Chocolate Chip Cookies Tweetcipe

Cookies play an important culinary role in the traditional American Christmas holiday. We make cookies for our neighbors, the office Christmas party and family gatherings. Starting in the 1930s, children have left cookies and milk on a table for Santa Claus to nibble on during his Christmas Eve travels. I’m not sure whether the cookies are a bribe or in gratitude for the presents he leaves under the Christmas tree! Today the most popular cookie that is left for Santa is the Oreo cookie. Personally, I like to leave chocolate chip cookies. So good with cold milk! Here’s a great recipe:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter
3 ½ cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
scant 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/8 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda onto a paper plate. Pour the butter into your stand mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the whole egg, the egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract in a measuring cup. Reduce the mixer speed and slowly add the egg mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.

Using the paper plate as a slide, gradually integrate the dry ingredients, stopping a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Once the flour is worked in, drop the speed to "stir" and add the pecans and chocolate chips. Chill the dough for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven.

Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-ounce portions onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake 2 sheets at a time for 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Remove from the oven, slide the parchment with the cookies onto a cooling rack and wait at least 5 minutes before devouring.

Traditional Sweets Make the Holidays Complete

Most holidays and celebrations are defined by food, made even more special by the traditions they represent. We gather around our holiday table to enjoy not only the treasured flavors, but, more importantly, the company of loved ones. The foods we enjoy year after year and share with our children and grandchildren are a powerful way to connect with our ancestors and keep our culture alive. They also represent that bond which makes us family. This is true for the hard boiled eggs at Easter and Grandpa’s barbecued chicken on Independence Day, and it is especially true at Christmas. For me, learning the deep roots of some traditional dishes enhances this meaningful connection to history and family.

The Yule log is a sensible part of our holiday traditions. It’s the comforting idea of a winter’s fire burning for hours, keeping guests warm and allowing hosts to tend to other matters (like the food!). The word “Yule” derived from a pre-Christian winter solstice festival long before it transitioned into the Christian’s Christmas lexicon. During the festival celebrants prayed that the burning log might last forever. Fast forward to the 19^th century, the French applied their mastery of all things sweet to the Yule log tradition and created the Bûche de Noël – A light sponge cake rolled with sweetened pastry cream, jam, or buttercream frosting to resemble a log. Variations include chocolate, ice cream, candied fruits, and frosting to look more log-like. Whatever your favorite version, it is perfect with a cup of coffee, sitting next to the Yule log fire, on a cold winter afternoon.

While the French were baking cakes, the Northern Europeans were dabbling in cookies. Descendants of the Germans and Dutch probably have a family gingerbread or butter cookie recipe, sugar cookies likely originated with the Brits, and the Norwegians and Swedes perfected all sorts of crisp and spicy wafer cookies that are delightful for dunking! By the eighteenth century, sugar was no longer just medicinal or for the wealthy, and with the introduction of cookie cutters by the Dutch, Americans made cookies a central part of Christmas. Americans took cookies to the next level when we masterminded the holiday cookie exchange!

The quintessential dunk for a Christmas cookie would have to be eggnog. While eggnog is a North American phenomenon, its roots are likely in jolly old England where they enjoyed posset (sweetened and/or spiced milk slightly curdled with alcohol and served warm). We enjoy the convenience of nonalcoholic eggnog in a carton these days, but consider making some from scratch with pasteurized eggs, cognac, and some freshly grated nutmeg for a lovely Christmas Eve nightcap.

Any discussion of Christmas sweets has to include the fruitcake. The brunt of many jokes, this cake was the height of decadence in the Middle Ages. Today it comes in so many variants, many families likely have their own personalized version. Check Grandma’s cookbook, and you may find a hidden gem…

Perhaps amidst the hustle and bustle of this year’s holiday, we will all find a moment to consider how our great-great-grandparents, in a simpler time, celebrated the holidays. We can build a culinary bridge across the years with a taste of something they would have found familiar and scrumptious, and it may help us appreciate all that we have to be thankful for.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones, and until next time, eat well!

Harvest Wild Rice Salad Tweetcipe

As fall weather gives way to winter and America’s annual Thanksgiving celebration draws near, my thoughts are drawn to the farmers across the country who put in their best efforts this year despite floods and drought. Over the last month, during a trip to New Mexico and around the Austin area, I have noted the condition of the fields, some being harvested and some bare due to drought. Indeed, just last night as I drove through the countryside of Ohio, I saw farmers harvesting their corn crop in the dark, pushing to get their hard-earned staple to the market. My thanks goes out to all of those farmers who honor the seed and soil, take what Mother Nature dishes out, and are always ready to do it all again in the Spring.

This month I want to share my Harvest Wild Rice Salad, in tribute to all of the farmers who are getting in the last of their crop at this very moment.

Harvest Wild Rice Salad

For a quick and easy meal, serve over a bed of salad greens and top with sautéed or grilled chicken breast.

1/2 cup mix of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts (I like to use pecans)
1 (6-oz.) package long-grain and wild rice mix
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup finely chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green onions

Dressing:

1/8 cup sherry vinegar (or to taste)
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Toast seeds and nuts in the oven (300) or a dry pan (low heat). Prepare rice according to package directions; let cool completely (about 25 minutes). Gently stir in cranberries, celery, green onions, and toasted seeds/nuts. Whisk together ingredients for dressing. Pour over rice mixture; stir gently to coat. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours. Serve at room temperature.

