Eat THIS White Food - It is Delicious!

Food Snob met a gentleman a few years ago that told her he had just succeeded in losing 25 pounds. She asked him how he did it. His doctor had told him "not to eat any food that was white." In carrying out the doctor's orders, this man had avoided foods like white bread, potatoes, white rice, pasta, and sugar in favor of more complex carbohydrates (think whole grains), vegetables, and fruits. Many foods that are "white" are high on the glycemic index. They metabolize quickly, have little nutritional value, and spike your insulin level, causing you to lack energy and be hungry shortly after eating them.

Food Snob has since read many articles about the impact of "white" foods on health and nutrition. Avoiding "white" food is an easy trick that folks can use to avoid foods that are high in calories or fat and low in nutritional value without having to spend a lot of time thinking or analyzing what they are eating. But, not all "white" food is bad for you. Fish and eggs, for example, can be part of a healthy diet.

Cauliflower is one of those "white" foods that is not only good for you, but is wonderfully delicious. It is low in fat and calories and high in Vitamin C and fiber. Okay, Food Snob knows you have just stopped reading this because you have hated cauliflower all of your life and as you recall, cauliflower was a soggy, mushy vegetable smothered in some kind of cheese sauce (Food Snob only hopes it was not Velveeta). Your mom insisted that you eat it because it was good for you, and somehow you managed to choke it down (or did you try to feed it to your dog when your mom wasn't looking?).   

If you are still reading this - Food Snob wants you to know that cauliflower, along with most of the members of the cruciferous vegetable family (such as cabbage and broccoli), can be incredibly delicious when caramelized either by roasting in the oven or by sautéing over high heat on top of the stove. Preparing cauliflower this way requires almost no fat and brings out the vegetable's nutty, sweet flavor. Food Snob has success sautéing frozen cauliflower on top of the stove, but when cauliflower is fresh, she likes to roast it in the oven. Roasting takes about 15 minutes (depending on your oven) and very little attention, so the rest of the meal can be prepared while the cauliflower is roasting. As you know by now, Food Snob does not like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen after a long day of work, so roasting vegetables is a wonderful way to add style and flavor to your dinner entree with minimal effort and time.

This recipe for roasted cauliflower, below, is enhanced by the addition of toasted pine nuts, which add a nice crunch. You can toast the pine nuts in your toaster oven in about 2 minutes while the cauliflower is roasting and you are preparing the rest of your meal. Food Snob admits that she like roasted cauliflower so much that she will eat the leftovers - cold from the refrigerator - for a snack the next morning. Irresistible!

Roasted Cauliflower with Toasted Pine Nuts (serves 4)

hands on time about 5 minutes; total time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 head fresh cauliflower, cut into 1-inch flowerets or pieces
kosher salt
1 or 2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup raw pine nuts, toasted in the toaster oven at 350 degrees for about 2 minutes


Preparation:


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a large rimmed pan (such as an 11 x 15 x 1 inch jelly roll pan) with foil.  Spray the foil-lined pan with cooking spray. Place the cauliflower pieces into the pan; drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt (try about 1/2 teaspoon). Spray the cauliflower lightly with cooking spray or with olive oil from an olive oil mister. Use your clean hands to distribute the oil and salt so that the cauliflower is evenly coated.

Roast in the oven for about 7 to 8 minutes. Using a metal spatula, flip the cauliflower over (usually the side touching the foil has started to brown). Check one piece for doneness and seasoning.  If cauliflower is starting to soften, reduce the remaining cooking time. Otherwise, roast for another 6 to 7 minutes.  Remove from oven; cauliflower should be just tender, but not mushy. Toss with pine nuts and serve.

Food Snob served her roasted cauliflower recently with stuffed red peppers, mashed sweet potatoes, and a green salad tossed with walnut vinaigrette (see Food Snob's January 19, 2012 posting for the recipe for walnut vinaigrette). And yes, Food Snob ate the leftover cauliflower cold from the refrigerator at 10 a.m. the next day! Really!  

Recovering From My 5280 Coma

Food Snob is in culinary heaven right now.  For the past two weeks or so (ending this Friday), she has been indulging in Denver's annual Restaurant Week celebration.  For two wonderful weeks, locals can dine on a three-course meal at some of Denver's best restaurants for only $52.80 for two people; or $26.40 for one.  Restaurant week menus usually include a selection of appetizers; at least one meat, one fish, and one meatless entree; and one or more dessert selections.  It's a great time to try out new places, new dishes, and new trends and see if you can replicate some of the "winners" at home.

Food Snob rarely eats an appetizer AND an entree AND a dessert by herself. The portions are too large, and Food Snob has a rule that she ALWAYS takes half the entree home for lunch the next day. Not during Restaurant Week, however. The portions are a little smaller--too small to split--so she just gives up and eats the whole thing.

What to eat the rest of the week, then?  Time for something incredibly nutritious, low in calories, and delicious (it's Restaurant Week, after all - we must at least TRY to keep up with the competition). Food Snob found the perfect antidote - Chicken Barley Soup.

