Planning a Super Bowl Party

I am a big football fan and I’m really looking forward to the Super Bowl; alas, this is somewhat rare for a female and this is a party geared to men.

What do men like to eat at a Super Bowl party? I know exceptions, but in general I think basic, hearty, good, and meaty. I ran into a reader at the Y the other morning and he asked me if my slow cooker chili recipe from last week was really good. I assured him it was and he said he might try it—but he would have to use at least one pound of meat (instead of the ½ pound called for). I think he’s typical.

With that in mind, I came up with a menu that fits all the above conditions: basic, hearty, good and meaty!

Sausage Rolls

Chips, dips and veggie sticks

Sloppy Joes

Potato Salad

Bean Salad

Super Brownies

Sausage Rolls

1 ¼ pounds bulk pork sausage
1 medium onion, chopped fine
½ tsp. dried basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. salt
Black pepper
1 17.3-oz. pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed

Combine sausage, onion, basil, garlic, ¾ tsp. paprika, salt and pepper. Unfold pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Roll each pastry sheet into an 11 x 10-in. rectangle. Cut crosswise into 3 ½ inch strips. Spread ½ cup of sausage mixture down the center of each strip. Fold pastry over and press edges together to seal. Cut each roll into six pieces. Place seam side down on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining paprika. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Yield 3 dozen

Sloppy Joes

2 pounds ground beef
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, with juice
2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1 6-oz can tomato paste
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. celery salt
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
16 hamburger buns

In large kettle, cook beef and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Uncover; cook 30-40 minutes or until thick. Serve on buns. (Or put into slow cooker on low and hold until serving time).

Winter Potato Salad

6 white or red potatoes (or mixture), peeled and cubed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion chopped
1 cup full-fat mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar (any flavor)
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. dill weed
½ tsp. pepper

Place all potatoes in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. Place potatoes in a large bowl; add onion. Mix remaining ingredients in separate bowl and pour over potato mixture. tossing gently to coat. Refrigerate overnight.

Festive Bean Salad

1-16-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14-oz can corn, rinsed and drained
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
1 medium size sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium sized green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. sugar

Combine first 10 ingredients (through garlic) in a large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar with a tight lid and shake well. Pour over ingredients and refrigerate overnight.

Super Bowl Brownies

1 ½ cups butter, divided
¾ cup cocoa, divided
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
1 18-oz jar smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup milk
1 large jar marshmallow crème (7-oz)
3 cups sifted powdered sugar

In saucepan melt 1 cup butter; stir in ½ cup cocoa until smooth. Remove from heat. In mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar and vanilla; beat for 1 minute. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Beat in cocoa mixture; mix well. Transfer to a greased jelly-roll baking pan. Bake at 350 for 19-22 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool. Meanwhile, place peanut butter in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave uncovered at 50% power for 2 minutes, stirring once. Stir until peanut butter is blended. Spread peanut butter over warm brownies. Refrigerate for 45 minutes or until peanut butter is set. Melt remaining butter in heavy saucepan; add marshmallow crème. Stir milk and cocoa together until smooth; add to marshmallow mixture in saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Gradually add powdered sugar. Spread over peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Yield: 4 dozen squares.

Stuffed

The gourmet eating club (also known as the grub club) that we belong to meets four times a year. Four couples have been doing this for 10 years and we have run the gamut on ethnic themes (well, almost) and have had dinners featuring colors like blue, orange, etc. This month the theme is “stuffed”. What a wonderful idea!


Every nation has a version of “stuffed” food, be it vegetables, meat, or even fruit; but especially dough. Think won-tons, ravioli, pirogi, tamales, crepes—an endless list.

It is an intriguing idea, since if a food is good on its own, how much better would it be if stuffed with another tasty ingredient or two?

Our contribution for this particular meeting of the club is the first course. We have four couples, four courses: appetizers, first course, main course and dessert. We just rotate in order so that we always know what we are to bring. The host and hostess decide the theme, but after that we are on our own.

First courses are traditionally soups, salads, pasta or fish. Pasta was my first thought, followed by a soup with a stuffed dough like tortellini or won ton. Then I happened on a TV. cooking show last week and they were making empanadas—south-of-the-border stuffed dough. They looked wonderful, but I had to make them my own, so off to the kitchen to experiment.

These empanadas are fussy to make, but I think they are worth it. The dough is deliciously flaky and tender with a twist from ordinary pastry. The filling is meaty and complex, but when we tasted the finished empanadas, we decided the myriad of ingredients were not as discernible as we hoped. Using the same basic flavors, we concocted a salsa to serve with the hot empanadas that gave them the special zing we were looking for. I say we, because for one of the first times Zig really got involved in the cooking end instead of just the tasting.

Empanadas a la Lynette and Zig

Filling

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. 85% lean ground beef
1 slice white or Italian bread
2 Tbsp. chicken broth
1 ¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup finely chopped cilantro
2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
½ cup raisins
½ cup stuffed green olives, chopped
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

Dough

1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup masa harina
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. cold butter
2 cups (more) unbleached flour
½ cup silver tequila
½ cup cold water
6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

Start with filling: Heat olive oil in large, heavy skillet and add onions. Cook until barely brown. Meanwhile, in food processor, process bread and 2 Tbsp. chicken broth until it makes a paste; add meat, salt and pepper; pulse 6-8 times. Set aside.

To onions add garlic, cumin, cayenne and cloves, mixing well. Add meat mixture to skillet and saute until meat is brown. Add cilantro, eggs, raisins, olives and cider vinegar. Add up to ½ cup chicken broth until meat mixture is moist. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

To make dough: Pulse in processor the flour, masa harina, sugar and salt. Add the 12 Tbsp. cold butter and process-pulse until it is like coarse wet sand. Add 2 cups more flour, pulse and transfer to large bowl. Trickle the tequila and water over dough. With hands, push together until dough forms a firm ball. More water, a little at a time may be needed. Do not handle too much. Form into 2 discs and cut each into 12 sections. Form each section into ball and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Assembly and baking:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Shape each section into a 4” circle. Put 2 Tbsp. filling on one side of each circle. Brush edges with water. Fold over and press edges; trim. Using a fork, seal edges. Pour 2 Tbsp. olive oil into two large baking sheets with sides. Put them in the oven for 3 minutes. Remove and place empanadas in the pans. Brush with remaining 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes, switching racks midway. Cool before serving. May be frozen and re-heated before serving.