Warm Up the Holidays with a Taste of the Southwest

Southwesterners (especially those of Anasazi descent) claim to be the original vegetarians. They have lived for centuries off the hearty squash, corn (maize), and beans that grow wild in the arid high desert of Arizona, southern Utah, New Mexico, and western Texas. This area is rich with history and gastronomical delights that have lasted through the centuries and continue to summon the taste buds of their Native American, Mexican, Spanish Colonial, and Basque ancestors.

Adding some of the simple ingredients and preparations of Southwestern dishes is a great way to add some zing to the typical European holiday fare. In addition, most of the foods from this region are in season right now, so you can find great prices on the ingredients.

Humanity owes a tremendous debt to the Central and South Americans for their cultivation of the pepper – what would we do without that versatile flavor powerhouse? In New Mexico, green and red chile adorn dining tables throughout the year. In Arizona and Texas, the ever-popular chipotle (smoked jalapeño) is often the pepper of choice. Spiciness of peppers can range from “what is that wonderful flavor in my butternut squash soup?” to “pass the beer, quick!” depending on the pepper variety, timing of the harvest and how many pepper seeds and veins are included in the dish. Adding a hint of any of these peppers to Thanksgiving side dishes (especially squashes, potatoes, and soups) always brings people back for seconds.

The quintessential Christmas Eve dish in the Southwest is the simple (but labor-intensive) tamale. Corn masa (very fine corn meal) lines a reconstituted cornhusk (recycling at its tastiest!), and then the tamale is filled with pork, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, or chicken. The tamales are wrapped and frozen during family gatherings or parties in early December, and then simply steamed and served with various salsas for a Christmas Eve meal full of flavor. Tamales can also make a quick and healthy meal any time of year.

In other parts of the country, pine nuts hardly receive a second thought as an ingredient, but in the Southwest, they are essential. The seeds (nuts) from the piñon pine tree give a light nuttiness to stuffing, salads and cookies. I remember eating roasted piñon nuts straight from the shell when I lived in Albuquerque in the 70’s. That wonderful flavor has stayed with me to this day and now I always have toasted pine nuts in the refrigerator, ready to be sprinkled on top of vegetables or salads to add a lovely nutty crunch.

As the snow falls early over much of the United States this year, warm up your holidays with some Southwestern cuisine.

Until next time, eat well!

Brussels Sprouts with Pork Belly and Blue Cheese Tweetcipe

It’s officially Fall and after the brutal summer in Austin, I’m relieved to feel the cooler weather. Local garden vegetables didn’t produce in the heat and drought of the summer, but now the cooler nights and days are encouraging what are traditionally summer plants to finally put on tomatoes, okra, and squash. Along with these I am seeing the fall vegetables such as Brussels sprouts and lettuces in my CSA basket and at the grocery store.

I chose Brussels sprouts as the focus of this month’s tweetcipe. They look like baby cabbages and are a good source of Vitamins A and C, folic acid, fiber, potassium and iron. They are not a popular green vegetable, at least not in Texas, but if you try my recipe, you may want to eat them more often!

Brussels Sprouts with Pork Belly and Blue Cheese

Serves 4

1 lb of small Brussels sprouts (the smaller they are, the sweeter they are)
1 T olive oil
salt/pepper
1/3 lb pork belly, bacon or pancetta, diced small
4 oz blue cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring salted water to a boil in a large saucepan. Trim the sprouts by cutting off the browned stem end and then cut the sprouts in half. Add sprouts to the water, turn down heat to gently boil for 3 minutes. Pour olive oil in an oven proof dish. Using a slotted spoon, drop the sprouts in the dish with the olive oil then salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and place in oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté pork belly, bacon or pancetta on the oven until brown and crispy. I like to use pork belly and add smoked salt and pepper. Drain pork. Check the doneness of the sprouts by poking a fork in the stem end. Don’t over cook! Place hot sprouts in a bowl with the cooked pork and blue cheese and gently stir. Serve warm.

Dishing on Heirlooms

What exactly is an heirloom vegetable? There is some confusion out there about what “heirloom” really means. Heirloom vegetables come from seed lines that are genetically unaltered. So what does that mean? Well, first you have to understand why scientists began genetically altering plants in the first place.

Back in the 1950s, food researchers began looking for ways to improve the ability of vegetables to be transported over long distances without bruising or overripening. Consumers were beginning to expect uniformity in their store bought vegetables, so large scale growers wanted to develop a method for these plants to grow the same way no matter where they were planted. To do this scientists began altering fruits and vegetables on the genetic level.

When this started taking place, small scale farmers and gardeners began to preserve the original seed lines of staple fruits and vegetables to ensure they would always be around. They passed them down from generation to generation, which is where we get the term “heirloom” when we talk about these plants.

The seeds for heirloom vegetables come from lines that range from anywhere between 60 to 120 years old. When you eat an heirloom tomato, you are eating the exact same vegetable that people were eating as far back as the late 1800s. You are actually taking a bite out of history! How cool is that?

There are two main benefits to heirloom vegetables compared to their modern counterparts.

• First, you get a much wider variety when you grow these types of veggies. The size, shape and color of the vegetable from a single seed can all be very different.
  
