Get Cooking!

Back to my new favorite cookbook.....




I've told so many people about the Eggless Caesar Salad from "Eat Fresh Food..Awesome Recipes For Teen Chefs". We make it at least twice every week. Many people have asked for the recipe. So here it is:






Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
2 Tblsp fresh lemon juice (yes, fresh, no plastic lemons allowed)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Thai fish sauce (I omit this. It is used here in place of anchovies)


Salad:

2 large romaine hearts
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 lg green apples, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted


Directions:

1) In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Set aside.

2) Wash romaine and cut into 3/4 inch pieces. Dry well with paper towels and put in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and pour in the dressing. Toss gently to coat leaves and add 1/4 cup of the remaining cheese. Toss again. Divide among 6 plates. Sprinkle with a little of the remaining cheese. Garnish each portion with diced apples and toasted pecans.




Now for my modifications. If you are familiar with my cooking, you know I modify almost everything. I use a little more lemon juice than what is called for as it is sometimes to "oily". I just eyeball the grated cheese and apples and put in what we like at our house. Oddly enough, there is no salt and pepper in this recipe. We don't even miss it. I keep a container full of dressing in the fridge along with toasted pecans and any leftover apple. That way, all the ingredients are right there ready to go when you are in a hurry, which in my family, is every day. Also, for a heartier version, I add some boneless chicken breast. I grill some at the beginning of every week and keep it in ready to go in the fridge. Throw it in the salad and you have a satisfying "entree salad". My favorite marinades for boneless chicken breast are a mixture of any fresh herbs you have on hand ( I like rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil; or Ken's light Italian). I either grill it outside or on the George Forman if it is bad weather.



Now for a little bit more info about this cookbook.


"Renowned chef Rozanne Gold has assembled her very own all star team of talented sous-chefs--ages 9 to 19-- who love to cook and who helped create some of the most delicous, healthful, and fresh recipes you could ever want to make. Known as the "diva of simplicity," Rozanne brings her delicous food to teens who want to cook better, eat better, and share their edible rewards with family and friends. Editor's Review





"our Mantra is to make it fresh"


F... farmer friendly


R...ripe-ready


E...easy-exciting


S... Suatainable


H... Honest-healthy





For so many of us who like to switch it up and try something other than the usual, you won't be dissapointed with this book. It may take you out of your comfort zone, but it is good for you and very tasty! Try it, you and your family will like it!

Whole Foods Doesn't Have To Be Whole Paycheck

Last week I had the pleasure of taking a tour of the Whole Foods store in Bellingham with some clients. What I learned is that there are many reasons to shop here and it doesn't need to be thought of as "Whole Paycheck". If you know how to shop here, there are great products, reasons to shop, and people to get to know. I'll share some here:

* They accept any and all returns. Not happy with a purchase? Even if you don't like the taste...return it for a full refund.
* Ask for a taste. They will open up just about anything for you to taste before you buy.
*There are printable on line coupons.
*In their e-newsletter (found on their website, or a hard copy in the store) you can find meal plans complete with recipes and product info, and sales.
*In the newsletter they teach you how to cook many things...for example the delicous grain quinoa.
* They have a value brand called 365 that is an everyday value program...a great way to save.
* You can get a discount if you buy larger quantities....just ask....I believe it is an extra 15% off of 3lbs or more of meat....even off the sale price.
*Employees are constantly educated through local seminars by nutritionists, doctors, etc.
* Many of their foods have an ANDI score ( Aggregate Nutrient Density Index), helping you to choose nutrient dense foods.
*Some sale prices from last week:
Striped Bass 10.99/ reg. 15.99
85% lean ground beef 2.99/reg 4.49
Organic cameo apples .99/lb reg 1.99/lb
cod frozen fillet 4.99/lb reg 7.99/lb
organic lettuce 2 for $3 reg 2.49 ea
smoked salmon 9.99 reg 14.99
olive mix 7.99 reg 9.99
spinach ravioli salad from prepared foods 6.99/lb reg 11.99/lb
grilled chicken drumsticks 2.29/lb vs 3.99/lb
boneless skinless chicken thighs 2.99/lb reg 4.59/lb
cedars hummus 2.69 reg 3.69
muir glen diced tomatoes 2 for $4 reg 2.99 ea

I encourage you to visit Whole Foods. Go armed with their flyer and shop from there. You may even learn something while there.