Salsa

1 8-oz can diced tomatoes-with juice
1 Tbsp chopped pickled jalapeno peppers
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼- ½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. sugar
½ cup dark raisins
1 ½ T. vinegar
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 large clove garlic, minced
½ large green pepper, chopped
½ large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. lime juice

Mix together in food processor; pulse 4-6 times (don’t over-do). Refrigerate until time to serve. Serve in a lettuce bed alongside empanadas.

The dinner (last night) was fabulous as always and, as always, we went away stuffed!

Cooking With Steam

Sometimes the way to lighter eating is not in the actual foods we eat, but in the cooking technique used for those foods. One technique that is often overlooked is steaming. Steamed foods have many advantages; they don’t dry out, they keep their fresh, vibrant colors and flavor, they cook in very little time and they don’t require added fats. In addition they are a nice change from frying, sautéing, grilling, baking and roasting.


Because cooking time is short, food doesn’t overcook and ingredients retain their vitamins, minerals and flavor. Foods steamed with sauces infuse the dishes with lots more flavor. It really is a healthy and tasty way to cook.

Steaming is really easy when you own an electric steamer or rice maker/steamer. But if you don’t, all you really need is an inexpensive metal vegetable steamer basket, sold in most supermarkets. If you are an Asian cooking enthusiast, you probably have a standard bamboo steamer; but again, Asian foods can be steamed in an electric steamer or a home-made top of the stove steaming setup. Here’s how to make it:

Open the steamer basket and place it upside down in the bottom of the wok. Place a folded napkin on the bottom of the pan to protect a non-stick finish.

Fill the wok with four cups of water and bring to a boil. Carefully place a pie plate containing the food over the steamer. Cover and steam the food. Be sure to wear oven mitts to protect your hands when working around the hot steam.

Dim sum, potstickers or any Asian steamed dumplings are an especially easy and delicious food to steam. The following recipe came from Cooking Light May, 2005. If you do have a bamboo steamer, you can do them all at once. Cook each dumpling on a carrot slice to keep it from sticking to the steamer. The carrot “trays” are edible, too. Do not let dumplings touch in the basket, as they may stick together once cooked.

Shrimp Dumplings with Sweet-and-Sour dipping Sauce

Sauce:

2 Tbsp. minced red bell pepper
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger

Dumplings:

2 tsp. canola oil
1 cup finely chopped leek
1 Tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 Tbsp mirin sweet rice wine (can substitute sherry)
¼ tsp; salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¾ pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
30 wonton wrappers
30 (1/4” thick) slices carrot

To prepare sauce, combine the first 5 ingredients

To prepare dumplings, heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leek and 1 Tbsp. ginger, sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Combine leek mixture, mirin, salt, black pepper and shrimp, stirring well. Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to prevent drying), spoon about 1 Tbsp shrimp mixture into center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of wrapper with water, bring 2 opposite corners to center, pinching points to seal. Bring remaining 2 corners to center pinching points to seal. Pinch 4 edges together to seal. Add water to wok or large skillet to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil. Line bamboo steamer with 25 carrot slices; arrange 25 dumplings on top of carrot slices. Cover with steamer lid. Place steamer in pan; steam dumplings 23 minutes. Remove dumplings from steamer; cover and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining carrot slices and dumplings. Serve with sauté. Yield: 20 servings of 3 dumplings and about 2 tsp. sauce. Calories: 133

All vegetables are really delicious, nutritious and beautiful when cooked by the steam method. Try one of the following:

Green Beans with Walnuts and Sherry Vinegar

¼ cup shopped walnuts
1 ¼ pounds green beans, trimmed
Sherry Vinaigrette;
1 small shallot, chopped
2 tsp. sherry vinegar
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Toast walnuts in 425 deg. oven on baking sheet 7-10 minutes until fragrant. Whisk together the shallot, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in the oil and parsley. Set aside. Preheat the steamer. Pile the beans in the steaming basket, cover and steam until bright green and tender, 12-14 minutes. Drain and pat dry on paper towels. Add the beans to the vinaigrette; add walnuts and toss to coat. Serve at once.

Potatoes with Thyme Butter

1 1/3 pounds waxy potatoes (preferably gold), cut into bite-sized pieces

Thyme Butter:

2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme or ¼ tsp dried
Pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the potatoes in the steaming basket, cover, and steam until tender, 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash together the butter, thyme and salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning. When the potatoes are cooked, dump them into a serving bowl, add the butter, and toss to coat. Serve hot.

Refreshing Citrus

If you find yourself longing for the warm, sunny days of spring and summer and thinking you can’t take another day of this dark, cold, snowy winter, you’re not alone. The prices continue to rise at the grocery store and the gas station and airline tickets are soaring. It seems like a conspiracy to keep us all depressed and lethargic. Even the classes at the Y have fewer people—those who started so enthusiastically at the beginning of January are tired of digging out their cars or trudging through the snow. Okay, you get the idea. Want something to brighten your day and your outlook? Thankfully, nature has given us citrus fruit in abundance. Just when the wicked winds of winter are at their worst, citrus fruits are at their best and most economical.

Citrus is a broad family name for fruit trees native to tropical Asia where they have been grown for thousands of years. The best known species are oranges, grapefruit. tangerines, lemons and limes, but include kumquat, tangelo, and clementines, as well as a few other cross-bred types. Of course, thankfully, they are grown everywhere the climate is favorable now. In the United States, that is mostly Florida, California, Texas and Arizona. But if the crop has a problem in those states—weather for instance—there is Mexico and Central and South America which send many of their beautiful fruits our way so we never have to worry about availability.

Lemon is the workhorse of my kitchen all year. I have found that lemon substitutes for some of the salt and any msg you might have used to enhance flavor. It brightens almost any dish you put it in—and a fact very few cooks seem to know—it conditions yeast dough. Just a little lemon juice added when mixing bread dough will improve the texture of your finished loaf. The uses of lemon for cleaning, scenting, cooking, whitening (I could go on and on) are too numerous for this column—but you can virtually use lemon for anything.

