Fiber seems to be right up there with protein in the healthy eating buzzword list. Every diet has a recommendation for fiiber intake-- 25, 30, even 40 grams of fiber per day. And that would be phenomenal, but before you run out to stock up on Benefiber or Psyllium supplements, consider this: If you were just starting to exercise, would you start with the Boston Marathon? No, you would work up to it. S-l-o-w-l-y. Same with fiber.
Suddenly jumping up from an average American diet of 15 grams of fiber to 40 grams of fiber a day is akin to scrubbing your colon with an SOS pad and packing it with explosives. Build up to your target number a little at a time, unless you live alone and have a home office. If you move too fast, your spouse will move to the guest room, your kids will call you out in public, and your cubicle neighbors will request a transfer.To Colorado.
Having said that, here is a low fat, high fiber, healthy, vegan way to enjoy Mexican food. I have no name for it, so we'll just call it the:
Really Yummy Colon-Cleansing Taco
start with two of these tortillas:
Chick Pea Flour Tortilla
2 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil
1/2 cup chick pea (garbanzo bean) flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2/3 c. water
Whisk the flour, salt and water together to make a thin batter. Heat the pan and coat with olive oil. Pour the batter into the pan and roll it around to coat like you are making a giant pancake. Cover and cook on medium high heat for 2 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 more minutes, then flip it over. Cook another 5 minutes on the other side.Keep one warm in a 200 degree oven while you make the second one.
Now heat:
1 can of Amy's brand Organic Refried Black Beans (Some of you may find this disappointing. Canned refried beans? But do not waste your time going through all of the monotonous steps of making refried beans yourself. First of all, do you want to spend two days soaking, cooking and re-cooking beans just to make a taco? And do you want to risk the outcome, knowing that this brand of beans has no added sugar, no lard, no animal fat at all, and tastes good? No, you don't. You want to make a taco.)
In a separate bowl, mix:
1 14-oz. can petite cut diced tomatoes (Ditto with the canned thing, but canned tomatoes are one of the BEST things you can keep in your pantry.)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp crushed red pepper
pinch of salt
To assemble the taco, spread half the refried beans on one half of each tortilla. Top with tomato mixture. And finish with:
a handful of baby greens, such as arugula, chicory, or mesclun salad mix. I don't recommend baby spinach, because you want something with a little more bite to it.
1 mashed avocado
If you have any beans and tomatoes left over, mix them together and stick the mixture in the fridge. You can throw it in a skillet or the microwave for a quick breakfast tomorrow.
I am not a dietitian. I have not done the math. I cannot tell you how many grams of fiber this dish has. But it has a lot. Eating these too frequently may cause ...um...secondary symptoms related to better health. Look on the bright side. Your family might give you a little more alone time and you just might get that corner office you've always wanted.
Let me reiterate my fiber warning in a way that's easy to remember. Several years ago in Cancun, a friend of mine bought an antacid to counter the effects of too much tequila. She subsequently ended up with a week-long case of Montezuma's revenge. On the very last day of our vacation, she realized she had not been taking an antacid. She had been taking a laxative.
There is no earthly reason the laxatives should even be legal in Mexico.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Nice Rack and other Proteins
In my immense frustration at my seeming lack of coordination with bean flours, with the possible exception of my good friend chick pea flour, I have turned back to meat. Last night, I had a hankering for pork, which has thankfully returned to my list of acceptable foods. Pork is good.
Now, everyone has had their share of dried out pork roasts and pork chops, unless you grew up where they are smothered in country gravy or slathered in barbecue sauce. My advice to you is try it again with a piece of Fred Flinstonesque bone-in "frenched" rack of pork. Yes, just like rack of lamb. Put two of them together and you get crown roast. That's the roast you see on Tom and Jerry wearing those cute little white hats on every bone. This recipe is for half of that. It is easy, juicy and makes killer pan drippings to put over mashed potatoes or sauteed swiss chard.
Okay, so this isn't the healthiest recipe I've posted, but it's still better than the BK whopper you were thinking about getting on the way home.