My New Favorite Yogurt

I have just discovered this delicous yogurt from a fairly new company. Siggi's recipe originates from Iceland where they refer to this type of yogurt as "skyr". It is a much thicker style than you may be used to, even thicker than the Greek yogurt I encourage my clients to eat. Siggi is the name of the man who started the company with an old recipe from his homeland back in 2004. He realized, once he perfected the recipe, that nothing like this was available in the States. He made a few batches and sold them to high end cheese shops and Farmers Markets in New York City. Eventually, a cup made its way to an employee from Whole Foods and that sparked his entrance into major commercial production as they put it into 100 stores. Locally, we can get it at Whole Foods and Stop and Shop. What makes this yogurt stand out from the rest?

*Produced in upstate New York close to the farms where he buys the milk from.
*All natural milk from grass fed cows without the use of any growth hormone.
*No aspartame
*No Sucralose
*No gelatin
*No artificial colorings
*No preservatives
*No high fructose corn syrup
What I like best about Siggi's is the taste. They use agave nectar (a natural low glycemic sweetner) to lightly sweeten their yourt. The 6 ounce cup pictured here has only 11 grams of sugar. Compare that to what you are eating now. It is not overly sweetened; it is actually very tart, but not as boring as plain old yogurt. One serving also packs 16 grams of protein. Pictures here is Pomegranate and Passion Fruit. I also like Orange/Ginger. Try it and see what you think!

Do You Really Want That Diet Soda?

I recently banned the use of artificial sweeteners in our house. I have been reading about the controversy surrounding them and decided it's not worth taking the risk if they are truly as unsafe as some claim. Here I'll share what I found.

The testing methods of G. D. Searle, the developer of Aspartame, have been continually called into question. When he first tried to get it approved it was denied 8 times. In 1977 the FDA requested Grand Jury proceedings against Searle. The US Attorney leading the investigation was offered a job that same year by the law firm representing Searle. The investigation was somehow delayed, he resigned from the US Attny's office, the statute of limitations ran out, the investigation was dropped, and he accepted the job. Hmmm.

In 1980 the FDA set up a review board for the safety of Aspartame. In 1981 a new FDA commissioner, Arthur Hull Hayes, was appointed. Of the 6 scientists on the review board, 3 of them advised against approval. It was approved anyway and Hayes subsequently left the FDA amid allegations of wrongdoing. He later went to work for the law firm representing Searle. Hmmmm.

The FDA urged Congress to prosecute Searle for marred test results. The 2 government attorneys assigned to the case decided not to prosecute and showed up working for, you guessed it, the law firm representing Searle. Hmmmm.

Nutrasweet and Equal contain Aspartame. There are supposedly 92 side effects from ingesting this artificial sweetener. Whether they are all valid or not, I like to focus on the facts that we know.

1) People with industry ties seem to find no harm in Aspartame while people with no industry ties claim it is unsafe.
2) Several people working initially for the government have moved to jobs with companies that have ties to Searle.
3) In 1997 the UK introduced new regulations requiring food companies to state clearly NEXT TO THE NAME of the product on the label "with sweeteners"...not just in the ingredient list.
4) New Mexico and Hawaii have introduced legislation trying to ban the use of Aspartame in their states.
5) In the UK, 3 supermarket chains, one of which is owned by WalMart, banned the use of Aspartame in their private label products as did Woolworth's in South Africa.
6) The allowable daily intake of Aspartame for an adult is the amount found in about 14 cans of diet soda.

I don't know anyone who drinks that much diet soda, but you need to consider all the other things with Aspartame...Do you put it in your coffee? Is it hiding in other things you eat? Refer to my earlier post on how I found Sucralose (Splenda) in my sandwich bread.
I personally don't care that someone has created an allowable daily intake. What if their amounts are wrong? I stopped drinking diet soda over 6 weeks ago and feel great. I don't miss it one bit. I threw away the yogurt I was giving my kids (Dannon Light and Lively) and they now eat the same Greek yogurt I do...and they love it. When in doubt, natural is better than chemicals. I encourage you to evaluate your use of artificial sweeteners and do your own research. I bet you'll get rid of it like I did.....or at least cut down.