Oranges are a close second—but mostly for eating. The lovely smell of orange when you first take off that first section of peel and the oil is sprayed into the air is a pick-me-up all on its own. It makes a wonderful snack—providing another workhorse in the nutritional world—Vitamin C. And, if that weren’t enough, the zest contains skin-cancer-fighting compounds.

One of my favorite ways to use citrus is making curds. I used to think they were hard to make and so saved them for days when I had lots of time on my hands. Then, I found a marvelous recipe for lemon curd that is made in the microwave and turns out just as well as the stove-top method. Now, I keep lemon curd on hand all the time and also make lots of it when lemons are a good buy to give as gifts. Everyone loves it and it has lots of uses beyond spreading on scones with Devonshire cream.

Pairing oranges or grapefruit with another delicious and available fruit—the avocado—is not only a great combo, but nutritious and beautiful to behold. Slices of avocado and oranges and/or grapefruit alternating on a bed of curly deep-colored greens and topped with a tangy-sweet dressing make a beautiful picture as well as a tasty dish. Add some toasted walnuts for omega 3 and textural interest and it is a lunch to die for.

Avocado-Grapefruit-Orange Salad

2 cups assorted crisp salad greens
½ large navel orange, peeled and sectioned
½ red grapefruit, peeled and sectioned
2 Tbsp toasted walnuts, broken

Dressing:

¼ cup canola oil
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp grated orange peel
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp celery seed

Arrange greens on two chilled salad plates, alternating sections of orange and grapefruit on one side of the plate and overlapping slices of avocado on the other side of the plate. Sprinkle half of the walnuts on each salad. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, shake dressing ingredients. Drizzle over salads. Serve immediately. 2 servings.

Microwave Lemon Curd

½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Rind from 2 large lemons
¼ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs

Put lemon juice into a 4-cup microwavable container. Stir in rind, butter and sugar. Microwave, uncovered on high for 1 ½ to 2 minutes or until butter is melted and mixture is hot. Beat eggs in a bowl. Gradually add hot lemon mixture to eggs, stirring constantly. Return mixture to the microwavable container and microwave, uncovered at 50% for 1 to 2 minutes or just until thickened, stirring every 30 seconds. Do not allow it to boil; mixture will thicken as it cools. Let cool. Pour into tightly sealed container. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks or freeze indefinitely.

Lemon Dessert
1 ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup melted butter
¼ cup sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
2 cups sweetened whipped cream (about 1 cup cream before whipping)
1 cup lemon curd

Add butter to crumbs and sugar and pat into 8x11 glass baking dish. Bake for 5 minutes at 375 or until firm. Cool. Using mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth. Fold in 1 cup whipped cream. Spread over crust. Carefully spread lemon curd over the cream cheese layer. Top with remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Makes 8 generous servings.

Beef, It's What's for Dinner

Now that the holiday season is over, it’s time to go back to sensible eating.  Notice, I didn’t say dieting.  It’s so tempting to go on a stringent diet for the New Year, but it always seems to end in disappointment.  If you have to start a weight-loss program, why not try the on-off diet plan?  One week of any diet, one week of maintenance.  You can switch diets to find one that “fits” you; you can muster enthusiasm to begin again, knowing ,after a week, you can eat foods you love in moderation, and perhaps best of all, your metabolism has a chance to adapt and level off between losses.

Today’s feature food is beef—good old red meat beef!  Thank goodness the red meat guilt is subsiding and being replaced with lean cuts starring in high protein-low carb diets (for your first week of dieting?)  These three entrees with side suggestions that follow are all sure to fill your requirements for simplicity, flavor and even weight control.  

The following recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit, January 1991

Top Sirloin with Horseradish –Cream Sauce

Serve this entrée with herbed green beans and parsley-new potatoes.

2 servings

2 shallots, peeled and minced                                  1 Tbsp. Butter

2 ½ “ thick top sirloin steak (6 oz. each, trimmed)   1 Tbsp. Canola oil

Salt                                                                        1/3 cup whipping cream

¾ tsp. freshly ground pepper                                  1-1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish        

                                                                             1-1/2 Dijon mustard

Pat steaks dry.  Season with salt and ¼ tsp. pepper.  Melt butter and oil in heavy 10-12 inch skillet over high heat.  When haze forms over pan, add steaks and cook to desired doneness, about 2 minutes per side for rare.  Transfer steaks to platter and over with foil to keep warm.  Add shallots to same skillet.  Reduce heat to medium and cook about two minutes, stirring frequently.  Add cream, horseradish, mustard and juice from steak platter and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper to skillet.  Bring to boil and cook until thickened, about two minutes.  Arrange steaks on plates.  Spoon sauce over.  Garnish with chives and coarsely ground peppercorns and serve.

BRAZILIAN POT ROAST

Adapted from Cooking With Love by Florence Hirschfield

Serves 6

4 lbs. Lean beef; round or rump                                         ½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt                                                                               ½ bay leaf

2 Tbsp. Lemon juice                                                            ½ tsp. sugar

3 slices bacon                                                                       1 cup canned tomatoes, drained OR

2/3 cup chopped onion                                                       3 small fresh tomatoes, chopped

¼ cup chopped parsley                                                      1 cup orange juice

4 whole cloves

Pat meat dry.  Season with salt and lemon juice.  Sauté bacon until crisp in Dutch oven; remove bacon.  Add meat to drippings and brown.  Combine garlic, onion, parsley, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, sugar and tomatoes; add to beef.  Crumble bacon over meat.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer ten minutes.   Add orange juice and simmer covered about 3 hours or until fork tender. 

This recipe adapts well to slow cookers:

Sauté bacon and add meat to drippings, as above, until brown.  Put beef in slow cooker; crumble bacon over.  Add all remaining ingredients to cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. 

Perhaps a side of mashed potatoes and a sauté of zucchini and red peppers would complement this beef dish adapted from Bon Appetit January 1991.

CHIPOTLE FLANK STEAK

Serves 4

½ small onion, quartered                                                    1 Tbsp. Fresh lime juice

1 large garlic clove                                                               1 Tbsp. Dark brown sugar 

½ cup chili sauce                                                                 1 ½ tsp. ground cumin                                       

2 large canned pickled Chipotle Chiles                             1 large flank steak (1-1/2 lbs.) trimmed

2 Tbsp. Peanut oil                                                                Salt and pepper

                                                                                                Fresh cilantro

Mince onion and garlic.  Add chili sauce, Chipotle chiles, 1 Tbsp. Oil, lime juice, sugar, cumin and 1/8 tsp. salt.  Blend until smooth (food processor works well for this).  Pour into a 9”x13” baking dish. 