Roast Rack of Pork
Paprika, smoked or hot
Coarse salt
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the rack in a large ceramic baking dish, FAT SIDE UP. You can use Pyrex, but ceramic holds the heat better. Slice each garlic clove into 4 lengthwise slices. Make 16 small but deep slits in the fat-covered roast. Plunge the garlic slices down into the meat. Rub the whole top of the roast with paprika and coarse salt. Put the roast in the oven. Do NOT cover it. After 50 minutes at 425, turn the heat down to 350 and cook for another hour and ten minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes or so before carving with a sharp boning knife between the chops.
To use up all the good drippings, saute some greens or make mashed potatoes, and drizzle the pan drippings over the meat and the greens at the table.
Serve this with people who know and love you. That way they won't be appalled when you chew on the bone at the end of the meal.
And if you can't eat more than 2 oz of meat at a meal (you know who you are), serve the meat to everyone else, and save all the pan drippings for yourself. You did all the cooking; this is your dessert.
If you just don't like the sound of "frenched rack of pork", cause it really just doesn't sound right--and it doesn't sound right to me, either, even though it's delicious--then make frenched rack of lamb, even easier.
Frenched Rack of Lamb
1 frenched rack of lamb, aaahhh... that sounds better
olive oil
salt
Yeah, I know, we didn't use oil for the pork. Do you seriously think something covered in pork fat needs oil? Okay, next question....anyone, anyone? Good, moving on....
Preheat oven to 425. Put the rack in a ceramic baking dish. You can use Pyrex, metal, yada, yada. I'm telling you ceramic works best but, by all means, use what you have.. Drizzle with salt and oil. Put in oven for 45 minutes. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. So good.
After they're carved, I call these chops "lambsicles", cause the only way to really enjoy them is to pick them up by the bone and dig in with your teeth.
In the mood for lighter fare? Don't have much time to cook? Then you could try...
Stovetop Turkey Tenderloins Tandoori (which I completely realize is completely unrelated to the other dishes in the post, but you have to eat something.)
1 cup plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt
a handful of Tandoori seasoning which, like curry powder, is a hodge podge of different seasoning. (if you don't have it, you can mix up paprika, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cardamom--or use curry powder)
juice of 1 lemon
salt
4 turkey tenderloins
Sunflower oil or canola oil
Mix the yogurt, tandoori spice, lemon, and salt in a bowl just big enough for the turkey. Add the tenderloins and mix to coat. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a non-stick pan. Toss the turkey in (without the remaining marinade) and cook for 5 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce the heat slightly. Cook for another 10 minutes until they are cooked through. Serve over romaine with Have-It-Your-Way Tomato and Pepper Soup, seasoned with smoked paprika.
Now, everyone has had their share of dried out pork roasts and pork chops, unless you grew up where they are smothered in country gravy or slathered in barbecue sauce. My advice to you is try it again with a piece of Fred Flinstonesque bone-in "frenched" rack of pork. Yes, just like rack of lamb. Put two of them together and you get crown roast. That's the roast you see on Tom and Jerry wearing those cute little white hats on every bone. This recipe is for half of that. It is easy, juicy and makes killer pan drippings to put over mashed potatoes or sauteed swiss chard.
Okay, so this isn't the healthiest recipe I've posted, but it's still better than the BK whopper you were thinking about getting on the way home.
Roast Rack of Pork
4 lb. frenched rack of pork (backbone removed, meat removed from the ends of the ribs)
4 large cloves of garlicPaprika, smoked or hot
Coarse salt
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the rack in a large ceramic baking dish, FAT SIDE UP. You can use Pyrex, but ceramic holds the heat better. Slice each garlic clove into 4 lengthwise slices. Make 16 small but deep slits in the fat-covered roast. Plunge the garlic slices down into the meat. Rub the whole top of the roast with paprika and coarse salt. Put the roast in the oven. Do NOT cover it. After 50 minutes at 425, turn the heat down to 350 and cook for another hour and ten minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes or so before carving with a sharp boning knife between the chops.