The inspiration for this delicious soup came from the March edition of Food and Wine magazine, given to me by my friend, MaryAnn. The ingredients in this month's Chicken and Barley Stew with Dill and Lemon were the starting point for Food Snob's version of this soup.

Although the ingredients are mostly the same, the dish is quite different for several reasons:  First, I wanted to reduce the fat in the recipe; second, I wanted soup, not stew; and third, since the recipe calls for chicken breast, I wanted to "poach" the chicken rather than "stew" the chicken.  Chicken breast, it turns out, is one of the most difficult parts of poultry to cook properly.  If it cooks one minute beyond "just done," it becomes dry and stringy.  Hence the source of the annual discussion on how to cook the Thanksgiving turkey so that the dark thigh meat is done and tender (requires more cooking) and the breast meat is not overdone (requires less cooking).  Volumes have been written on the subject.

Food Snob learned the secret to poaching chicken breast and making perfect chicken soup when she attended cooking classes at Cook Street last summer.  Chicken breast is poached in stock (at a temperature just below simmering) only until just done (the meat is no longer transparent, but still very juicy).  Then the chicken breast is immediately removed from the stock and allowed to rest, wrapped in foil, so it doesn't cook any more.  When the soup is finished, cut the chicken breast into 3/4 inch cubes, divide among your soup bowls, and then ladle the soup on top.  The difference between stewing and poaching is absolutely amazing, in terms of quality and flavor!

For best results, use good quality, organic chicken breasts or chicken tenders (chicken tenders will cook more quickly).  Food Snob tried the same recipe with chicken breasts she had purchased at the supermarket and previously frozen and there was no comparison.

In the recipe that follows, cooking the pearled barley takes the longest time (about 40 to 45 minutes), so that is why you should start with that step.  The rest of the recipe comes together quickly.  The recipe makes six big servings, so if you aren't planning on eating it all at once, add the rest of the chicken to the broth once it has cooled and then reheat only what you plan to eat, and only until just hot, or the chicken will overcook and become dry and stringy.  Food Snob has been eating this soup for lunch all week.  Here is the recipe:

Chicken and Barley Soup with Dill and Lemon (serves 6 to 8)
Preparation time:  about 45 minutes

Spray a medium saucepan with cooking spray, and add about a teaspoon of olive oil.  Heat over medium heat.  When hot, add:

1 and 1/2 cup pearled barley

Stir the barley and allow it to toast lightly for about one minute (watch carefully).  Remove from heat and add:

2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup water


Stir; reduce heat and allow to simmer until done - about 35 minutes.  Meanwhile, spray a large, heavy bottom stock pot with cooking spray and add about a teaspoon of olive oil.  Place over medium heat and when hot, add:

3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced

Stir the vegetables and "sweat them" for about 10 minutes, until soft (see Food Snob's blog dated January 5 to learn how to "sweat" vegetables).  Stir in:

2 cloves garlic, minced


Stir garlic for about a minute, and then add:

4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups dry white wine
4 sprigs fresh tarragon, 4 sprigs fresh italian parley, and one bay leaf, tied together in a bundle
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, washed and patted dry with paper towels
1 two-inch square piece of rind from hard cheese (if you have some)


Turn heat down, allow stock to heat to just barely below a simmer.  Cook chicken until just done - about 10 minutes for chicken breasts and less for chicken tenders. Test for doneness by removing one piece and cutting into it - the meat should be opaque and juicy.  Remove chicken immediately, cut into 3/4 inch cubes, and cover with foil to keep warm.

Allow the stock to continue simmering until the barley is tender.  Remove the herb bundle and add the cooked barley to the soup.  To finish the soup, add:

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons port wine or sherry
2 Tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
fresh ground pepper

Do not skip these last five ingredients - they are essential.  Taste for seasoning; add sea salt or kosher salt if needed.  Divide chicken between 6 or 8 serving bowls; stir the soup and ladle over the chicken.  Garnish with fresh parley or dill and serve with a delicious piece of whole-grain bread.  Food for the soul!

Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies Calm Your Sugar Craving!

Have you been wondering what happened to Food Snob?  Well, she is trying to recover from the news, just in time for Valentine's Day, that sugar is so addictive that the government is considering whether it should be regulated.  This news, untimely as it was, hit a hot button for her.  How sad that our restaurants, bakeries, and food manufacturers have capitalized on the "high" we get from eating sweets by loading our foods with unnecessary sugar and other unhealthy substances (think high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats) to keep us coming back for more.  We have been told that the U.S. now faces an obesity epidemic and sugar, which we once ate in moderation, is now so prevalent in food that some folks believe sugar should be a controlled substance!

Food Snob, along with many other people smarter than she is, thinks we can change our sugar addiction by changing the way we think about sugar and its role in our diet.  First of all, sugar (dessert) is a treat!  Since it is a treat, desserts should be served in small portions, savored (eat it slowly!), be homemade and fabulously delicious, be eaten after a meal, and eaten, if you wish, every day.  After all, we all deserve treats every day, right?  We might not gorge ourselves on that huge, average-tasting cookie from the average bakery if we know that we have an incredibly delicious, homemade cookie in our lunchbox that we can have, after we eat our lunch, instead.