Pat beef dry.  Place in marinade; spoon marinade over, covering both sides completely.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours. 

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. Oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season both sides of beef with salt and pepper.  Add beef and marinade to skillet.  Cook beef to rare, turning several times, about 6 minutes.  Transfer to cutting board.  Thinly slice across grain.  Arrange beef slices on platter.  Garnish with cilantro.  Serve, passing warm marinade as sauce. 

ASK LYNETTE

My job as innkeeper at The Candlelight Inn keeps me busy, especially in Summer and Fall, but whenever I can sneak a few hours, I play with my cookbook collection.  With hardcover and paperback books, I have over 3 thousand volumes.  Many are antiques or rare volumes.  As much as I love to read and enjoy these books, pamphlets and periodicals, I really love to research food questions or recipes.  So, if any readers want to ask a food related question,  Email to :  lgudrais@charter.net

Two Plus Two Potato Bake

I have in my collection a cookbook that has a chapter called “The Peripatetic Potato.” I didn’t know what peripatetic meant either, so I looked it up in Webster’s New World Dictionary and here is what it says: peripatetic, adj. 1. walking or moving about; itinerant. 2. of the philosophy or followers of Aristotle.


Since I doubt the author was talking about philosophic vegetables, it must be that the potato has been around—and it really has. It is a globetrotting tuber which had its origin in Peru, washed up on the shores of Ireland from wrecks of the Spanish Armada in 1565 and became the mainstay of the Irish cuisine. Most of us know that the Irish loved it and cultivated it so widely that when the crop failed, the country was thrust into famine.

The potato came to North America in 1719. It was planted in Londonderry, New Hampshire by Scotch-Irish immigrants and from there spread around the country. The potato loves a sandy soil and therefore grows in poor soil where many other crops will not. They have become a staple in the kitchens of almost every country of the world. Only the Asian world has not embraced them.

Potatoes have long been maligned by the diet-conscious as being low in nutrition and high in calories. Actually, quite the opposite is true. Potatoes have approximately 80-100 calories each, about the same as an apple. They are full of fiber (particularly if you leave the skins on), contain 0 grams of fat and are high in vitamin C and potassium. As a matter of fact, one medium potato has more potassium than a banana.

What’s not to love about potatoes? They are the ultimate comfort food; soft, mealy, white—and, of course, they love butter, sour cream and cheese—comfort foods in their own rights. They are so versatile that you could come up with a different potato dish every night for a year. They go with everything (just about).

Different varieties lend themselves to different preparations; for instance, the waxy, moist varieties such as red creamers and Yukon Gold are best for boiling, and mashed potatoes, whereas the mealy, dryer russet potato is perfect for baking. It’s hard to mess up a potato dish no matter what variety you use, though, so go for what’s plentiful and cheap.

And cheap they are. I actually bought a 10 pound bag of russets for $1.89 last week. That is unusual, but potatoes are one food that has not gone up a lot in recent weeks, so I am making lots of potato dishes. Potatoes are good at all three meals—a natural at breakfast, good as a side (French fries?) at lunch and a necessity along side a meat entrée at dinner.

Everyone’s favorite, mashed potatoes, is easy if you follow a few rules: peel and boil potatoes. Drain, and cover with a clean dry cloth to absorb the steam. If the potatoes begin to disintegrate during cooking, drain immediately, cover with a clean cloth and allow them to finish cooking over low heat. Mash with a potato masher, or put into a potato ricer (works best). Add about one tablespoon of butter, 1/3 cup hot half and half and ½ tsp. salt per potato and beat until fluffy and light. Egg yolks may be added for richness and taste—about one for every two potatoes. (These are known as Duchesse potatoes.) A dash of sugar instead of salt in the cooking water adds flavor and helps to retain the Vitamin C.

Try this delicious potato bake that I love to take to every event.

Two Plus Two Potato Bake

1 30-oz pkg frozen hash browns
½ cup green pepper, diced small
½ cup red pepper, diced small
1 10-oz can cream of celery soup
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups sour cream
½ cup chopped green onion
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
2 cups crushed potato chips
¼ cup melted butter
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small mixing bowl, mix sour cream, soup, salt, pepper and onion. In large bowl mix hash browns, peppers, ½ cup melted butter and cheese. Add sauce to potato mixture. Put in buttered 9 x 13” baking dish. Top with crushed potato chips and drizzle with ¼ cup melted butter. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake 1 hour. If you make the casserole a day ahead and refrigerate it, bake it 15 minutes longer.

Eating a Rainbow

This time of year is colorless. Yes, the pure white snow is lovely and much better than the gray and brown and dirty look of snowless winters, but I need color.


A recent article in a food magazine reflected on the color of food as a good guide for eating healthy. “Eating a rainbow” was the catch phrase. The concept is that if you eat a lot of lovely colors in your foods, you will be getting a great nutritional boost, since most fruits and vegetables are brightly colored. In addition, this article posed that the color of food is part of the attractiveness for eating and so nature has imbued many very healthy foods with especially vibrant coloring.

If the premise is true, the cranberry is surely a star. Its jewel-like crimson color is exceptionally alluring and the epitome of a superfood; it is also delicious, available, and lends itself to many uses in cooking.

Cranberries are becoming trendy because they are high in Vitamin C, fat-free, low in calories and sodium and high in fiber. They have long been known to contain components which help to prevent and cure urinary infections and now researchers have found other compounds that are cancer fighting.

I usually keep to seasonality in my ingredients and the official season is October-December, but I see no reason not to consider the cranberry an all-winter fruit. It’s true that they are at their best and cheapest in the fall, but they freeze beautifully—right in the package they come in—and they can be used right from the freezer in all recipes. I stock up when they are sold fresh for a relatively low price and freeze for use all year.

The fresh cranberries are much better than the canned varieties which are usually loaded with high fructose corn syrup and calories. The dried “craisins” are sweetened, but they are a better nutritional choice. Homemade whole cranberry sauce and jellies are so easy to make, there isn’t really much reason to buy canned. Besides, you can control the amount and type of sweetener you use.