• Second, there are a lot of people who feel that heirloom vegetables are much tastier than the generic types. Personally, I think the taste is also affected by variables such as water, soil and amount of sunshine.

So if heirlooms are so great, why isn’t everyone growing them? Like anything else, with the benefits you also get some drawbacks. The biggest problem with heirloom seeds is that some of them require very specific growing conditions. You just might not be able to grow that variety of heirloom bean that you love if the soil isn’t just right. Gardeners are often willing to sacrifice a little variety and flavor for the peace of mind that they’ll be able to actually grow the veggie in their gardens.

So which type of vegetable should you use in your recipes? Honestly, it’s really up to you. I like to grow and eat heirlooms sometimes just to keep the seed line going, but I don’t see any major difference between heirlooms and regular veggies, as long as they are grown organically.

Butter vs. Margarine - The Great Debate

There is a lot of debate about butter and margarine. I think butter tastes better and is often a better cooking ingredient than margarine, which can become watery when heated, but what I’ve discovered is that either choice is bad if it’s used too much. As with most things in life, the key is moderation.

In poking around on the Internet, it’s easy to see why people get confused about whether or not they should use butter or margarine. There are some studies that say margarine is better because it is lower in saturated fat and some that say butter is better because it is a naturally made substance with easily absorbable nutrients and not chemically created like margarine. Personally, I use butter, because it is the least processed (the shortest ingredient list), it tastes better and it makes a better cooking ingredient than margarine.

Overall, margarine is lower in fat and cholesterol. According to the Mayo Clinic, margarine is the healthier choice – as long as you are choosing the right margarine. Margarine has the advantage because it has no cholesterol and is higher in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats – the kind that help increase “good” cholesterol and reduce “bad” cholesterol. Ironically, margarine also has trans fat. Even the healthiest of margarines still has some quantity of trans fat, and trans fat is the worst kind of fat you can have, because it both lowers good cholesterol and increases bad cholesterol. Confusing, isn’t it?

The added flavorings of some margarines has improved enough to have a richer, more buttery taste. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter does not use hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil – the process that creates trans fat – so it can be a good alternative when baking. The Mayo Clinic recommends Benecol and Promise Activ, which have been fortified with plant stanols and sterols, which can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels.

What concerns me is that, thanks mostly to marketing efforts on the part of the margarine industry, we might start thinking margarine is a healthy food, and feel more comfortable using it liberally. Even when the label says it is trans fat free (which manufacturers are allowed to claim if there is less than half a gram of trans fat per serving), there is still a trace of trans fat in margarines that have hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil. To be fair, butter has a trace of trans fat too, but it is naturally occurring. In the end, neither choice is ideal if you’re trying to lower your cholesterol, and whether you choose butter or margarine, both should be used sparingly. Most cooking should be done with healthier oils like grapeseed and safflower.

Until next time, eat well!

Corn Salad Tweetcipe

I was browsing a culinary newsletter today and read an article about charter yacht chef Victoria Allman and her new cookbook. It brought back great memories of living and sailing in the British Virgin Islands and I found myself musing the all too popular “what if I could go back and do it differently…” I was a massage therapist and day spa owner back then, but a few years ago I changed careers and am now pursuing another fun vocation – personal chef.

The fresh corn on the cob that we’re getting right now prompts me to share Chef Allman’s recipe for Fresh Corn Salad. To make this a main dish just add 4 or 5 large poached shrimp per person.

Fresh Corn Salad

Yield: 4 servings

Adapted from "SEAsoned" by Victoria Allman

Salt
4 ears sweet corn
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 to 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
Freshly ground black pepper
1 head Boston leaf lettuce

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook corn for 3 minutes, then plunge the ears into ice water. When cool, cut the kernels from the cobs.

Mix corn kernels, tomatoes, basil, vinegar, oil, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Taste; add more vinegar or oil if needed.

Place a lettuce leaf in the center of each of 4 plates; fill with corn salad.

Variation: To serve as a main dish, top with poached shrimp.

Pink Pickled Onions Tweetcipe

Every once in awhile, when I’m eating in a restaurant, I come across a dish that has pickled onions in it. The onions, whether in a salad or as a garnish, make the plate visually appealing and make my taste buds say “hello!”

I was cooking for a client a few months ago and a green salad was on the menu. I wanted to add something a little different to the salad and decided to make pickled onions for the first time. I don’t know why I waited so long – the recipe is incredibly simple, the onions keep in the refrigerator for a month or more, and it’s a great ingredient or garnish that adds pizzazz and hints of “gourmet” origins.

Pink Pickled Onions

8 ounces champagne vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 Serrano chilies, seeded and julienned
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, and chilies to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Place the sliced onions in a glass container and pour the liquid over them. Stir. Place the container in an ice bath to cool. Serve chilled in salads and with meats. These are also great on sandwiches.

Easy Food Switches You Can Make for Your Health

In January, most of us start out with resolutions to eat better, make healthier choices, or simply to add more fruits and veggies to our diets. It doesn’t take very long for life to get in the way of our best intentions, does it?

Between vacations that tempt us to eat (and drink) too much to summer barbecues and get-togethers that tempt us with potato chips and fried chicken, it can be more difficult than ever to make healthy changes to our diets.