Desserts, even when made as healthy as possible, are loaded with calories and fat.  If you are going to spend part of your daily calorie allotment on anything with sugar in it, it had better be worth it!  An average piece of candy, a store-bought cookie, a cake from a bakery--these are not worth it!  You don't even know what is in them!  If you make them yourself, you know what is in them and you know they are delicious.  Homemade desserts, made with care and concern about what is in them, are WORTH IT!

Come to Food Snob's house on any day and she will likely have a homemade dessert (cookie, brownie, cake) in her refrigerator or freezer.  Ask her kids - they know where to look in the freezer to find the homemade cookies.  Visit Food Snob's mom, and you are likely to go home with three or four types of homemade cookies and piece of cake or pie, all made without trans fat or extra sugar. There is always more than one type of cookie at HER house.

Have you ever purchased "slice and bake cookies?"  Food Snob confesses she has NEVER purchased slice and bake cookies and she refuses to make any cakes or brownies from a purchased mix.  It is far too easy to make better cookies and other baked goods yourself, in very little time.  Here are the basic secrets for baking great cookies, brownies, and cakes with less sugar, no trans fats, more whole grains, and fewer calories:

Sugar - Reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe by one-fourth to one-third (25 to 33 percent) EVERY SINGLE TIME.  There is ALWAYS too much sugar in every cookie, cake, or brownie recipe.   You won't even notice the difference; in fact, the dessert will taste better because it won't be tooth-achingly sweet!

Butter - Replace the butter with half canola oil and half trans fat free/heart healthy spread suitable for baking, such as Smart Balance.  Now, I'll be honest, nothing beats baking with butter.  However, baking with butter is not worth the saturated fat.  Substituting butter with canola oil and heart healthy spread sacrifices minimally on the taste.  If you must use butter, use only a tablespoon or two for flavor and substitute one-half canola oil, one-half heart healthy spread for the remainder.  Save the all-butter baking for a special occasion and share it with lots of other people so you only eat one piece!

Flour - Buy a bag of whole wheat pastry flour (available at a reasonable price at Vitamin Cottage) and use it for one-half or more of the flour required in the recipe.  Whole wheat pastry flour boosts the fiber in the recipe and the results are delicious.

Leavening - Now, leavening may not have much to do with reducing sugar or fat, but it has a lot to do with successful baking at high altitude.  Generally, I have found that my cookies do not spread and my cake does not fall if I reduce the amount of baking powder and baking soda in the recipe by 25 percent.  Try this - and let me know if works for you!

One of Food Snob's most requested recipes is her Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, below.  This recipe contains whole grains and no trans fat.  I have never had a better-tasting, more delicious chocolate chip cookie.  You will need a food processor or a blender, in addition to a mixer, to make these cookies.  If you make them about 2 inches big (and why would you make them bigger if you plan to eat one after lunch and one after dinner?) the recipe makes about 9 dozen cookies.  Compare the nutrition results of Food Snob's chocolate chip cookies to the traditional Toll House Cookie recipe.  Food Snob's Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookies have 85 calories and less than 2 grams of saturated fat each; Toll House Cookies have 107 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat each.  And, Food Snob's cookies taste better!

Bittersweet (Dark) Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes about 9 dozen two-inch cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange two oven racks so that one is at the bottom one-third of the oven and the other is at the top one-third of the oven.  In a glass, microwavable measuring cup (a two cup measuring cup works great) measure out:

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup trans fat free spread for baking, such as Smart Balance

(NOTE:  It is easier to measure the spread if you put the oil in the measuring cup first, and then spoon in the trans fat free spread until the oil rises up to the 1 cup line.)

Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on about 50 percent power until melted.  Pour the oil mixture into a large mixing bowl and add:

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar


Cream mixture with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Add:

2 organic, high omega eggs
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
2 T low fat buttermilk


Continue mixing until ingredients are incorporated and mixture is smooth and light.  Add:

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon baking power (use 1 teaspoon if you are at sea level)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda (use 1 teaspoon if you are at sea level)


Meanwhile, in your food processor, measure out:

 2 and 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal

Process until it is a fine powder.  Add the oatmeal to the cookie batter, but don't rinse out the food processor.  Now measure into the food processor:


1/2 cup milk chocolate chips


Process until fine; add to cookie batter.  Don't rinse out the food processor yet - you will need it to chop the walnuts in a minute.  Also add to the cookie batter:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached flour

Mix ingredients well with the electric mixer.  Now fold into the batter:

3 and 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli's 60 percent bittersweet chocolate chips)
1 and 1/2 cups walnuts (chop these in the food processor, using the pulse button)

Mix well with a wooden spoon.  Coat four cookie sheets with cooking spray.  Drop cookies onto the first cookie sheet by rounded teaspoonful, leaving at least 2 inches between cookies.  Bake on lowest oven rack for 4 minutes.  While the first cookie sheet is baking, fill up the next cookie sheet.

When the first cookie sheet is done, transfer it to the top rack in the oven and put the second cookie sheet on the bottom rack.  Bake for another 4 minutes, until set but still light in color and just brown around the edges.  While baking, fill up the third cookie sheet.

Remove the first cookie sheet from the oven and allow it to cool for 4 minutes (don't remove the cookies yet).  Meanwhile, move the second cookie sheet to the top rack and put the third cookie sheet on the bottom rack and bake for four minutes.  Fill up the fourth cookie sheet with cookies.

When the second cookie sheet is done, remove from the oven, and allow cookies to cool.  Transfer the third cookie sheet to the top rack and put the fourth cookie sheet on the bottom rack, bake for four minutes.  While these cookies are baking, carefully remove the cookies from the first cookie sheet with a metal spatula and allow them to cool completely on paper towels.  The first cookie sheet is now ready to fill again.

Continue filling, transferring, cooling, and removing cookies from each rack, as before, allowing 4 minutes of baking time on each rack (for 8 minutes total) and 4 minutes of cooling time before removing from cookie sheets to paper towels.  When all cookies have baked and cooled completely, the cookies are ready to be packaged and frozen.  When wrapped tightly and frozen, these cookies keep well for about 4 to 6 weeks (if they last that long!).

Delicious Lentil Soup Staves Off Hunger and Winter's Cold!

It's snowing outside right now - and a blizzard is on its way - what to eat?  Soup, of course.  Nothing warms like a delicious bowl of soup, and the leftovers heat up well for lunch or supper on another day.

I've loved lentil soup all of my life - loaded with protein, high in fiber, quick to make, and delicious to boot - what's not to like?  I discovered a new angle on lentil soup during our visit to Chile two years ago.  We were visiting our daughter who was studying abroad and we arrived in November, when much of Chile was still having cool spring weather.  Although it was still cool, outdoor markets with in-season produce were prevalent, and lentil soup was everywhere.

My daughter had warned me before we arrived - Chilean's make lentil soup with sliced hot dogs!  Now, Food Snob does not consider hot dogs to be part of a healthy diet, so she approached the lentil soup with a certain amount of trepidation.  But then again, we were hungry, we were in the volcano region of Chile, and it had started to snow - we were eager for something to warm us up! We tried the lentil soup, hot dogs and all!

It was delicious, and I learned something new - the smoky flavor of hot dogs does a LOT for lentil soup.  So ever since, Food Snob makes her lentil soup with something smoky - whether it is a link of organic smoked chicken sausage or with a link of vegan chorizo.  It just takes a little, and it makes all the difference!

Lentil soup can be made relatively quickly - in 45 minutes to an hour - or else Food Snob would not bother to make it.  Here are a few tricks to speed up preparation:  Start cooking the lentils in water with the sweet potatoes in one pot while you sweat the vegetables in a big stock pot - you can combine them later, and the lentils will be about done!  Serve with some good, whole grain bread (or not!) and you will have a wonderful, delicious, winter meal.  Here's the recipe . . . .

Red Lentil Soup - serves 8

In a large sauce pan, combine:

1 and 1/2 cups red lentils (find these inexpensively at Vitamin Cottage), picked over and rinsed in a colander with hot water until no foam remains 
1 sweet potato, diced
8 cups water

Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Meanwhile, quarter lengthwise and slice in 1/4 inch slices:

1 link (about 3 to 4 ounces) of good quality organic chicken or turkey smoked sausage or vegan chorizo (I used one link of Aidells smoked chicken & apple sausage)

Spray a large stock pot with cooking spray, add about 1 teaspoon olive oil, and heat over medium heat.  Add the quartered sausage slices and allow the sausage to brown gently.  While browning, dice evenly:

1 medium onion
4 stalks celery
5 carrots
1 green, red, yellow, or orange pepper

Add to the stock pot and "sweat" the vegetables for about 10 minutes until the vegetables soften.  (See Food Snob's blog dated January 5, 2012 to learn how to "sweat" vegetables.)  Add to the vegetables:

3 - 4 cloves minced garlic

Stir the mixture and allow to cook for about a minute.  Add the cooked lentil and sweet potato mixture to the vegetables in the stock pot and add:

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon paprika
2 bay leaves
kosher salt (about 1 teaspoon)
fresh ground pepper
1 small handful cilantro leaves
1 Tablespoon tomato paste (optional)

Allow to simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors meld - about 15 minutes. If you have time to cook the soup longer, it will be even better.  Taste for seasoning.  Use a hand potato masher to mash the vegetables in the soup into smaller pieces - this gives the soup better texture than using an immersion blender.  Before serving add:

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Don't leave the vinegar out!  You won't believe the difference the acid makes to the soup's flavor!  Serve and enjoy!

In Praise of Freshly Made Vinaigrette

Food Snob wants to know:  Do you have bottled salad dressing in your refrigerator?  THROW IT OUT!  There is nothing more delicious than a freshly-made vinaigrette to dress your salads, enhance steamed or blanched vegetables, or sauce a favorite entree.

Food Snob often evaluates a restaurant based on the quality of the vinaigrettes used to dress the salads on the menu.  Have you ever had the perfect salad - expertly coated with just the right amount of vinaigrette -  not too much, not too little - with herbs and seasonings carefully selected to enhance the salad greens and other accompaniments?  When I find a delicious, perfectly-made salad when I eat out, I come back!

Learning to make and use vinaigrette in your cooking is key to a healthy, delicious diet.  The oils in vinaigrette, in contrast to thick or creamy dressings, are much lower in saturated fat, which all of us need to avoid.  Additionally, vinaigrette, with its slippery texture, stretches farther than a creamy dressing or sauce when coating a salad, vegetable, or entree.  Therefore, much less vinaigrette is needed, further reducing the calories and fat consumed.

The ingredients for a basic vinaigrette are simple:  a good quality oil (such as extra virgin olive oil), acid (for example, vinegar or fresh-squeezed lemon juice), salt, and pepper.  Most recipes recommend a proportion of at least two parts oil to one part acid, and if you follow that proportion, the results will be delicious.  However, the two-to-one proportion of oil and acid contains too much fat for my diet.  So, I have learned to make delicious vinaigrette using equal proportions of oil and acid.  I'll show you how below.

In Denver, we are fortunate to have a local gem:  John Broening, the executive chef at Duo and Olivea restaurants and special food writer for the Denver Post.  A few weeks ago, John's column included a recipe for Trout with Farro, Beets, and Walnut Vinaigrette.   The walnut vinaigrette is used to dress the fresh beet salad and to sauce the fish.  John, in his column, suggested that if the reader lacked time, he or she should at least try the walnut vinaigrette.  I made the recipe as written and John was right - the walnut vinaigrette was delicious - on the trout that night, and next day on my lunch salad.

John's recipe takes a bit of time to prepare (more than Food Snob's standard of one hour or less) so I've made some adjustments to simplify and shorten the preparation while reducing quite a bit of the fat.  I've reduced the butter and oil used in the recipes, and replaced the farro (an ancient, wheat-like grain) with a buckwheat pilaf.  I paid over $12 a pound for the farro at Whole Foods, and it took over an hour to cook it to al dente.   Buckwheat is inexpensive and buckwheat pilaf takes about 20 minutes to prepare.  I replaced the beet salad with a simple salad made with baby salad greens, scallions, and sliced radishes.  Equally delicious!!!

I usually make this recipe with steelhead trout, which is absolutely wonderful, but since the grocery store was out of steelhead trout tonight, I substituted a good quality wild-caught cod.  Any firm white fish can be used in this recipe, and the results will be fabulous.  Here is the recipe, which takes less than 45 minutes to prepare from start to finish.  Use the leftover vinaigrette for your salad, fish, or chicken tomorrow!

Trout or Firm White Fish with Buckwheat Pilaf, Salad, and Walnut Vinaigrette (serves 4)

Start by making sage oil.  You will need a little of this for the Walnut Vinaigrette and will have leftovers to use again.  If you decide you don't have the ingredients or time, you can omit the sage oil and the vinaigrette will still be delicious - definitely better than anything in a bottle of purchased at the store!  To make the sage oil, combine the following ingredients and heat over low heat until it simmers:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
a half-handful of fresh sage leaves
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed (place the peeled garlic on your cutting board, place the flat of a large knife over the garlic, and hit the side of the knife with your fist - easy!)

Set sage oil aside to cool.  Strain later.  Meanwhile, prepare buckwheat pilaf.  Spray a medium saucepan with cooking spray, add a few drops of olive oil, and heat the pan over medium low heat.  Dice:

1/2 small yellow onion


Add to the saucepan and "sweat" the diced onion under parchment paper for about 5 minutes, until soft.  Stir occasionally.  (To learn how to "sweat" vegetables, see Food Snob's blog dated 1/5/2012).  Remove parchment paper and add:

1 cup organic buckwheat

Stir and cook for about a minute.  Then add:

1 can low-sodium, low-fat chicken broth with enough water added to make two cups of liquid


Stir and cover tightly; reduce to heat to low and allow pilaf to simmer until al dente, about 20 minutes.
While buckwheat pilaf simmers, prepare the walnut vinaigrette.  Combine in a jar with a tight lid:

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and then chopped
4 Tablespoons sherry vinegar (if you don't have sherry vinegar, try red wine vinegar)
1 Tablespoon honey
1 pinch red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 Tablespoons sage oil
 seasalt and freshly ground pepper to taste (try about 1/4 teaspoon salt and then add more if needed)

Shake vinaigrette and set aside while preparing fish.  Spray a large, non-stick skillet with cooking spray and add about a 1/2 teaspoon olive oil.  Heat over medium high heat until very hot and smoking.  While skillet is heating, thoroughly dry with paper towels:

4 four-ounce steelhead trout fillets with skin (or substitute a firm white fish)


Sprinkle fish with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; press the seasonings into the fish.  Add fish to hot skillet, skin-side down, and allow fish to brown and skin to crisp, about 3 - 5 minutes for trout, about 2 - 3 minutes for white fish, depending on thickness.  Flip the fish and add to the pan:

1 teaspoon of butter

Swirl the butter and squeeze on top of the fish:

1/2 lemon


Allow the fish to baste in the butter and lemon for about 2 more minutes, until done.  While fish is cooking, prepare the salad.  In a large salad bowl, combine:

One 5-ounce package of fresh baby salad greens
3 scallions, sliced
3 to 4 radishes, washed and sliced


Toss salad with just enough walnut vinaigrette to barely coat leaves.  Taste - you can always add a little more vinaigrette if you don't have enough.  To plate and serve, start by spooning pilaf onto the plate (you will have leftovers) and top with on trout fillet.  Drizzle walnut vinaigrette on top of the trout, garnish with parsley or chives.  Serve the salad on the side.  Prepare for culinary ecstasy!

Boeuf (Buffalo) Bourguignon a la Julia Child - in 60 minutes - I am not kidding!!

Today Food Snob went out to lunch and the food was disappointing, to say the least.  How is it that average restaurants can charge us for food that is full of fat and sodium and lacking in flavor and we pay for it? And, sometimes we come back again?

My disappointing lunch inspired me to cook tonight.  You know Food Snob's rule: dinner must be on the table in an hour or less (Food Snob prefers less; however, she felt inspired tonight to extend the preparation to an hour to make up for the awful lunch).

Last night I was watching "Julie and Julia" on TV, and it reminded me of how much I have enjoyed using Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" over the years.  Since Julia Child uses a lot of fat, butter, and cream in her recipes, I have made it my mission to retain the delicious flavor in her recipes while reducing the richness to ensure the food is healthy.  My version of Beef Bourguignon is no exception.

I decided to make Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon for dinner - which I have done many times over the years - only I usually make Buffalo Bourguignon. Buffalo is very lean, low in fat, and good for you.  Alternatively, you could substitute grass-fed beef. Buffalo in French (according to my online English to French translator) is Buffle or Bison.  So, I actually made Buffle Bourguignon.

Julia Child's recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon requires about 3 to 4 hours.  I'll be honest - if you have 3 to 4 hours, take the extra time and the food will be stupendous.  Food Snob rarely has 3 to 4 hours, however, unless it is the weekend.  So, with some alterations to the recipe, Food Snob got this meal on the table in exactly one hour.  Start time:  6:09 p.m.   Here's how to do it.

Buffalo (Buffle) Bourguignon a la Julia Child (4 to 6 servings)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray a heavy dutch oven (with lid) with cooking spray.  Heat on top of stove over medium to medium high heat.  Add:

1 slice of lean turkey bacon (or regular bacon, if you wish), sliced in 1/4 inch pieces.


Allow the bacon to brown; remove the bacon to paper towel.  Retain the drippings (there won't be much) in the pan; add a little cooking spray.  Add to the dutch oven:

One carrot, peeled and sliced
One onion, sliced

Allow the vegetables to brown lightly, stirring occasionally.  Adjust heat so the vegetables do not burn.  Remove vegetables to a plate; keep dutch oven on the heat.  While vegetables are cooking, prepare:

a 1 and 1/2 pound (24 ounces) buffalo pot roast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes


Keeping the cubes small is important for reducing the cooking time.  Dry the cubes thoroughly on paper towels.  Spray the dutch oven with more cooking spray, if needed, and add the buffalo cubes to the dutch oven.  Allow the cubes to brown thoroughly.  When the meat is brown, add the vegetables and bacon back to the dutch oven.  Add:


a generous amount of white pepper
1 Tablespoon flour 


Stir the mixture and put in the 450 degree oven for 4 minutes.  Remove buffalo from the oven an stir.  Return to oven for 4 more minutes. The flour coats the meat with a crust and thickens the sauce.  Remove from oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees.  Add:

2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 heaping teaspoon minced fresh garlic (1 to 2 cloves)
leaves from 4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 crushed bay leaf
1 and 1/2 cups red wine
1 cup low sodium beef broth (or one beef bouillon cube and one cup water)


Stir mixture and add just enough water to barely cover the meat (about 1/4 cup). Bring the mixture to a simmer on top of the stove, cover, and then transfer to the stove.  Bake for the remainder of the hour (for me, it was about 25 minutes).

While buffalo cubes are in the oven, begin preparing mushrooms and any side dishes you wish to serve with the buffalo.  To prepare mushrooms, heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Add to the pan:

5 oz shitake mushrooms (asian mushrooms reduce inflammation, according to Dr. Andrew Weil), washed, sliced, and dried throughly with paper towels

Allow mushrooms to brown, spraying the mushrooms with cooking spray if they begin to get dry.  Turn occasionally.  When mushroom are light brown, add:

2 sliced green onions
1 small clove minced garlic

Cook another 2 to 3 minutes until onions and garlic soften.  Add:

sea salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper
a very small amount of butter (about 1/2 teaspoon or less - the point here is to add flavor, not fat)
1 Tablespoon dried bread crumbs (optional)


Set mixture aside until the Buffle Bourguignon is done.  Remove the Buffle Bourguignon from the oven and put the dutch oven on top of the stove at medium high heat for a few minutes to reduce the sauce so that it is thick enough to lightly coat a spoon (if your Buffle Bourguignon is thick enough after removal from the oven, you can omit this step).  Stir in the prepared mushrooms.  Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.  Allow to heat through and serve.  Garnish with parsley or fresh thyme sprigs.  I served my Buffle Bourguignon with winter squash and sautéed sliced okra, as you can see in the photo below.  Serving time:  7:09 p.m. or 60 minutes start to finish!!!!

It's No Sweat--Learn to "Sweat" Your Vegetables!

Low fat or low sodium cooking requires the cook to get the maximum possible flavor power from the ingredients used.  This past summer, I took a wonderful cooking class at Denver's Cook Street and learned some great tricks for "sweating" vegetables to gain fantastic flavor.

Lots of recipes ask the cook to "saute" vegetables (usually a combination of onions, garlic, celery, and root vegetables) until tender.  In most cases, the recipe is actually asking the cook to "sweat" the vegetables so that they release moisture and become soft and tender.

In cooking class, we started the sweating process with a generous amount of canola oil or butter. To reduce fat and calories, I start by coating my pan with cooking spray and using a modest amount of canola or olive oil (a teaspoon or two).  Heat your pan to medium and dice all of your vegetables so that they are the same size.  Making the vegetables the same size helps them cook evenly.  When the pan and oil has come to temperature, add your vegetables and stir.  You can spray the vegetables with cooking spray, or add a little more oil, if necessary.  Adjust your heat so that the vegetables are cooking gently, but not browning.

In cooking class, our chef taught us this fantastic tip:  take a piece of parchment paper about the size of the circumference of the pan you are using to sweat vegetables and fold it in quarters.  (You don't have any parchment paper?  BUY SOME!  Food Snob went without parchment paper for years until someone gave her some; now she can't cook without it!) Use a scissors or tear the parchment paper so that when you unfold it, you have a circle shape that is just slightly smaller than the circumference of the pot or pan you are using.  Lay the parchment paper on top of the vegetables that you are sweating.  The paper lets just the right amount of steam to escape, but keeps the moisture in.  Below is a photo of onion, celery, and green pepper sweating in my stock pot under a piece of parchment paper.

Sweating vegetables takes about 10 minutes or so, but the fabulous flavor is worth it.  Remove the parchment paper once in a while and stir the mixture so that it cooks evenly.  When the vegetables are soft, you are ready to add other ingredients, including liquids.  Below is a photo of my onion, celery, and green pepper mixture after "sweating."  Notice that none of the vegetables are "brown."

Below is a recipe for a simple, italian-themed vegetable soup that begins with sweating vegetables.  The soup is low in fat and can be ready to eat in about 45 minutes (although it will be better if you simmer it for awhile).  I first had this soup at a potluck about 30 years ago, asked for the recipe, and have made it ever since.  The essential ingredients, other than the herbs and spices, are green peppers (red, orange, or yellow work, too), red wine, onion, garlic, and tomatoes.  Everything else can be adjusted.  I often use this recipe to clean out vegetables from my refrigerator that need to be eaten before spoiling. It's a tasty, healthy soup for cold winter days and it reheats well for lunch the next day or dinner on another night.  It can also be made meatless.

Italian Vegetable Soup with Red Wine

In a large stock pot on medium high heat brown:

1/2 pound reduced fat turkey italian sausage or vegan chorizo, chopped

Break up the sausage with a fork while browning, and when done, dump the sausage into a colander; run hot water over the sausage (this washes off any fat); drain well.  (If using vegan chorizo, you do not need to rinse).  While sausage drains, wipe out the stock pot, coat with cooking spray and add:

1 to 2 teaspoons canola or olive oil

While heating oil, chop to an even dice:

1 yellow onion

3 large stalks celery

1 to 2 green peppers (red, yellow, or orange peppers are fine, too)

Add vegetables to stock pot and "sweat" them under parchment paper, as described above.  Toward the end of the sweating period, add:

3 to 4 cloves minced garlic (a generous Tablespoon)

If you add the garlic earlier, it will brown or burn.  So, add it at the last minute, stir it in, and let it get soft but not brown.  When all of the vegetables are soft and moist, add the turkey italian sausage or vegan chorizo to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine.  Then add:

2 cups red wine 
28 ounces canned or jarred diced tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans white cannellini, garbanzo, or other white bean (reduced sodium)
2 cups beef or vegetable broth (reduced sodium)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fennel seed (or more, to taste)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 sprig fresh basil, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil)
one large pinch red pepper flakes

Allow mixture to come to boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.  Simmer about 20 minutes.  If you have a lot of time, let it simmer for a while.  Toward the end of the cooking time, add vegetables of your choice.  I've used:

Frozen italian green beans; or
Fresh zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced in 1/4 inch slices; or
Kale, chopped (add this earlier, it needs to cook for a while); or
Spinach (add this at the very last minute)

Taste and season with:

Kosher salt

Ladle into bowls and feel free to garnish with chopped scallions, fresh parsley, or any other garnish of your choice.  I serve this soup with a good french bread and a dry italian red wine.  Good for body and soul!

Give Your Fresh Herbs Staying Power!!!

When cooking with reduced fat or lower sodium, fresh herbs are a crucial ingredient for your healthy cooking arsenal.  Fat, especially butter, adds flavor, so when you use less of it, add fresh herbs to punch up your dish.

For years, I had difficulty using up fresh herbs before they wilted or spoiled, until my father, an organic farmer, taught me this trick:  put your fresh herbs in water in a jar or glass - like you would do with fresh flowers!  If you grow your own herbs, cut your sprigs before they bloom, put them in water, set them on your counter top, and use them at your leisure.  So easy!  Hearty herbs, like basil, will start to root if stored long enough.  Be sure to change the water every few days and trim stems if needed.  Below is a photo of glass filled with fresh spearmint - ready to be used for a mojito!

Certain tender herbs, like cilantro and italian parsley, will not keep long even when stored in water on your countertop.  However, I have found that putting cilantro or italian parsley in a jar of water, and then storing the jars in my refrigerator, does the trick.  Below is a photo of cilantro that I have stored in my refrigerator for three weeks! (Yes, it is time to use it up!)

Here is a delicious recipe for roasted almonds using fresh rosemary.  Almonds, when eaten in moderation (about 2 tablespoons a day) are very good for you and have been shown to help reduce LDL cholesterol.  This recipe uses no added fat and is adapted from one I found in Bon Appetit about 8 years ago.  I've made it frequently ever since, served the almonds as snacks with drinks when guests arrive, and given tins of the nuts as gifts.

Rosemary Almonds with Sea Salt

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Line a 10 by 15 inch baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, combine:

1 egg white, beaten until foamy
1 Tablespoon sugar

Whisk together until mixture thickens a bit.  Add:

2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, crushed
1 and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how much heat you want)

Fold in:

2 cups raw almonds

Stir and transfer to baking sheet.  Be sure to spread the nuts evenly.  Bake about 10 minutes, spray top with cooking spray, and flip nuts with a spatula, breaking them up and spreading them evenly.  Roast another 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool completely.  Store in a tin in freezer until ready to use.
Allow nuts to return to room temperature before serving.

Cooking for Ahhh's, Moans, and Sighs

There is no greater joy to any cook than preparing food that people love to eat.  I LIVE for those moans and sighs of pure pleasure at every bite. . . especially when the food is both delicious and GOOD for you.  About ten years ago, we had a couple over for dinner for a business meeting - the gentlemen - I'll call him Steve - was one of those folks that loved delicious food.  We started with a made-from-scratch pumpkin bisque (low fat - no cream!) seasoned with curry spices.  We followed with grilled salmon atop baby salad greens, sauced with a toasted sesame vinaigrette.  We served everything with a good bread and a great bottle of wine.  We finished the meal with small chocolate lava cakes and vanilla ice cream (back when lava cakes were the latest thing).  All the while, "Steve" was doting over the food.  "What's the spice in this delicious soup?" he quipped.  He asked me how long I was going to leave the salmon on the grill.  "Don't overcook it!" he worried.  "What are you putting in the oven?" he asked me when I put the lava cakes in to bake.  I knew we had nailed the meal when "Steve" took his first bite of salmon, moaned with pleasure, and said, "Oh my God, oh my God . . . " I would cook for "Steve" any day of the week!  And while he was enjoying his meal, I am pretty sure he had no idea that he was eating food low in fat and calories (except for the lava cakes, of course!).  Yes, healthy food can be drop dead delicious!

When my college student daughter comes home from school, I try out my latest new concoction on her.  When she takes her first bite and says, "Oh . . . My. . . Gosh . . . Mom . . . this is why I come home!" the pleasure in cooking her a from-scratch, healthy meal just increased exponentially.

Here is the recipe for the grilled salmon salad with toasted sesame vinaigrette - it can easily be prepared in about 15 minutes if you have all the ingredients ready to go.  It is adapted from a higher-fat version created by Chris Schlesinger and John Willloughby in their cookbook, Thrill of the Grill.

Grilled Salmon Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette (serves 4)

Combine in a large bowl:

5oz. baby salad greens, washed

6 scallions, sliced or about 1/3 red onion, sliced thinly

Toast:

2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
in oven or toaster oven at 350 degrees for about 2 minutes, till light brown.  Set aside.

Heat a large skillet on medium high heat; spray with cooking spray (or heat your grill and spray).  Coat:
4 wild-caught salmon fillets (about 4 to 6 ounces each) with olive oil (about one teaspoon per fillet).  Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper.

When skillet or grill are hot, place salmon fillets in pan to sear golden brown.  Wait about 3 to 4 minutes (depending on thickness) to flip fillets; cook another 2 minutes until most of transparent color has left (I put my finger inside the fillet to test - it should be warm, not cool).  Meanwhile, make vinaigrette by thoroughly combining:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar, splenda, honey, or truvia
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Presentation:
Toss salad greens with just enough vinaigrette to coat salad lightly - but not drench.  You should have extra vinaigrette.  Distribute salad greens on four serving plates.  Place one salmon fillet on each plate, positioning toward one edge of the salad.  Drizzle vinaigrette over salmon fillet; top salad and fillets with toasted sesame seeds and serve.