Cranberries are indigenous to North America and were one of the foods first found by the Pilgrims in Massachusetts and whose use was shown to them by the Indians. Of course, that is why they have become a Thanksgiving Day staple; but what a shame to limit cranberries to the holidays.

Here are a few ideas for adding them into your daily menus which are very quick and easy:

Add a few to smoothies with other fruits and honey or syrup to sweeten.

Chop them coarsely with some toasted pecans and add to a whole grain pancake batter. Serve with real warm maple syrup.

Make an easy and delicious relish by pulsing in a food processor 1 sliced orange (seeded), peel intact, 4 cups fresh cranberries and 1 ½ cups sugar. Let stand for at least 2 hours; can be refrigerated for several weeks (because of the high sugar content) and used for relish for meats and added to sandwiches or wraps.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

3/4 cup water
1 ½ cups sugar
1 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries (about 3 cups)

Put all ingredients into a 2 quart pan. Boil gently for about ten minutes or until all the cranberries have popped open. Cool. Sauce thickens as it cools.

If you want a really delicious, light lunch, try the following salad:

Pacific Chicken Salad (adapted from Cranberry Cooking by Cappelloni)

3 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into tidbits, or 1 16-ounce can pineapple tidbits, drained
1/3 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
½ cup dried cranberries
2 green onions, (white and some green) finely sliced
2 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped, torn or sliced in chiffonade

Dressing:

¼ cup rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
¼ cup canola oil
1 tsp. sugar

Combine all salad ingredients except romaine in large serving bowl. Whisk together ingredients for the dressing. Toss half the dressing gently into the salad. Chill until serving time. Place romaine lettuce on plates, dividing into 4 servings. Spoon chicken salad over and pass extra dressing.

And for dessert—these are a delicious variation of a popular bar cookie

Lemon Cranberry Squares (Cranberry Cooking)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Crust:

1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup butter, chilled
¼ cup sugar

Topping:

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
Grated peel from 2 lemons
1/3 cup lemon juice
½ tsp. baking powder
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
Powdered sugar for dusting on top

In a food processor combine all the ingredients until the dough holds together. (You may have to add 1 Tbsp water to help dough hold together.) Press evenly over the bottom of a well-greased 9x9 square baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes until the crust turns a light golden brown. Take pan out of the oven and cool for 10 minutes. In an electric mixer, beat the eggs. Blend in the sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir in the cranberries. Pour the mixture over the warm crust. Return to the oven and bake about 35 minutes or until the topping has set. Remove from the oven and cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.

More Light and Healthy Cooking

Continuing on my theme of last week, light and healthy cooking, I must admit that I was a bit hasty. I believe I said I was tired of all the sweet and buttery food. Well, my sweet tooth protested and so did my husband’s. The search for light and healthy desserts and sweet treats was on.


Desserts offer the biggest challenge to healthy, low calorie eating. For one thing, desserts that don’t have as much sugar and/or fat are usually not that good. I only eat dessert when it’s really good. My husband, however, has a greater love of sweets than I and he is really trying to cut back, too—so what’s a good wife to do?

First stop—breakfast. Around here, good breakfast treats abound because we have to feed our bed and breakfast guests yummy food. Of course, when all that food is around—on the stove, on the counters, cooling, getting ready to serve, temptation is very great to snitch a little. Then, too, we have to try new recipes and taste them.

Down to the bowels of the house—the basement office where I house my cookbook and magazine collection. I finally settled on magazines—Cooking Light, specifically. I must admit that this magazine has the best lower calorie and light foods of any publication I have seen. Part of their goodness lies in the fact that they don’t cut things down too much. They use no artificial sweeteners—which is a boon for me since I really hate them and I’m not convinced they are really that good for you.

I turned almost immediately to a picture in the January/February 2008 issue of Cooking Light; there on the last page was a tempting pan of Cardamom-Lime Sweet Rolls, looking good enough to satisfy anyone. Checking the recipe, it doesn’t really seem too light, but each roll has 130 calories, which isn’t bad for a sweet roll. The secret? They’re really small—but that’s okay. Most people don’t really need or want a great big roll along with other foods at breakfast. I made some modifications and baked up a batch—Wow! We really loved them. I didn’t have any lime, but figured we’d like the rolls with an orange twist.

Cardamom-Orange Sweet Rolls

Dough

1 pkg. dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (100-110deg)
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ tsp. salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/3 cups flour, divided
Cooking spray

Filling:

½ cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp grated orange rind
¾ tsp. ground cardamom
2 Tbsp. butter, melted, divided

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp fresh orange juice

To prepare dough, dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Combine sour cream and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Gradually stir yeast mixture into sour cream mixture. Add 2 cups of flour to sour cream mixture, stirring to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 8 minutes. Or, use a high-power stand mixer with a dough hook. Add enough of remaining flour until dough doesn’t stick to your hands or dough leaves the side of the mixing bowl. Place dough in large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size.

To prepare filling; combine brown sugar, rind and cardamom. Divide dough into two equal portions, working with 1 portion at a time, roll dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle; brush with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle half of filling over dough. Beginning with a long side, roll up jelly-roll fashion; pinch seam to seal. Repeat procedure with remaining dough, 1 tbsp. butter and filling. Cut each roll into 12 (one-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides up in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350. Uncover dough. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Yield: 24 rolls (serving size: 1 roll).

Everyday Food, another great little magazine, devoted its Jan/Feb issue to “Light Done Right”. I am anxious to try several of the recipes; but I chose this little gem to do first and we love these!

Mocha-Chip Meringues

¾ cup sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 large egg whites, room temperature
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt on medium speed until frothy. Beating constantly, add sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time; beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, 6 to 8 minutes total (scrape down the bowl halfway through). Add espresso powder and cocoa; beat until well blended. With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips. Drop batter by level tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake until crisp, about 40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Cool completely on sheets, about 20 minutes. Makes 48; 23 calories apiece.

Cooking Light

I love this time of year—it’s the only time when I truthfully enjoy cutting down and cutting back. After weeks of cookies, parties, cakes, punches, fruitcakes, eggnog, candy—the list goes on—I have thrown out anything that smacks of butter and sugar and am starting anew. But, alas, how long can this last?