To use up all the good drippings, saute some greens or make mashed potatoes, and drizzle the pan drippings over the meat and the greens at the table.
Serve this with people who know and love you. That way they won't be appalled when you chew on the bone at the end of the meal.
And if you can't eat more than 2 oz of meat at a meal (you know who you are), serve the meat to everyone else, and save all the pan drippings for yourself. You did all the cooking; this is your dessert.
If you just don't like the sound of "frenched rack of pork", cause it really just doesn't sound right--and it doesn't sound right to me, either, even though it's delicious--then make frenched rack of lamb, even easier.
Frenched Rack of Lamb
1 frenched rack of lamb, aaahhh... that sounds better
olive oil
salt
Yeah, I know, we didn't use oil for the pork. Do you seriously think something covered in pork fat needs oil? Okay, next question....anyone, anyone? Good, moving on....
Preheat oven to 425. Put the rack in a ceramic baking dish. You can use Pyrex, metal, yada, yada. I'm telling you ceramic works best but, by all means, use what you have.. Drizzle with salt and oil. Put in oven for 45 minutes. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. So good.
After they're carved, I call these chops "lambsicles", cause the only way to really enjoy them is to pick them up by the bone and dig in with your teeth.
In the mood for lighter fare? Don't have much time to cook? Then you could try...
Stovetop Turkey Tenderloins Tandoori (which I completely realize is completely unrelated to the other dishes in the post, but you have to eat something.)
1 cup plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt
a handful of Tandoori seasoning which, like curry powder, is a hodge podge of different seasoning. (if you don't have it, you can mix up paprika, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cardamom--or use curry powder)
juice of 1 lemon
salt
4 turkey tenderloins
Sunflower oil or canola oil
Mix the yogurt, tandoori spice, lemon, and salt in a bowl just big enough for the turkey. Add the tenderloins and mix to coat. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a non-stick pan. Toss the turkey in (without the remaining marinade) and cook for 5 minutes per side over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce the heat slightly. Cook for another 10 minutes until they are cooked through. Serve over romaine with Have-It-Your-Way Tomato and Pepper Soup, seasoned with smoked paprika.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Hemp Hearts and Other Unlikely Ingredients
I'm not going to pain you with burdock root. However, I will pain you with hemp hearts. Can't have nuts? Can't have grain? Good. Have hemp hearts. Not only are they one of the most nutritional dense foods you can eat, they are legal! And, yes, they come from the hemp plant. They are essentially the "heart" of the seed. Tiny, nutty, slightly sweet. You can put them on everything, and I mean everything--oatmeal, cereal, salads, puddings, desserts, to top grilled chicken. But my very favorite way is to add texture to sauteed veggies. Remember when the walnut-and-craisin salad was too hip for words? That is SO five years ago.This is modern. And you'll try anything once. Won't you?
Bok choy with Blueberries and Hemp Hearts
3 Tbsp Olive oil
1 head of bok choy, cored and chopped crosswise into 1 inch chunks
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup dried, unsweetened blueberries
2 Tbsp Hemp hearts
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large saute' pan over medium high heat. Toss in the bok choy and sprinkle with sea salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes until all the white parts of the bok choy are cooked through. Stir in the blueberries for the last two minutes--too long and they'll turn the bok choy blue, too little time and they'll stay too crunchy.
Remove from heat, toss in the remaining oil and hemp hearts and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
This is WAY better than salad with craisins. And fantabulous with a pork roast. Enjoy!
Bok choy with Blueberries and Hemp Hearts
3 Tbsp Olive oil
1 head of bok choy, cored and chopped crosswise into 1 inch chunks
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup dried, unsweetened blueberries
2 Tbsp Hemp hearts
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large saute' pan over medium high heat. Toss in the bok choy and sprinkle with sea salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes until all the white parts of the bok choy are cooked through. Stir in the blueberries for the last two minutes--too long and they'll turn the bok choy blue, too little time and they'll stay too crunchy.