There are some quick and easy switch ups you can make to your meals and snacks to make them healthier, and because this time of year makes it easy to find a variety of fresh fruits and veggies, you can let your imagination run wild. Try switching from potato chips or Cheetos to carrots or celery with peanut butter. You can buy baby carrots and already-prepared celery sticks to make it as easy as opening the fridge.

Do you love starting your morning with something sweet to accompany your coffee? Apples with peanut (or almond) butter, a dash of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey is a lot healthier – and more satisfying – than your average toaster pastry. Because it will keep you full longer, you may even find that mid-morning donut a little less tempting! The occasional handful of chips or donut isn’t bad. The key is balance.

One of the easiest switches you can make for healthier eating is from canned vegetables to frozen ones. I’m talking about the plain, unadorned frozen vegetables – not the kind with a butter or cheese sauce that bumps up the calorie count! Fruits and vegetables start to slowly deteriorate after they are picked. Frozen fruits, vegetables, and even fish are frozen almost immediately after being caught, cut or picked. This process suspends the depletion of all the nutrition contained within the food, preserving those essential vitamins and minerals. The deterioration doesn’t stop in fruits and vegetables that are canned, and the nutrients are filtered out even further when the canned food is processed with high doses of salt and water. Plus, through the canning process, salt and water changes the taste and texture, which is much less noticeable in the frozen variety. While there is always an exception, most vegetables can freeze just fine and retain their nutritional value.

Don’t get me wrong — I prefer fresh produce over frozen any day, but I like to eat seasonally fresh foods. For instance, I don’t purchase fresh corn on the cob in January, because who knows where it was shipped from and how long it has been stored? If a recipe calls for a vegetable or fruit that is out of season, I like to use the frozen organic option.

Most folks seek quick, easy meals that, whether they know it or not, often run high in calories and low in nutrition. With moderation and some easy switches that won’t take up any more time to prepare, you can eat better for your health.

Until next time, eat well!

Grilled Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos Tweetcipe

Jalapenos are often used to flavor other dishes such as salsa, cornbread and nachos. I’d like to show some respect to this rather unappreciated vegetable with a recipe that features the spicy green pepper. You may have tried a variation of this appetizer that sometimes goes by the name of Jalapenos Kisses, but homemade and grilled can’t be beat! Warning: these warm little appetizers are not for the tender-mouthed!

GRILLED CHEESE STUFFED JALAPENOS

Makes 40 stuffed jalapenos

20 large mild jalapenos, cut in half lengthwise and seeded (use gloves to protect your fingers)
1 – 8 oz package cream cheese
1 t milk
Pinch of salt
1 t powdered chipotle or chili powder
20 pieces of bacon, thin sliced and cut in half

Place 40 toothpicks in water to soak. Mix cream cheese, milk, salt and spice in a medium bowl until smooth.

Fill each jalapeno with some of the cream cheese mixture. Wrap each in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Place jalapenos on a grill plate (a metal plate with holes in it) and grill over medium heat until peppers are roasted and bacon is cooked. Do not flip or turn. If the peppers are burning or the bacon fat is causing flare-ups, place a sheet of foil on the grill and move the jalapenos onto the foil until done. Serve immediately.

Eat the Rainbow

When you’re busy and on the run it’s tough to eat healthy, isn’t it? Trying to remember how many servings of this or that makes me feel like reaching for a bag of potato chips and calling it a day. But, eating healthy is something I do try to do, and one way to make it a little easier is to eat the rainbow – and sorry, I am not referring to Skittles!

“Eating the rainbow” is all about adding more color to your diet. The idea is that as long as those colors are fresh fruits and veggies, you’ll be able to eat healthier without putting a lot of thought or effort into worrying about servings per day. Filling in the rainbow might not be an easy task, but I try to get as close as possible every day (while avoiding those tempting rainbow Twizzlers).

To fulfill your “red” requirements, go for tomatoes and beets. Cooked tomatoes especially provide excellent nutritional value. Foods like carrots fulfill the orange requirement, as do, well, oranges. There are some food items that come in more than one color such as squash, which can be either yellow or orange. As far as I know there are no real differences in the nutritional value in the varied colors of the same vegetable, with the exception of red bell peppers. Setting aside the outrageous cost of red bell peppers for the moment, they contain as much as four times the Vitamins A and C than their green counterparts.

Green might not get special emphasis when you’re looking for a pot of gold, but it’s obviously the most important section of the food rainbow and one of the healthiest colors to add to your plate. You can’t go wrong with a half-green plate at dinner. I cook some sort of green leafy vegetable almost every day and all that I have noticed is that each green takes a different amount of cooking time. For most palettes, cooked greens just need a little water or vegetable broth added along with a dash of salt and pepper. But to vary your green experience I suggest adding ingredients like sliced pieces of garlic or shiitake mushroom for additional flavor.

When thinking about eating the rainbow, don’t limit yourself to the basics. There are a ton of tasty choices that will give you the balanced diet you are looking for and help improve your health. This list is only a start to the many options that are available to you in helping you achieve that balanced diet:

• Red: tomatoes, grapefruit, watermelon, guava, red bell pepper
• Green: spinach, collards, kale, broccoli, Swiss Chard, avocado, asparagus
• Orange: sweet potatoes, mangos, carrots, apricots, papaya
• Yellow: pineapple, yellow bell pepper, banana, squash
• Blue/Purple: blueberries, plums, eggplant, blackberries

While white isn’t technically a color in the rainbow, it’s a good idea to include garlic, chives, onions, scallions, and leeks, both for flavor and for the health benefits they offer.