Actually, I am taking great pains to make it last by hunting through all my Cooking Light magazines and planning menus in advance. Those of you who follow my column know that I am big on planning. Even the ubiquitous diet articles found in all my January magazines unanimously agree that advance planning is a crucial key to successful weight control and/or healthful eating.

For an avid cook like I am, that is actually an enjoyable challenge but for many people who don’t have the time or inclination to do a lot of unusual cooking, the great light recipes seem too daunting. So I set out to find the best, easiest and healthiest of the recipes to pass along to you and also the best diet or healthy eating tips gleaned from the endless stack.

Prevention Magazine for January 2008, came out with a list of foods that are supposed to be “super foods” and I thought they were very sensible; one that stood out was citrus zest. A compound found in tangerine peel called salvestrol Q40 kills an enzyme that spurs the growth of human cancer cells. Previous studies have shown that limonene, found in lemon, orange, and grapefruit peel might also decrease cancer risk. Well, that’s easy and also a great boon to a good cook. For years I have added lemon juice or lemon peel to many dishes as a flavor booster and to balance the recipe between acid and base. Now I plan to zest all citrus and keep it in my freezer (labeled, of course) and add to soups, baked goods, yogurt, hot tea, desserts—the list is endless.

Another food that has never experienced a down side is beans. “Beans have the highest antioxidant content, period. Plus they’re delicious, low cal and they fill you up fast.” (Prevention magazine, Feb. ‘08). For ease, canned beans are just as healthy, especially if you buy low-sodium and rinse them before using. They are more expensive, however, and beans are easy to cook ahead or even last minute in a pressure cooker. Put them in rigid containers or freezer bags and freeze in amounts right for your family. “Cup for cup, beans provide about twice as much fiber as most veggies, and you can count them as either a protein or vegetable in your meals.”

One more healthy food that is very low in calories is fish. We have come to worry about fish recently because of mercury contamination. The best fish to eat often are: salmon, shrimp, tilapia and canned light tuna.

Here are some recipes I have tried and will make again in our effort to start a new “light and healthy year”.

Rustic Bean Sauté (Prevention, Feb 08)

In medium skillet, sauté ½ cup of rinsed and drained canned kidney beans with 1 cup of canned Italian-style tomatoes and 1 cup of frozen cut green beans. When heated through, transfer to a dish and dust with grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese.

Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Shrimp (adapted from Prevention Feb 08)

4 oz rice-flour noodles, broken into 3” pieces
2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. chile paste
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 ½ Tbsp canola oil, divided
½ lb. small shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 cups wok-seared broccoli (recipe follows)
1 cup frozen peas
1 oz low-sodium lean cooked ham, cut into ¼” cubes (1/3 cup)

Soak noodles in bowl of hot water 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Whisk broth and next seven ingredients (through cornstarch) in small bowl and set aside. Heat ½ Tbsp. of oil over high heat in large wok or wide skillet. Add shrimp and garlic and stir-fry 1-2 minutes until shrimp is just pink. Turn onto plate. Pour remaining 1 Tbsp. oil into pan and swirl to coat. Add noodles and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Push to one side of pan and pour in egg. Let set 30 seconds and then chop coarsely with spatula. Stir in broccoli, peas, and ham and toss to combine. Add shrimp back to pan, pour in broth mixture and toss again to coat. Cook 3 minutes longer or until heated through.

Wok-Seared Broccoli

1 ½ Tbsp canola oil
12 cups bite-size broccoli florets (4 medium bunches)
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1Tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. citrus rind (any variety)

Heat wok and add oil. Add broccoli to pan and toss to coat. Reduce heat to med-high and sauté 4 minutes. Season with pepper. Add broth to pan, cover and cook 2 minutes longer. Add soy sauce, orange juice and citrus rind and toss broccoli 2-4 minutes until all liquid has evaporated. Chill leftovers up to 4 days.

An Old Favorite Improved

January—a long, cold month in which most of us are starting an austere program of eating less and exercising more. Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, does it? Of course, in the first couple of weeks, it’s not too bad because we’re all coming off of a month (or more) of indulgence and scaling back (no pun intended) actually seems sort of exciting. The gym is crowded, the produce section of the grocery store is mobbed and we’re all full of good intention.


But—it’s cold outside and the days have been short for awhile, depriving us of that mood boosting sunshine. The determination and fortitude of the dieting life abates quickly and people are looking for comfort—even a reason for getting up in the morning. Enter the comfort food craving.

Comfort foods are generally creamy, smooth, velvet-y and white. I can’t think of a single green comfort food. Some might be brown like chocolate, but in the savory category—they’re usually light in color like pasta, rice, potatoes, custard, applesauce, and ice cream. For many people, the all-time favorite is macaroni and cheese.

I developed the craving for macaroni and cheese one afternoon after pulling fish and broccoli out of the freezer for the third time that week. I suddenly knew I couldn’t face another healthy, low-fat dinner and visions of creamy, cheese-y pasta dishes danced in my head.

I would never stoop to open a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner as I used to do in the days when I had young children and was desperate; so off to the internet to track down an “adult” recipe for mac and cheese. Food.com had the perfect recipe: Fannie Farmer’s Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese from the 1946 edition of Fannie’s Boston Cooking School Cook Book. There were over 400 comments and I read the first couple of pages wherein it got one 5 star rating after another followed by observations such as, “This is the best macaroni and cheese I have ever eaten.”

Running down the recipe page, after printing it off, my heart stopped cold at the calorie count: 836 calories per serving! After a quick calculation I determined that I could have two tablespoons of this wonderful dinner. I would have to eat a lot of broccoli to fill up. There must be another way.

Well, I did make the recipe exactly as it was printed and then set out to develop one that had almost half the calories and that would taste just as good. It wasn’t even hard! Zig and I agreed we actually liked the reduced calorie version better, although it does use a processed cheese food—which I don’t usually care for and use only for very specialized applications where the addition of a natural cheese might end up with separated, stringy cheese.

Here are the two versions with their respective calorie counts and a couple of changes that I made for our tastes and some shortcuts in the process that did not affect the quality at all.