Remove from heat, toss in the remaining oil and hemp hearts and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
This is WAY better than salad with craisins. And fantabulous with a pork roast. Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
I Wicked Miss White Sauce (Short but Sweet)
White sauce is the ultimate in no-no. Cream, butter, and flour. Yeah, that's a nutritional void, if I ever ate one, and I have eaten many! But if you can't eat the good stuff, you have to replace it with something. Something good.
Instead of cauliflower in cream sauce or cheese sauce, this was lunch today. Evan--you're gonna like this one.
Cauliflower Tzatziki
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Tbs olive oil
Sea salt (Himalayan sea salt, to be exact, but who's that picky?)
1 6 oz. container of 0% fat or low fat Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic
Take the yogurt out of the fridge, so it comes close to room temp while you prepare the cauliflower.
Toss the cauliflower in the olive oil, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and roast on a baking sheet in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.
While the cauliflower is in the oven, use a garlic press to mash the garlic in all its glory into the yogurt and add a touch of salt. Mix.
When the cauliflower is done, toss it with the yogurt mixture and serve immediately.
This serves four as a side dish or one for lunch when you are distracted by facebook.
Instead of cauliflower in cream sauce or cheese sauce, this was lunch today. Evan--you're gonna like this one.
Cauliflower Tzatziki
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Tbs olive oil
Sea salt (Himalayan sea salt, to be exact, but who's that picky?)
1 6 oz. container of 0% fat or low fat Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic
Take the yogurt out of the fridge, so it comes close to room temp while you prepare the cauliflower.
Toss the cauliflower in the olive oil, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and roast on a baking sheet in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.
While the cauliflower is in the oven, use a garlic press to mash the garlic in all its glory into the yogurt and add a touch of salt. Mix.
When the cauliflower is done, toss it with the yogurt mixture and serve immediately.
This serves four as a side dish or one for lunch when you are distracted by facebook.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Have-It-Your-Way Tomato and Pepper Soup
Who needs Campbell's? Not me. Especially since my diet doesn't allow it. But some days I'm just itching to open a can of soup, specifically Campbell's tomato soup, which tastes like lunch after morning kindergarten. So I invented my own canned tomato soup, replacing the sweetness I can't add in (no sugar allowed) with the sweetness of assorted bell peppers.
Have-It-Your-Way Tomato and Pepper Soup
2 T canola oil
1 green bell pepper*
1 yellow bell pepper*
1 orange bell pepper*
1 red bell pepper*
Salt to taste
1 28 oz. can tomato puree
1 c. water
1 c. cannellini beans, drained
Pour the oil into a large saucepan with a cover. Put the chopped peppers in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until softened and completely overcooked. Add in the entire can of tomato puree, the water and the drained beans. Heat through.
*Because I am cheap, when colored bell peppers are on sale, I buy a bunch of them. Then I wash them, seed them, and roughly chop them. I spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and throw them in the freezer. When hard frozen, I toss them into freezer bags and have cheap bell peppers ready whenever. As a matter of fact, I throw pretty much everything into freezer bags and have cheap everything ready whenever.
Now, for the have-it-your-way part:
In the mood for Italian? Add 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes. Then serve with grated Parmesan cheese and garlic bread.
Want a little Andalusian flavor? Add 3 teaspoons Spanish smoked hot paprika, simmer and serve with good olives and good bread topped with sliced Serrano ham.
Mexican? Add 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, and top with crumbled tortillas and shredded jack cheese.
French? This is totally NOT French. But you could puree it with an immersion blender, add some herbes de Provence, serve it cold, and act really pretentious.
See? Have it your way. Quick, easy, keeps great in the fridge and tastes good. You can also puree it and use it as a base for pasta sauce (add sausage) or to revive leftover meats--think yesterday's grilled chicken or leftover pot roast. As a matter of fact, you did such a great job making the soup, I say you've earned the right to act pretentious no matter what you've added to it.
Have-It-Your-Way Tomato and Pepper Soup
2 T canola oil
1 green bell pepper*
1 yellow bell pepper*
1 orange bell pepper*
1 red bell pepper*
Salt to taste
1 28 oz. can tomato puree
1 c. water
1 c. cannellini beans, drained
Pour the oil into a large saucepan with a cover. Put the chopped peppers in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until softened and completely overcooked. Add in the entire can of tomato puree, the water and the drained beans. Heat through.
*Because I am cheap, when colored bell peppers are on sale, I buy a bunch of them. Then I wash them, seed them, and roughly chop them. I spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and throw them in the freezer. When hard frozen, I toss them into freezer bags and have cheap bell peppers ready whenever. As a matter of fact, I throw pretty much everything into freezer bags and have cheap everything ready whenever.
Now, for the have-it-your-way part:
In the mood for Italian? Add 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes. Then serve with grated Parmesan cheese and garlic bread.
Want a little Andalusian flavor? Add 3 teaspoons Spanish smoked hot paprika, simmer and serve with good olives and good bread topped with sliced Serrano ham.
Mexican? Add 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, and top with crumbled tortillas and shredded jack cheese.
French? This is totally NOT French. But you could puree it with an immersion blender, add some herbes de Provence, serve it cold, and act really pretentious.
See? Have it your way. Quick, easy, keeps great in the fridge and tastes good. You can also puree it and use it as a base for pasta sauce (add sausage) or to revive leftover meats--think yesterday's grilled chicken or leftover pot roast. As a matter of fact, you did such a great job making the soup, I say you've earned the right to act pretentious no matter what you've added to it.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Overachiever
There's one in every class. You know the type. The teacher asks for a 10 page, double-spaced paper on famous scientists, and she turns in a 12 page paper with 3 pages of "works cited", along with a powerpoint slide show of the evolution of modern physics, a 3-D model showing gravity bending light, and a link to her website with (her own) new version of string theory.
Unfortunately, with a class of 28 to grade, the teacher will never get to the website, and it goes un-read by everyone but her adoring parents.
Or, in adult life, she and her husband have a brand new house built for their family of four, which has 5 1/2 bathrooms. Why put in a toilet that will never, ever be used? Perhaps she is planning for a sudden outbreak of ameobic dysentery on Thanksgiving, when Aunt Ida and Uncle Sal are in town.
At work, the overachiever is asked for a spreadsheet on next year's Grand Rapids sales goals, with a breakdown by division and customer. Instead, she provides a spreadsheet with 56 attached graphs of each customers' purchases, by product and profit margin, over the last 24 months. And exactly how much profit for which she expects to be directly responsible over the next year. And what she thinks her raise should be.
Yeah. We all know one. The mom who's kid is in 5 afterschool activities and bought belly headphones when she was pregnant, so her baby could become familiar with Wagner and Rachmaninoff before they were born.
I am not that person.
Except, lately, in the kitchen.
Two friends came for dinner the other night and this was the spread...
Hello! What is this...Thanksgiving? There is no earthly reason anyone should make this many dishes for a casual Saturday afternoon with friends.
I have become the dreaded Overachiever.
Unfortunately, with a class of 28 to grade, the teacher will never get to the website, and it goes un-read by everyone but her adoring parents.
Or, in adult life, she and her husband have a brand new house built for their family of four, which has 5 1/2 bathrooms. Why put in a toilet that will never, ever be used? Perhaps she is planning for a sudden outbreak of ameobic dysentery on Thanksgiving, when Aunt Ida and Uncle Sal are in town.
At work, the overachiever is asked for a spreadsheet on next year's Grand Rapids sales goals, with a breakdown by division and customer. Instead, she provides a spreadsheet with 56 attached graphs of each customers' purchases, by product and profit margin, over the last 24 months. And exactly how much profit for which she expects to be directly responsible over the next year. And what she thinks her raise should be.
Yeah. We all know one. The mom who's kid is in 5 afterschool activities and bought belly headphones when she was pregnant, so her baby could become familiar with Wagner and Rachmaninoff before they were born.
I am not that person.
Except, lately, in the kitchen.
Two friends came for dinner the other night and this was the spread...
- Appetizer 1: (for my husband and our company) Sliced turkey sausage, Great Hill Dairy blue cheese, Boggy Meadows Farms aged baby swiss and three kinds of crackers.
- Appetizer 2: (for me) Homemade guacamole with lentil/flax seed crackers.
- Appetizer 3: (for the kids) Sliced canteloupe and mild cheddar slices.
- Entree 1: (for my husband and our company) Porterhouse steaks with a garlic chili rub on the grill.
- Entree 2: (for me) Bison burger
- Entree 3: (for the kids) Tiny slices of Daddy's porterhouse and chicken tenderloins done on the stove so they don't get the "yucky black stuff" on them.
- Side dish 1: Black beans cooked with roasted red peppers and celeriac
- Side dish 2: Spinach salad with black radish, carrot, red onion, salad turnip with homemade lemon/tahini dressing.
- Side dish 3: Applesauce (obviously for the kids)
- Side dish 4: Cheesesticks (ditto)
- Side dish 5: Frozen peas, still frozen (my kids are weird)
- Side dish 5: Grill-roasted potatoes (for everyone but me)
- Dessert 1: Ice cream (for one kid)
- Dessert 2: Whipped cream (for the other kid)
- Dessert 3: Homemade chocolate polenta sandwich cookies with orange cream filling (for the grow-ups who aren't me)
Hello! What is this...Thanksgiving? There is no earthly reason anyone should make this many dishes for a casual Saturday afternoon with friends.
I have become the dreaded Overachiever.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Who Ate All the Mascarpone?
Ever getting a hankering for something really sweet? A room temperature Hershey kiss unwrapped and melting right in the center of your tongue, until you can't stand it anymore and munch it up? Shhh. The kids are asleep. The kitchen light is off. Go ahead. Eat the whole bag. Happy, happy mouth. Am I right? Or maybe you are the type of person that hides your Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares in the freezer next to the Haagen Daz behind the cheap generic stuff you buy for the kids.
No? Not a chocolate person? Okay, then your mother's bread pudding with sweetened condensed milk and rum sauce. Or warm butterscotch pudding with whipped cream. Maybe it's an ice cream sundae or fresh-from-the-oven pecan pie that you crave. Strawberry shortcake, blueberry pie, buttercream frosting right out of the can....
Now, imagine being on a desert island with no sweets in sight. I am on that desert island. Well, not really, I'm in New England, which is definitely not a desert, and I'm pretty sure not an island. But for the last two years, I have not eaten chocolate, or pudding, or ice cream, or pecan pie. No sirree, no sugar for me at all. And I refuse to eat that substitute stuff that masquerades as sugar. Yuck to Splenda, Equal, NutraSweet. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck.
So, let me tell you, when I found something sweet I could eat a few weeks ago, I went hog wild. I started trying liquid Stevia extract in all kinds of crazy foods. Just to see.
The best so far is...
Mascarpone Mock Cheesecake
1 container (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
4 drops liquid stevia extract, chocolate raspberry flavor
1/4 cup flax meal, divided in 2 parts
2 tablespoons room temperature salted butter, divided (if you don't have salted butter, whip in a pinch of salt)
Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
Ok, I just had to laugh, because when I checked the mascarpone for the container size, i noticed it says "Half the calories of butter". As if! If you are stooping to eating an entire container of mascarpone, you might as well eat butter. If you are trying to count calories or cholesterol, this is not the recipe for you. If you have avoided all sweets for the last 24 months, or are trying to bulk up for the ESPN2 strong man competition, by all means, try it.
Back to work. Using a spatula, get every last morsel of cheese out of the container and put it in a good sized bowl. Put in 4 drops of liquid stevia. Mix it till you can't stand mixing anymore. Stevia is powerful stuff. If you don't mix it up well, you will alternate between impossibly sweet bites and bland ones. Not good.
Now coat the inside of two ramekins with as much of the butter as you can get to stick. Press the flax meal into the butter. Scoop equal parts of the mascarpone mixture into the ramekins and press it down to even the top. Dust with a touch of cocoa powder.
Get a spoon. Wait til everyone has gone to bed. Eat both of them. It probably keeps in the refrigerator, but I've never kept it long enough to know.
No? Not a chocolate person? Okay, then your mother's bread pudding with sweetened condensed milk and rum sauce. Or warm butterscotch pudding with whipped cream. Maybe it's an ice cream sundae or fresh-from-the-oven pecan pie that you crave. Strawberry shortcake, blueberry pie, buttercream frosting right out of the can....
Now, imagine being on a desert island with no sweets in sight. I am on that desert island. Well, not really, I'm in New England, which is definitely not a desert, and I'm pretty sure not an island. But for the last two years, I have not eaten chocolate, or pudding, or ice cream, or pecan pie. No sirree, no sugar for me at all. And I refuse to eat that substitute stuff that masquerades as sugar. Yuck to Splenda, Equal, NutraSweet. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck.
So, let me tell you, when I found something sweet I could eat a few weeks ago, I went hog wild. I started trying liquid Stevia extract in all kinds of crazy foods. Just to see.
The best so far is...
Mascarpone Mock Cheesecake
1 container (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
4 drops liquid stevia extract, chocolate raspberry flavor
1/4 cup flax meal, divided in 2 parts
2 tablespoons room temperature salted butter, divided (if you don't have salted butter, whip in a pinch of salt)
Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
Ok, I just had to laugh, because when I checked the mascarpone for the container size, i noticed it says "Half the calories of butter". As if! If you are stooping to eating an entire container of mascarpone, you might as well eat butter. If you are trying to count calories or cholesterol, this is not the recipe for you. If you have avoided all sweets for the last 24 months, or are trying to bulk up for the ESPN2 strong man competition, by all means, try it.
Back to work. Using a spatula, get every last morsel of cheese out of the container and put it in a good sized bowl. Put in 4 drops of liquid stevia. Mix it till you can't stand mixing anymore. Stevia is powerful stuff. If you don't mix it up well, you will alternate between impossibly sweet bites and bland ones. Not good.
Now coat the inside of two ramekins with as much of the butter as you can get to stick. Press the flax meal into the butter. Scoop equal parts of the mascarpone mixture into the ramekins and press it down to even the top. Dust with a touch of cocoa powder.
Get a spoon. Wait til everyone has gone to bed. Eat both of them. It probably keeps in the refrigerator, but I've never kept it long enough to know.
Monday, March 1, 2010
The Other Red Meat
Unfortunately, beef is off the list. Hopefully this is temporary. As much as I love bison burgers, they just aren't the same. They just taste....I don't know....better for you. I know, I know, you're supposed eat things that are good for you, but they don't have to taste that way. But you know what they say. When one door opens another closes. Or vice versa. Whatever. Anyway, this has opened a door to...
(Cheesy intro music) Da-da da da da-da!
(cue echo voice effect)
Budweiser radio voiceover guy: "LAMB.... THE OTHER RED MEAT!!"
(f/x loud gong)
I have always loved grilled lamb chops and my dad's roasted lamb. And give me a rack of lamb seared quickly and salted heavily and I am one happy camper. But now, I have learned to really love lamb loin chops. They are richer, heartier, meatier, and still retain the lightness of flavor like rack of lamb, with a texture that screams "Meat!". But loin chops have a little more of that muscular structure that can make them tough. And I don't always have the patience for braising. Tonight, I finally struck a balance between crusty grilled exterior and tender interior of the meat. I started them in a hot skillet and finished them in the oven, but it only took 20 minutes.
Lamb Loin Chops with Garlic and Rosemary (serves two)
Olive oil
6 Lamb loin chops
1 tsp Dried Rosemary (or one sprig fresh)chopped fine
1 tsp of coarse sea salt
3 Cloves of garlic, sliced crosswise
1/4 cup water
Heat a good splash of olive oil in an oven friendly non-stick skillet. Preferably one with a lid, but you can cover it with your stock pot lid if you have to. When nice and hot, add the chops and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. It should have a nice crust on one side. Turn with tongs, sprinkle the seared side with rosemary and salt and sear the other side for about 5 minutes.
Move the chops to make a little space in between and dump the sliced garlic into the oil between them for about one minute. Now pour the water in and immediately cover and put into a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Take out the chops and put the pan juices back over high heat for about 5 minutes to concentrate the flavor. Serve the meat and juices over Braised Cabbage. It ain't pretty, but it's delicious.
Braised Cabbage
Olive Oil
1 Small* head of cabbage, quartered, but not cored.
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp of coarse sea salt
*When I say small, it's because my cabbage comes from an organic farm in Maine, so it naturally grows a little smaller than the gargantuan heads from the supermarket. If yours is the plain-vanilla supermarket variety and is humongous, in other words, if you don't think you can eat half of it for supper, use half a head, cut into four wedges. You can also substitute savoy cabbage, but it's usually twice the price, and this method of cooking makes regular cabbage taste as sweet and un-skunky as savoy. Because let's face it, boiled cabbage can be skunky.
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a heavy bottomed dutch oven. Put in the cabbage, cut side down, and brown for 3 or 4 minutes. Toss in the water and salt, cover and put it in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour. Use as a base for lamb chops, roast chicken, any grilled or roasted protein with dripping juices.
(Cheesy intro music) Da-da da da da-da!
(cue echo voice effect)
Budweiser radio voiceover guy: "LAMB.... THE OTHER RED MEAT!!"
(f/x loud gong)
I have always loved grilled lamb chops and my dad's roasted lamb. And give me a rack of lamb seared quickly and salted heavily and I am one happy camper. But now, I have learned to really love lamb loin chops. They are richer, heartier, meatier, and still retain the lightness of flavor like rack of lamb, with a texture that screams "Meat!". But loin chops have a little more of that muscular structure that can make them tough. And I don't always have the patience for braising. Tonight, I finally struck a balance between crusty grilled exterior and tender interior of the meat. I started them in a hot skillet and finished them in the oven, but it only took 20 minutes.
Lamb Loin Chops with Garlic and Rosemary (serves two)
Olive oil
6 Lamb loin chops
1 tsp Dried Rosemary (or one sprig fresh)chopped fine
1 tsp of coarse sea salt
3 Cloves of garlic, sliced crosswise
1/4 cup water
Heat a good splash of olive oil in an oven friendly non-stick skillet. Preferably one with a lid, but you can cover it with your stock pot lid if you have to. When nice and hot, add the chops and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. It should have a nice crust on one side. Turn with tongs, sprinkle the seared side with rosemary and salt and sear the other side for about 5 minutes.
Move the chops to make a little space in between and dump the sliced garlic into the oil between them for about one minute. Now pour the water in and immediately cover and put into a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Take out the chops and put the pan juices back over high heat for about 5 minutes to concentrate the flavor. Serve the meat and juices over Braised Cabbage. It ain't pretty, but it's delicious.
Braised Cabbage
Olive Oil
1 Small* head of cabbage, quartered, but not cored.
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp of coarse sea salt
*When I say small, it's because my cabbage comes from an organic farm in Maine, so it naturally grows a little smaller than the gargantuan heads from the supermarket. If yours is the plain-vanilla supermarket variety and is humongous, in other words, if you don't think you can eat half of it for supper, use half a head, cut into four wedges. You can also substitute savoy cabbage, but it's usually twice the price, and this method of cooking makes regular cabbage taste as sweet and un-skunky as savoy. Because let's face it, boiled cabbage can be skunky.
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a heavy bottomed dutch oven. Put in the cabbage, cut side down, and brown for 3 or 4 minutes. Toss in the water and salt, cover and put it in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour. Use as a base for lamb chops, roast chicken, any grilled or roasted protein with dripping juices.
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