed. Is the skin crisp and crunchy? Get familiar with massaging the turkey meat with butter. This is done under the skin and it produces a moister , tastier meat. If you want to experiment with herb or sage butter, now is the time to do it. Don't experiment on Thanksgiving Day. The family may not like the new flavor and not eat it. The same applies to the gravy.It's probably been awhile since you made the homemade kind. Now is the time to perfect the recipe. You may want to adjust the amount of flour used to avoid lumps. Experiment with it and write down any adjustments you've made.

Sides should also be tested out. This is easier to do, because you can make a side a day with your meals. If there's a new recipe that piques your interest try it out during these two weeks. It's also a good idea to get the family's opinion on it too. Their input is important if you try a variant of a traditional Thanksgiving recipe. They may love or hate those mashed sweet potatoes with a drizzle of maple butter.  There are diehard sweet potato casserole fans that may balk at the idea of eating a healthier roasted sweet potato. That means dusting off the family recipe and creating something you haven't made in two years. Brand new recipes definitely need to be tried out. You need to get used to the prep and the steps. Gauge the easiness or difficulty of it  along with the time used for prep and cooking. If it's too difficult, look for an easier variation or ways to shave cooking time so that it syncs up with the turkey and other sides. You don't want a side dish that will be served thirty minutes after everything else.If the recipe proves to be hard and demanding then pick out one that fits your cooking skills. Don't be afraid to try out different recipes on one ingredient like Brussels sprouts or green beans, It's also a good time to try out your stuffing recipes too and see what needs to be tweaked with it.

This is the time to test out your tried and true Thanksgiving recipe.It's also the time to give those new recipes a whirl. A trial run is always necessary when cooking a big holiday dinner. Do it now to get ready for the big day.