Fannie Farmer’s Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1 (8 ounce) package macaroni
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk (whole)
1 cup cream (heavy)
½ tsp. salt
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, good quality
½ cup breadcrumbs, buttered

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside. In large saucepan melt butter; add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended. Pour milk and cream in gradually, stirring constantly. Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly). Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes. Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts. Turn off flame. Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce. Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown. Makes 4 servings at 836 calories per serving

Easier, Lower Calorie Macaroni and Cheese

8 oz. macaroni
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup fat-free half and half
½ tsp. salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 cups processed American cheese from brick (such as Velveeta), shredded or diced
2 dashes Tabasco
Paprika

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside. In large saucepan melt butter; add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended. Pour milk and half and half in gradually; stirring constantly. Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly). Reduce heat and add shredded cheese a little at a time and cook on low until cheese melts. Stir in Tabasco sauce. Transfer macaroni to a sprayed baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Makes 4 servings at 571 calories per serving.

Eating for Pleasure, Energy, & Weight Loss

It wouldn’t be the New Year if most of us weren’t starting a new diet or exercise regime. This has been a standard resolution every year since—I don’t even want to think how long. Some have succeeded—more or less—some not at all. But the average time for people to keep up their resolutions is three months. That’s time to do some good, but usually leads to ennui in short order and, to compensate for lack of pleasure, we usually go off our vows of healthier eating and exercise in a big way. Our membership at the gym lapses; our diets become junky once again. We even give way to the attitude of not wanting to diet or exercise at all—until the pounds start piling on and bare skin season arrives and then we are right back in the yo-yo routine. Basically, it is so discouraging that I hesitate to even write a column on it.


Awhile back, I wrote about the Cruise Diet that I so-named because of attitude changes of mine during two cruises I took that led, not to weight gain, but actually weight loss. I have since been looking for material that would substantiate what I had learned and to expand on it. I came across a fantastic book called The Slow Down Diet by Marc David. With all the books and fad diets and programs that come out each year (actually, each week) I was amazed that this little book has not been heralded. For I believe it is really a breakthrough that will outlast all the no-carb diets on the planet. The sub-title of the book is “Eating for Pleasure, Energy, & Weight Loss” so it immediately caught my attention. Eating for pleasure is a biggie for a foodie.

The book is divided into an eight-week program to change your food habits for life. I have been assimilating it more than adhering to it so far, but I think the New Year is the proper time to put it into action. The opening paragraph in the Preface spoke to me:

“This may be the most unique and life-changing diet book you’ll ever read. It will go against much of what you’ve learned previously about eating healthy and losing weight. It will challenge some of the most cherished advice the experts have offered. It won’t disfavor you with yet another dietary prescription that dictates precisely what to eat, when to eat it, and how much. Nor will it seduce you with a system that’s difficult to follow and so destined to fall by the wayside.”

The book is based on the premise that we can remedy our metabolic sluggishness by slowing down. “We need to work less to achieve more. We need to stop fighting food and start embracing it. We need to stop punishing our bodies and start providing for them. We need to slow down and enjoy and then we’ll get the results we’ve been looking for—and sooner than we expect.”

A brief, week-by-week breakdown of the book is as follows:

Week One:

This opening week on relaxation and the metabolic boost it gives you, opens appropriately with a quote from the greatest food writer of all time, M. F. K. Fisher.

If time, so fleeting, must see humans die, let it be filled with good food and good talk, and then embalmed with the perfumes of conviviality. The first week is about eating slowly. Simply put, the same part of our brain that turns on stress turns off digestion, therefore being in the ideal state to digest and assimilate food is crucial to success.

Week Two:

Chapter two is entitled The Metabolic Power of Quality and is opened with a quote from yet another great gourmand and writer: The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a new star.—Jean Brillat-Savarin. Rather than tell you what to eat and in what amount, the focus is on the quality of the food you eat. Elevate the quality of your food. No matter what food you eat, choose the highest quality version of that food.

Week Three:

This week is about being aware of what you eat—digestion begins in the mind. The mind-set you sit down to eat with (and you do want to sit down) is going to affect your metabolic power. If you choose not to be aware of your meal (falling asleep at the plate), you are metabolizing your food at 60-70 percent efficiency.

Week Four:

Rhythm is the theme and the most powerful statement for me was this: Plan your breakfast, plan your lunch, plan your dinner and enjoy them as if each were your first meal on Earth, or your last. Either make the choice right now for nourishment to be a daily priority, or find another planet where stressful, haphazard meals of boring food make people happy and healthy.

Week Five:

The Metabolic Power of Pleasure. When you’re turned on by food, you turn on metabolism. There are some pretty interesting studies cited in this chapter on the pleasure of food, including one that tells us we are built for sweet, and built for fat. And built to be healthy and slender while including sweets and fat.

Week Six:

The Metabolic Power of Thought. This chapter dwells on the power of your thoughts in connection with food. It uses the numerous studies on the placebo effect to bring home the message. Very thought-provoking.

Week Seven:

I found this chapter extremely interesting and the one that deviated the most from all other dieting literature. It opens with Muriel Rukeyser, a poet, saying “The universe is made up of stories, not atoms.” Your medical history is one part of your story and your metabolic history another. This is where your personal relationship with food will help you discover how to create the ending to your story.

Week Eight:

A spiritual component of the diet, written beautifully and in a completely inclusive way adds the missing dimension to just dealing with all the above strategies in a vacuum.

I believe this book can lead me on a worthwhile journey to better health and enjoyment as well as to a better body. Let me know if you agree.

Time to Toss Old Spices and Herbs

As we ring in the New Year, it’s time to clear the slate and get a new start once more. The Jewish people have a good idea—they throw out everything in their pantry, refrigerator and even freezer and start over. When I was growing up in St. Louis Park, our next door neighbor was a dear friend of my mother’s who brought to our house everything she felt was still good—canned goods, unopened packaged items, etc. What a bonanza!


Maybe we don’t need to go to such extremes if we’re not Jewish, but I really like the concept—especially after all the rich foods of the holiday season. It’s good to get rid of all the scraps and remnants of cookies and fruitcake and other holiday sweets. So I plan to thoroughly clean out the refrigerator, freezer and cupboards of all “junk,” leftover, or stale foods.

And while I’m at it, it seems like a good time to toss the old spices and herbs. Most spices and herbs that are dried and ground lose their pungency and peak flavor in about a year. It’s true that the seeds are better keepers and can be used for a longer period of time, but it’s a good idea to test them every year with the sniff test and by seasoning something bland to see how potent they are.