It’s ok to mix things up and experiment with the different varieties of food that are out there. Do not limit yourself or your cooking to the items that first come to mind. Spinach and other low fat, nutrient-rich produce get a bad rap from the Tastebud Police, but there are many healthy foods out there that, with the right flavoring or recipe (like my Gazpacho Soup), can make your list of favorites.

Until next time, eat well!

Easy Gazpacho Soup Tweetcipe

It’s time to make the most of the summer’s fresh vegetables! What I love about this recipe is that it is really simple to put together, requires no cooking, and I can clean out my refrigerator’s vegetable drawer. All of the vegetables just need to be roughly chopped.

Easy Gazpacho Soup

1 cup chopped red onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped English cucumber, or use a regular cucumber, seeded
1 cup chopped and peeled tomatoes, or use store-bought diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 cups tomato juice, or use low-sodium V8
Sprig of thyme
Balsamic Glaze (optional)

Mix all the ingredients except the balsamic glaze together in a large bowl, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, remove the thyme sprig and blend all the ingredients with a stick blender or in a food processor until the gazpacho is smooth. This amount will serve 6. For a smoother texture, strain the soup, and this amount will serve 4. Refrigerate the gazpacho until ready to serve.

To complete: Ladle the cold soup into bowls and squeeze dots of balsamic glaze over the top.

Getting Adventurous with Cooking Oils

For many home cooks, vegetable oil is normally the go-to cooking oil, but there are many different alternatives that I like to incorporate in my cooking that not only taste better, but are better for you. Cooking oils vary so it’s helpful to know some specific things about them. Because different kinds of oil have different smoking points, each will start losing some of their nutritional value and flavor at certain contrasting temperatures.

The smoke point is the temperature at which the oil begins to burn, but worse than that, it’s also the temperature where the oil begins to degenerate and throw off unhealthy free radicals. Although cooking above the smoke point doesn’t necessarily mean your food will burn, it is the point at which you should probably ditch the food and oil that is in the pan and start over.

Safflower oil and grapeseed oil are good to use because they have higher smoke points (great when you need to cook at a higher temperature) and they do not emit any particular flavor that will affect your recipe. When shopping for cooking oils, be sure to look for the refined versions as they will have higher smoke points than their unrefined siblings.

Lately I have been experimenting with coconut oil. While safflower oil and grapeseed oil are interchangeable, unrefined coconut oil adds a bit of flavor. You want to make sure you are thinking about the flavor the oil will add to avoid a weird mixture of tastes. While unrefined coconut oil might taste great in a fruity sautéed chicken salad, your chicken parmesan might take on a tropical flavor that you did not intend. Cooking with refined coconut oil not only gives you a higher smoke point, but the light coconut flavor is no longer discernable. You can fry with any of these three oils to have some flexibility in the kitchen. I do not cook with extra virgin olive oil because of its low smoke point. Instead, I reserve extra virgin olive oil to finish a dish (for instance, drizzling over a cooked homemade pizza) or to add to salad dressings and dips.

I always try to cook with the healthiest ingredients, and oil is no exception. Stick to the basics: naturally occurring fats in oils are processed much more easily by your body than the unnatural trans fatty acids (made by the hydrogenation process) that are mostly stored in the arteries. Doctors will tell you the healthiest oils contain mostly unsaturated fats, but do not let that scare you away from expanding your cooking techniques. Cooking in moderation with, say, coconut oil or butter, which are higher in saturated fat, can improve your dish’s flavor. I’m the first one to admit fat equals flavor! While I try to maintain a healthy diet, the key is moderation. Avoid ingredients that contain trans fatty acids, but the occasional indulgence in coconut oil or butter with their saturated fat is ok in my opinion. Get adventurous in the kitchen and try something other than vegetable oil. There are many healthier alternatives that are full of flavor.

Until next time, eat well!

Grilled Eggplant Salad with Walnuts Tweetcipe

I find eggplant to be a pretty but bland tasting vegetable on its own. That’s probably why I don’t use it much in my cooking. However, this week I got the latest Food and Wine magazine in the mail and four eggplants in my CSA basket. I perused the magazine until I found a promising eggplant recipe and gave it a try last night. It was so good, I had to share it, though, as is my custom, I tweaked the recipe a bit. This works well as a side dish or, if you cut the veggies into smaller pieces, as a topping for flat bread or crostini.

Grilled Eggplant Salad with Walnuts
adapted from Food and Wine Magazine, serves 6

Two 1 lb eggplants, sliced lengthwise ½ inch thick
1 large jalapeno
grapeseed oil
¼ cup chopped cilantro
3 T white wine vinegar (I use champagne vinegar)
1 ½ t honey
1 garlic clove, minced
5 roma tomatoes, cut into ½ inch dice
1 small red onion, sliced in ¼ inch rings
2 T chopped toasted walnuts (I used pecans because I was out of walnuts)

Brush the eggplant slices, jalapeno and onion slices with grapeseed oil and season with salt. Grill vegetables over moderate heat and remove vegetables as they get a little charred – about 8-10 minutes total grilling time. Peel and seed jalapeno, then finely chop it. Dice the eggplant and quarter the onion rings.

In a large bowl combine the cilantro, vinegar, honey and garlic. Add all of the vegetables and gently toss. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Garnish with nuts. Serve at room temperature.

Bring on the Tomatoes!

It is spring! As I organize and re-plant my garden, I bid adieu to the last of my winter carrots and onions. I’ve already planted my bell pepper plants, the strawberries are in full bloom, and the peas are growing so fast I can almost watch those delicate tendrils grab on and vine up. However, it is the optimistic and fragrant tomato that actually calls me by name.

It can be tricky to plant tomatoes and fragile herbs like cilantro in the early spring – In many parts of the country, frost threatens tender, young buds well into May. However, protecting the plants by dutifully covering them at night with row cover and uncovering them in the morning is well worth the effort when that first heirloom tomato hits the taste buds. I can already taste the marinara sauce in my summer menus…

This year, I’m experimenting with potted plants, upside down baskets as well as a new square foot garden. It is fun to watch the tomato and strawberry plants grow upside down, hanging on my porch, and they are beautiful to see out the windows. This is such a wonderful gardening option for city, apartment, and condo dwellers. We can now enjoy the fresh taste of produce wherever we live.

Fruits and vegetables from the garden (or hanging basket) taste better - there is no doubt about it. Especially when they are served just moments after they are plucked from the plant. The produce is allowed to ripen perfectly on the vine or bush, rather than being picked green and allowed to ripen in warehouses or on trucks en route to the grocery store.

I learned this lesson when I joined a CSA. When I was younger I never particularly liked greens, but I ate them because I knew they were such a good source of iron, antioxidants, vitamins A, K, and D, and calcium. Then I tasted the local, and later, the homegrown versions and discovered flavors I never knew existed. My palate was alive with spinach, kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, and those potent, tender little Brussels sprouts. And the best news: many of the vitamins in leafy greens are fat-soluble, so a little oil or butter (or the occasional bit of tasty bacon grease, oh my!) is necessary for proper absorption of the vitamins.

Want to be healthier and eat more vegetables because you actually enjoy the taste? Want to teach your children how good, nutritional food is grown? Want to eat locally? It doesn’t get any more local than your backyard garden!

Garden Veggies with Balsamic Vinaigrette

My garden will be producing plenty of tomatoes, zucchini, onions and yellow squash, and I’ll soon be running out of room in my refrigerator drawers! It will be an ideal time to cook dishes like the following recipe, incorporating some of those garden fresh veggies.

FRESH FARM VEGETABLES WITH BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

3 medium tomatoes, diced in bite sized pieces
2 medium zucchini or yellow squash, diced in bite sized pieces
½ onion, sliced in slivers
¼ cup white balsamic vinegar, gently boiled until reduced by half
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 slices bacon, cooked, drained and chopped for garnish

Blanch squash in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain. Combine squash, tomatoes and onion in medium bowl. In a small bowl combine remaining ingredients except olive oil and bacon. Whisk oil in slowly. Drizzle vinaigrette over vegetables and toss. Garnish with bacon. Serves 4.

Don't Fear the Freezer

Easy things get a bad rap. It’s as if to say, if you haven’t sweated and toiled and sacrificed for something, you haven’t earned it. “Don’t take the easy way out” — How many times have we heard that?

In the world of food, sometimes a healthy skepticism toward easiness makes sense. If you’re hungry for a snack, few things are easier to get your nosh on than a bag of potato chips or Cheetos. Here, though, what you’re saving in terms of convenience you’re more than giving up in nutrition.

There are “easy” foods that can be good for you. For snacking, an apple with peanut butter is a great combination that can be prepared in literally one minute. (While peanut butter is considered healthy as-is, you can up the health quotient even more by buying natural brands, which use less sugar.) In fact, nuts in general are an excellent, easy snack food, when eaten in reasonable amounts. Or if that sounds boring, try the spiced varieties available in bulk at your grocery store.

When it comes to cooking though, one of the easiest ways to find healthy, inexpensive ingredients is to visit the frozen-foods aisle. I repeat: Frozen foods — fruits, vegetables, fish — are your friend.

It’s curious how frozen food seems to get short shrift when compared to canned food. Maybe it’s because canned food has been available to consumers longer than frozen food. Or maybe it’s because freezers are relatively new conveniences (freezers weren’t mass produced until the end of World War II). Shoot, maybe people just don’t have enough room in their freezers because they seldom clean them. Who knows?

Whatever the reason, it’s a shame, because frozen food can be an economical, convenient, and healthy component in people’s kitchens, especially during the off-season for various types of produce. Before they are frozen, fruits and vegetables are picked at the height of ripeness, when they are most nutrient-rich and flavorful. In freezing, produce retains more of those nutrients than the fruits and vegetables that were canned.

Sometimes I’ll even use frozen vegetables instead of fresh. For instance, if I want to make a black bean and corn salad, I’ll usually use frozen organic sweet corn over fresh corn because it’s available year-round. I don’t buy fresh corn on the cob in January because I know it’s been shipped from who knows where (and who knows how long it was kept refrigerated). Frozen corn, on the other hand, is picked when it’s ripe — it’s the next best thing to eating seasonally.

Canned food has its place, but in most situations frozen is better for nutritional content, and it’s still relatively cheap, especially compared to fresh produce that’s out of season. Oh, and another frozen-food convenience: It’s typically already prepped and ready to go! Try it, and take the easy way out.

Ginger Sauce Tweetcipe

This flavorful sauce makes a yummy stir-fry. I triple the amount and freeze several containers at a time. Use it with cooked strips of chicken, pork or beef.

I have a client who loves it with stir-fried slices of carrot, bok choy, red bell pepper, onion and green peas.

Ginger Sauce

¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup fresh grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 teaspoons sesame oil
3 teaspoons sambal or a 2 shakes of red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Put all of the ingredients except the water and cornstarch in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Mix water and cornstarch in a small bowl and add to the sauce. Stir for 1 minute.

Nutrition is Essential for Good Health

Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.

—Hippocrates

You are what you eat. Literally. Regularly consuming exceedingly processed, fatty foods will make you feel tired and look fatty - “overly processed,” if you will. A diet rich in fresh foods and lean proteins will make you feel fresh and revitalized and look lean. The occasional birthday cupcake won’t hurt you (in fact I encourage the special indulgence as a treat for the soul) but it is all about balance. I believe it is nutritional imbalance that plays the primary role in the cancer and diabetes rates we see today. If we pay closer attention to our consumption of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, we will be well on our way to increased stamina, better sleep, clarity of mind, and far less disease.

To ensure we get the most out of our food, look to the vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals are enablers, or assistants in the nutritive process. For instance, the suite of B vitamins are necessary for our bodies to properly turn carbohydrates to sugar and create energy (without adequate B vitamins, our bodies store those carbs as fat). We can take vitamins in the form of pills, but the absorption rates are unpredictable; the vitamins and minerals most readily usable by our bodies are found in our food. When we eat fresh, brightly colored, unprocessed fruits and vegetables, good quality dairy and meats, and whole grains, the vitamins and minerals within are readily absorbed by our bodies and are then available for all the necessary nutritional chemical reactions.

To ward against disease, I suggest ensuring a good quantity of antioxidants in our diet. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals so our bodies can focus on repairing and protecting us. While free radicals are an essential part of a healthy immune system, they can accumulate in our bodies as a result of environmental toxins (pollution, chemicals, radiation, etc), physical and emotional stress, and unhealthy fats, preservatives, and pesticides in our processed foods. Excessive free radicals then attack our tissues and make us more vulnerable to many degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and many cancers.

It seems to me that our country needs revitalization, and that starts with its individual citizens. A great way to revitalize ourselves is by retraining ourselves to eat healthier. I’d love to see more people cut down on their consumption of fast food, exercise to reduce stress, and eat a diet rich in organically grown fruits, vegetables and proteins. I think it would make a real difference in so many ways.

Chicken Curry Tweetcipe

I’ve always admired people who can intuitively cook, never needing to look at a recipe. When I cook for a client I always bring the printed recipes because I’m likely to forget an ingredient or two until it’s too late. I rely on my lists and backup systems! However, I was cooking for a client a couple of weeks ago and had forgotten my printed recipe for Chicken Curry with Cashews. So this time I was on my own, no safety net, and I’m happy to report that my client loved it! I like to serve this over brown basmati rice. Here’s the recipe I made up on the spot:

½ t cumin seeds
¼ cup butter
1 chopped onion
¼ lb fresh green beans, cut in half
3 minced garlic cloves
1 T fresh ginger, processed on a zester
3 T curry powder
½ t sriracha sauce (or a dash of cayenne)
salt to taste
1 – 14 oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
¾ cup plain yogurt
4 chicken boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 cup toasted cashews, chopped coarsely

Heat a soup pot over low heat and toast cumin seeds. Stir often and be careful not to burn them. When the seeds start to brown and become fragrant, turn the heat to medium and add the butter, onions, garlic, ginger and green beans. Stir occasionally until onions are softened. Add salt, curry, sriracha sauce, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken and stir. Add tomatoes plus juice, and cilantro. Turn the heat down, stir, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in yogurt and serve. I like to ladle the curry over basmati rice or quinoa, and generously sprinkle cashews on top.

People’s Diets Before & After the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution, which historians say first started in the U.K. around 1760, was less a revolution and more of a gradual but profound metamorphosis of Europe and, close on its heels, North America. And by gradual, I mean about 150 years of invention, improvement and industrial application. Authors like Thomas Hobbs described 17^th Century farmers’ lives as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short."

Then the Industrial Revolution brought mechanization and technological advancements. Farming on a small scale was all about maintaining the delicate health of the soil through fallowing, cover crops and crop rotation. With the Industrial Revolution, it became a large-scale process where nature could be managed and exploited, though not always controlled. Control came later, after the harsh lessons of the Dust Bowl years were indelibly printed on farmers who took advantage of new automation machines, farmed ever more acreage but did not heed the appropriate steps to renew and protect the soil as their forefathers had.

Meat and dairy were expensive and rare commodities in pre-industrial Europe. Most livestock was slaughtered in the autumn since grazing areas were scarce in the harsh winters, lending to huge autumn feasts, followed by a bland, meager, almost vegetarian diet through the winter. Then science taught ranchers the finer points of effective husbandry, and grains became more readily available to get livestock through the cold months. Within a century, meat was available to the masses year round, and dairy was more easily produced with the larger stocks of breeding animals each spring. Peasants began to eat like aristocrats.

Exploration and early forms of genetic modification (in the form of selective breeding) brought new peppers, corn, and chocolate from the Americas to Europe, inspiring cooks with bold, new flavors. The chocolate was dark, mostly served as a beverage, and far less sweet than most of today’s impulse buys, but thank goodness for those brave sailors who brought it back and those chefs that made it a part of our Valentine’s Day traditions!

Scientific discoveries and studies enabled farmers to breed and cultivate plants for consistency, quantity, and flavor. Small family farms were replaced with vast fields of genetically similar crops that were easy to grow, but homogeneous and more prone to large outbreaks of disease and pest infestation (meaning stronger systemic fertilizers and pesticides had to be formulated and applied.).

While birth rates were flat during the Industrial Revolution, improved medical care, diet, and sanitation sharply reduced death rates. A growing population needed to be fed, and since most of that population now lived an urban lifestyle, food had to be brought into the cities. Trains sped things up, the invention of canned goods, fillers and additives made the food go further and last longer on the shelf.

Today we can enjoy asparagus in December and mangoes in the Midwestern United States. However, in an effort to feed our exponentially growing population the abundance of fruits and vegetables we now expect year round, we may have taken the industrialization of our food supply too far, stripping our dinner of genetic diversity, flavor and adequate nutrition. Perhaps the pendulum will now swing successfully back to center with a balance of small, local, organic farms and the large homogeneous farms to make the best of all that our ancestors and our great scientific minds have to offer.

Vera Cruz Sauce Tweetcipe

During the busy months of November and December, along with the cold snaps in December and January, I found myself cooking a dish a number of times that met my need for speed, nutrition and low calories and fulfilled my need for warmth and spiciness. I’m not sure if this sauce is named for the Mexican state of Veracruz or the Mexican seaport by the same name, but I’m guessing it’s the seaport, because this sauce tastes best over baked or grilled fish. It’s not a bad way to treat chicken either!

Vera Cruz (or Veracruzana) Sauce

2 tablespoons grape seed or safflower oil
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 – 15 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1/4 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf

Heat oil in a non-corrosive saute pan over medium heat, add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add wine and reduce. Add tomatoes, green olives, capers, Serrano pepper, sugar and bay leaf and bring to a low boil and cook until thickened. Reduce heat, add grilled or baked fish/chicken and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Small Farm Organic vs. Large Farm Organic

It is a new year, and we are all thinking about taking better care of ourselves. We plan to exercise for our hearts, de-clutter for our peace of mind, and eat well for weight-loss, stamina, and disease prevention. Eating organic foods — especially those grown at small local farms — can be a great way to embark on healthy living.

Thanks to the popularity of organic foods and the premium price they command, big farms are also jumping into the organic market. In some ways, this is a good thing: Large farms have established distribution channels with large retail grocery chains, so organic foods are becoming more mainstream. In other ways, it is a challenge for large farms to effectively balance the altruistic tenets of organic farming with the need to maintain profitability. For us as consumers, it is a good idea to take a second look at our organic food to ensure we are getting the maximum nutritious bang for our buck, while doing our part to protect the environment.

Specifically, let’s discuss organic beef. To be labeled “organic” (per the implementation of the 2002 National Organic Program (NOP) regulations), the USDA requires that ranchers track the health and feeding history of every cow. In addition, the cattle must not receive antibiotics or growth-promoting hormones, they must be fed only certified organic grains and grass, and they must have unrestricted outdoor access. In February 2010, the USDA clarified its rules by stating that organic cattle must spend the grass-growing season (at least 120 days per year) grazing on pasture. This is a welcome clarification, since prior to that cattle could be in dry lots so long as the door was left open to a (sometimes too small) pasture for the herd.

An additional new rule is that grass or “dry matter” must account for 30% of a cow’s diet. Here is the tricky part: The 30% pasture requirement is lifted during the last 120 days of a cow’s life, or the “finish feeding period.” Some ranchers and consumers believe cattle should be fed corn in these last four months to improve the flavor and marbling of the meat (for many, this also saves money). Keep in mind that cows’ digestive systems can’t handle grain or corn, so they suffer and often become ill. However, cattle that are grass fed throughout their lives will be less stressed because of a consistent diet, and they will produce leaner beef, which is much better for our cardiovascular systems and our waistlines, though, admittedly, our taste buds will notice a difference.

With produce, the main concern is with controlling pests. Synthetic pesticides are not allowed under organic certification standards, but some pesticides that are derived from plants are allowed. Unfortunately, even these “natural” pesticides kill both the beneficial insects and the pests, they have had adverse effects in tests on lab animals, and they can be devastating to aquatic life. Not to confuse the matter, but keep in mind that certain vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, English cucumbers) are often grown in greenhouses, which greatly reduces the need for pesticides and herbicides. To be sure, look for the Certified Greenhouse™ label.

The bottom line is that for the food you buy from large ranches and farms, read the labels thoroughly, understand the legal meaning of words like “Natural” and “Organic” and scrub those fruits and vegetables before you eat them, whether or not they are organic. I highly recommend utilizing local small farms via CSAs, and farmers’ markets since they are going to be the most reliable choice for the health-conscious consumer (and those who care about their carbon footprint). If at all possible, know your rancher and know your farmer, and the confusion amongst organic, grass-fed, pesticide-free, free-range, etc goes away.