Spices are parts of plants that usually grow in the tropics; herbs are always leaves of plants that grow in temperate zones; seeds, such as mustard, caraway and poppy are actually seeds, or sometimes the fruits of plants that grow either in tropical or temperate zones. Dehydrated vegetable seasonings are the powdered or flaked forms of garlic, onion, green peppers and other vegetables. For our purposes, however, spices will refer to all of the above.

I am fortunate to have in my collection a wonderful book by Avanelle Day and Lillie Stuckey called, appropriately, The Spice Cookbook. I have always been fascinated by the spices and herbs available to buy and to grow; yet not always sure how to use them. This book is a virtual encyclopedia of spices; their history and use. It is very beautifully illustrated by Jo Spier—so makes wonderful reading, great visual interest and, coincidentally, a great cookbook. It includes a spice chart showing how each herb and spice is best used, a short history of each important spice and many recipes which use each one. Unfortunately, it is out of print—but I will share some tidbits with you.

There has been a lot of news in the food and health world about certain herbs and spices and their healing or preventative powers. Of course this is a revival of old folk wisdom before the field of medicine was so technical and advanced. There still is a place for spices in our health picture, however. One that is currently getting a lot of attention is turmeric, a newcomer to the great antioxidant substances. Here’s a sampling from The Spice Cookbook on turmeric:

Turmeric has been used for a very long time throughout Asia, not only as a culinary spice, but it has served as a dye, a medicine, a ceremonial color, and an amulet. It is the root of this lilylike plant of the ginger family that is used…because of its brilliant golden color, it has been most closely identified with saffron throughout the centuries and in medieval times turmeric was called “Indian saffron.” The taste of turmeric is related to mustard, since many prepared mustards have been blended with ground turmeric. This furnishes a clue to the use of this venerable spice in modern foods. It can be used in very much the same way that saffron is: with chicken, fish and pork; also in rice concoctions; creamed eggs; in spiced butters for corn, snap beans, and steamed green cabbage. If you are bored preparing potatoes in the old, familiar way, dress them with turmeric butter, a speck of cayenne, and some chopped chives.

How much turmeric is to be used depends on the type of dish you are making. A good rule is to start with ¼ or ½ teaspoonful in a recipe to serve 4, then taste and add more as needed.

This recipe is a classic use of turmeric and I love it because of the beautiful color:

Turmeric Rice Pilaf

2 Tbsp. instant minced onion
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup long-grain uncooked rice
2 cups boiling chicken stock or 2 cups boiling water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. turmeric
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. butter

Soften onion in water and sauté in butter for 1 minute. Add rice and stir until grains are well coated with butter. Add chicken stock and next 3 ingredients. Turn into a 1-quart greased casserole, cover tightly and bake in preheated oven at 375 deg for 50 minutes, adding additional stock if necessary. Toss remaining butter into rice with a fork. 6 servings.

Welcome the New Year

Well here it is again, a new year chock full of promise and those pesky resolutions. This year I’ve decided to center my good intentions on enjoying life, and that includes food. I’ve made my peace with the idea of cutting out whole categories of food in order to slim down and instead am onto the concept of slowing down, enjoying each mouthful of whatever I’m eating and stopping when I’ve reached satiety.


This is not a new plan for me—I wrote about a diet book, The Slow Down Diet by Marc David last year at this time and since then I have lost some weight. I also have improved my health and my enjoyment of food, which I consider even more important.

A quick review of the main points of this “diet” follows: The book is divided into an eight-week program to change your food habits for life. It is a week-by-week program to change your thinking about food rather than your actual food intake, and is about relaxation, enjoyment, awareness, rhythm, quality, thought, story and spirit.

I must admit, however, that even this non-restrictive “diet” requires frequent review and effort to become second nature. Our world is fast, stressful and runs counter to most of the tenets of this program, and so vigilance is necessary.

A good start is to cut portions. Tell yourself that you can eat whatever you want whenever you want and then take a small piece or serving, knowing you can have more if you want it. It really works.

Eat often. Take food with you when you are on your way to somewhere; keep food at your workplace; fix favorites and put them in the refrigerator to snack on whenever you feel the need. Make a list of your favorite healthy foods and make a point of having them at the ready.

Try to eat with someone whose company you really enjoy. Smile and laugh at mealtime and ban subjects which cause angst (politics, discipline, etc.).

One of the greatest discoveries I’ve made this year is that eating four meals every day is much better for me than three. That isn’t necessarily true for everyone, but it really works for me. I eat at 6:30 am, 11:30am, 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm. I’m not an evening eater (for one thing, I go to bed too early), but I always seem to be ravenous about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Another discovery is that chocolate is one of the great foods for health (really)! So the 3:30 meal is usually chocolate. That way I have no need to eat desserts at other times; but on the occasion that I do indulge, I can change the afternoon meal to something else. Never allow yourself to feel deprived.

Have you noticed the trend of restaurants to offer half portions? (Thank you, Sarah’s Restaurant.) I love it. Now, when I go somewhere where everything on the menu appeals to me, I can order a half entrée and then an appetizer or dessert as well and not go home with lots of Styrofoam boxes which usually end up in the garbage. Splitting is not as satisfactory since you and your companions may not agree on what to have and one is always a bit hesitant to ask the server to split entrées.

In keeping with the idea of eating quality and chocolate—best together—here is a really wonderful, healthy, relaxing recipe from Bon Appetit for February 2009.

Soft Chocolate Cookies with Grapefruit and Star Anise
Makes 40

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced
1 tsp. plus ¼ cup sugar
3 whole star anise
¼ cup flour
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp. coarse kosher salt
¼ tsp. baking powder
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. finely grated grapefruit peel

Combine chocolate and butter in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 10-second intervals until chocolate is almost melted; remove and stir until melted and smooth. Finely grind 1 teaspoon sugar and 3 star anise in spice mill or small coffee grinder. Transfer to small bowl; whisk in flour, cocoa, coarse salt, and baking powder. Beat remaining ¼ cup sugar, eggs, honey and grapefruit peel in large bowl until thick and smooth. Fold in chocolate, then dry ingredients. Cover bowl; chill batter until cold and firm, at least 45 minutes and up to 1 day. Preheat oven to 375. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing mounds 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until dry-looking and tester comes out with moist crumbs still attached, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheet 3 minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely.