Favorite New Snack

Some days I open my cabinets and find the same food products I bought last week and the week before that and the week before that.  Since I am having a guest this weekend, I looked for a quick and easy snack to have with drinks. I almost walked away with the same old Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds when I saw their new (to me) bold flavors. Being a huge fan of salt and vinegar potato chips, I immediately wanted to try this flavor. I also took a chance with Jalapeno Smokehouse. I did a taste test and they are GREAT!

While a relatively healthy snack, don't forget the calories! Serving size = 1 oz or 28 nuts / Calories = 170 calories (140 calories from fat) / Net carbs = 2 grams.  Also of note, the salt and vinegar nuts contain lactose but it is the next to last ingredient, therefore, negligible and would probably not cause a problem.  Check at the other flavors at the Blue Diamond website.

Recipe: Roasted Chicken Breasts

If there is one recipe I go to over and over it is roasted chicken. I buy a family pack of chicken breasts with the skin, roast, save a few out for the week, and freeze a few for later. It is practically labor-free!

Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) taught me how to do this; we all know by now how much Jeffrey likes his chicken!   I use this roasting method for various vegetables, as well as chicken. 

I know there are a few new cooks following this blog. This entree is "perfect", as Ina says.

Roasted Chicken Breasts

5 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on

Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Rub each piece with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake the breasts for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature. Note: These were large breasts so I baked for 50 to 60 minutes.

Need something a little more interesting than the basic roasted chicken breast? Try Barefoot Contessa's Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese.

Add to ingredients above:

12 ounces goat cheese, with garlic and herbs (suggested: Montrachet)

Fresh basil leaves

Follow the directions above, and:
Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving one side attached.. Cut thick slices of the herbed goat cheese and place 2 slices plus a large basil leaf under the skin of each chicken breast. Continue as above.

After a busy day, tonight's meal:
Roasted Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese
Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Corn-on-the-Cob

Food Network's Hip Younger Sister

Am I the last to know?  The Cooking Channel will be the replacement for Fine Living Network as of May 31, 2010.

According to the AP: 

Executives with Scripps Networks Interactive, which owns both channels, say the Cooking Channel will have a different flavor, one with more emphasis on international cuisines, drinks, food culture and advanced cooking techniques.

"The tone and the style and the feel that we're going for is a little grittier, a little younger, a little more contemporary," said Bruce Seidel, the new channel's senior vice president for programming and production.

Tentative programming:

Emeril Lagasse's new show, Emeril's Fresh Food Fast, will show viewers how fresh food can be prepared in a minimal amount of time without sacrificing taste.

Bobby Flay's new program Brunch @ Bobby's will focus on weekend brunches, Rachael Ray's show Week In a Day will show viewers how to plan a week's menu by cooking them all in a single day.

Cooks in Canada and Great Britain.

Chuck's Day Off, Chinese Food Made Easy, Everyday Exotic, French Food At Home, Drink Up, Foodography, Spice Goddess, Indian Food Made Easy, Cook Like an Iron Chef, and Caribbean Food Made Easy. (source: Wikipedia)

Reruns of Julia Child and Graham Kerr (aka, The Galloping Gourmet)

Let's hope this isn't over the head of my old, unhip self!

I Heart Cooking Clubs

This week is Potluck at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). That means we can prepare anything from the many recipes of Mark Bittman. I didn't actually cook anything, but someone has to spike the punch, right?  I decided that someone should be me.

I think you'll agree that I have a good reason for my choice:  My brother is visiting from Santa Fe, New Mexico next weekend and we are both fans of the HBO series True Blood. I wanted to try Mark Bittman's Bloody Mary recipe so that I could serve these in the spirit of the series while we watched together.

Bloody Mary

From How To Cook Everything

Servings 4

Ingredients:

3 cups tomato juice

3/4 cup (6 oz.) vodka

Several drops Tobasco or other hot sauce

1 tsp Worchestershire sauce, or to taste

1 tsp prepared horseradish, or to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 lemon, cut in quarters

1 celery stalk (optional)

Directions:

Combine the first six ingredients and adjust balance as necessary.

Fill four tall glasses with ice and add the liquid. Squeeze some of the lemon quarter into each glass into each glass, then drop the lemon quarter in. Garnish and serve.

Note: I stayed fairly close to Bittman's recipe; however, I prefer V8 juice so I substituted that for the tomato juice. I also put the lemon in the pitcher instead of the glasses but will try that next weekend. Vodka - check; other ingredients - check.

Mark Bittman's Bloody Mary from his cookbook, How to Cook Everything, will be my entry for this week's Potluck at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  Check out the website and how creatively IHCC introduced the Potluck.

Saturdays with Rachael Ray: Quick Tagine-Style Chicken

I may be late to the party, but I've brought a great recipe. In fact, it is one of my top two favorite Rachael Ray recipes. It was everything I remembered it to be. Don't like prunes? I didn't think I would either. Don't leave them out without at least trying them first. I would also suggest topping with cilantro, if you're a fan.

Serving suggestions:

I've served this dish with smoked almonds stuffed in figs and a tomato/cucumber/onion salad tossed with a mild white vinegar. Quite honestly, you won't miss the vegetables with this dish.

Quick Tagine-Style Chicken
30-Minute Meals at Food Network
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
4 cloves garlic, smashed beneath the flat of your knife with the heel of your hand, discard skins
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large bite-size pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick) or coarse salt and coarse pepper
2 medium or 1 large yellow skinned onion, quartered and sliced
10 pitted prunes, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 cups good quality, low sodium chicken stock

Spice blend:
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Couscous:
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups couscous
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
2 scallions, finely chopped

Condiments:
Chopped cilantro leaves or flat-leaf parsley
Finely chopped scallions
Mango chutney

Directions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, in a slow stream, and add smashed garlic. Season the chicken with seasoning blend. Scatter chicken around the pan in an even layer. Cook chicken pieces 2 minutes on each side to brown, then add the onions, prunes, raisins and stock. Mix spices in a small dish and scatter over the pot. Cover and reduce to moderate heat. Cook 7 or 8 minutes, remove the lid and stir.

To prepare the couscous, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add couscous, extra-virgin olive oil and scallions and remove the couscous from the stove immediately. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork.

Uncover chicken and cook another 2 to 3 minutes to thicken slightly. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, and serve chicken on a bed of couscous. Garnish.

Saturdays with Rachael Ray is hosted by Deborah at Taste and Tell.  Join us!

Fresh Pineapple

I don't generally design my own recipes; therefore, it is hard for me to believe that I came up with this by myself.  Yet, I can't find a recipe in my recipe files and neither can Google (and we all know Google can do everything).

I find this to be a fast, refreshing, low-calorie, and colorful dessert or snack.

Ingredients
Fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized wedges
Fresh mint, rough chop
Pistachio nuts, shelled, rough chop

Combine. Plate. Serve. Enjoy.

Diet: THE Four-Letter Word

I've never had a problem with four-letter words; I've been known to use them in the appropriate setting. The word 'diet' brings up a lot of images for us, including pain, suffering, deprivation, and tasteless food and very little of it, and sometimes other four-letter words.

Working as a clinical dietitian, a diet was specialized based on one's individual disease process and/or to improve overall health and wellbeing. But, let's face it, dieting to most of us means weight reduction. I believe in three words: variety, balance, and moderation.

It's dull, it's boring, it works: To lose weight, one must expend more energy than one consumes. Exercising alone does not appear to be an effective tool for weight reduction without changes in one's eating habits. Regular exercise, however, should determine whether weight loss is maintained. For a good article on this, I would suggest reading Weighing the Evidence on Exercise by Gretchen Reynolds in The New York Times.

Illustration above by Christoph Niemann.

I Heart Cooking Clubs: Week Two

This will be my first 'official' entry for the I Heart Cooking Clubs. This week we are raiding our pantries. I had several recipes in mind, but I decided to choose that one ingredient I've had in the cabinet for a long time but haven't used.

I must admit I was nervous. It's Mark Bittman, the chef I read and whose videos I watch in THE New York Times. The more time I spent reading his book, How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food, I realized I could do this.... just start simple.

I chose Rice with Fresh Herbs, using that basmati rice that had been sitting ignored in my cabinet and the leftover herbs I had from yesterday's meal. I used a combination of fresh basil, cilantro, and Italian parsley. Basmati rice is more expensive than other long-grain rices, but the aroma and the flavor are worth every penny.

Servings 4

From How to Cook Everything

2 Tbsp butter or olive oil (I used butter)

1/2 cup fresh chervil, basil, shiso, mint, parsley, cilantro, or other leafy herb, or a mixture

1 1/2 cup basmati rice or other long-grain rice

2 1/4 cups water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1) Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Cook half the herb in the butter for 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the rice is coated with butter.

2) Add the water and some salt and pepper. Turn the heat up a bit and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and turn the heat to medium-low.

3) After 15 minutes, turn off the heat but leave the cover on the rice. Wait 10 minutes, then stir in the remaining herb. Check the season and serve immediately.

Rice with Fresh Herbs is my entry for this week's I Heart Cooking Clubs.

Leftovers

The pork tenderloin from yesterday is delicious cold so it makes wonderful sandwiches. I thinly sliced the remaining two-pounds, wrapped enough for individual sandwiches, and placed in the freezer. This way, I can pull out enough for a sandwich on a good roll with coarse mustard.

The mango citrus salsa makes a good between meal snack. I plan to save enough to serve with my seared salmon tomorrow night.

Comments welcome for other ideas on how to best use these leftovers.

Saturdays with Rachael Ray: Asian Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa

I have two favorite Rachael Ray recipes and this is one of them - her Asian Five Spice Barbecue Tenderloin with Mango Citrus Salsa. The pork is tender and flavorful on its own, but the salsa lends the flavors to make it to my top two.

Serves 8
Recipe from 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray, Food Network

Ingredients:
2 to 2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins, trimmed of fat
Steak seasoning blend or salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice powder (found in spice section or Asian foods section)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup Hoisin prepared Chinese barbecue sauce
1 navel orange, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or chives, for garnish

Salsa:
2 ripe mangos, peeled and pitted, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 ripe lime, juiced
20 leaves basil, shredded
Coarse salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Coat tenderloins in steak seasoning or season with salt and pepper. Combine brown sugar and 5 spice powder. Rub sugar and spice over pork. Brush baking dish or broiler pan with oil. Place pork in oven and bake 10 minutes. Combine barbecue sauce with orange zest and juice and sesame oil. Baste meat liberally with sauce and roast meat 15 minutes longer. Remove meat from oven and transfer to a serving platter. Coat meat with sesame and cilantro or chives for color.

3. Combine mango, bell pepper, jalapeno, onion, lime and basil in a bowl. Season with salt, to your taste.

Right out of the oven, allowing to rest prior to slicing. Doesn't that look juicy?

I'll admit that garnishing is not my strong point. My taste buds, however, are quite pleased with this recipe.

Why Rachael Ray? See my original post here. Saturdays with Rachael Ray is hosted by Taste and Tell. Visit Taste and Tell for more Rachael Ray recipes or to join in the Saturday fun!

Pepper Place Spring Market

Saturday is opening day for the Birmingham event known as the Pepper Place Market.

Spring Market - April 17 - May 9. Purchase local seedlings and young plants just in time for spring gardening. Strawberries and other early crops will also be featured along with locally made products for your gardens and yards.

In Birmingham's Lakeview District, farming families come from around Alabama to share their artistry - baked breads and pastries, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and the most amazing peaches and tomatoes one can find anywhere. Local musicians entertain you while you have coffee or browse. Some vendors even shell, wash, and package fresh vegetables for you. How wonderful is that?!

Starting in May, there are cooking demonstrations by Birmingham chefs beginning at 9 a.m. The market runs from 7 a.m. until noon every Saturday, rain or shine.

Dogs are welcome. This pup must be a regular, as he is wearing his Pepper Place visor. (Photos are from the Pepper Place website. This year's schedule of events and recipes may be found on this site.)

Citric Acid and Tooth Enamel

My daily beverages of choice appear to be eroding my tooth enamel. My morning Diet Mountain Dew lists concentrated orange juice and citric acid as its second and third ingredients. My afternoon, evening, and bedtime Fresca lists citric acid and concentrated grapefruit juice as its second and third ingredients. Don't forget my freshly-squeezed lime margaritas! So, no, my dental hygienist, I don't suck on lemons but I might as well.

I can see the damage and it isn't pretty. Here are some suggestions to help decrease the erosion short of completely eliminating these favorites, although that is indeed the best choice:

1) Rinse one's mouth with water after drinking soda.
2) Only drink water at and during bedtime.
3) Drink soda with meals only to reduce exposure to teeth.
4) Drink soda through a straw, again to reduce direct contact with teeth.
5) Brush, brush, brush!

If you have other suggestions for protecting from tooth erosion, please post here. Thanks!

Leftovers

As I suspected, the Chickpea Tagine with Chicken and Apricots from yesterday was even more flavorful tonight. This recipe can easily be adapted for vegetarians by substituting vegetable broth and/or water and eliminating the chicken.

I Heart Cooking Clubs: Week One

I Heart Cooking Clubs is a stress-free cooking club with a revolving roster of chefs. As of April 10, 2010, we are cooking the recipes of Mark Bittman.

This is my first "official" 'unofficial' participation in the I Heart Cooking Clubs and I'm already a week behind. While I won't be able to submit this, I can still share it here with you.  This recipe was published in The Minimalist by Mark Bittman in The New York Times on April 9th.

Recipe: Chickpea Tagine with Chicken and Apricots

Information about the dish, the complete recipe, and the video on how to prepare this dish may be found at The Minimalist.  This is an "expedited tagine", per Bittman. The spices are incredibly aromatic, almost sensual. My only changes were garnishing with cilantro instead of parsley and with sliced scallions.

This would have been my first submission for I Heart Cooking Clubs with Chef Mark Bittman had I prepared this before yesterday. Next week is a Pantry Raid and I am so ready!

Saturdays with Rachael Ray

Next Saturday, I plan to join Saturdays with Rachael Ray, hosted by Taste and Tell.  Here I'll be preparing a recipe from one of Rachael Ray's many choices.

Why Rachael Ray? Because Ray, along with my ex, taught me I could cook if I tried. I couldn't learn from Emeril because I jumped every time he shouted "Bam" and I was totally annoyed that his audience clapped every time he mentioned alcohol.  So, I watched Rachael Ray on Food Network and one day I finally realized, hey, I can do that.

Unfortunately for my working mother, who died two years ago this week, I had more of an interest in being served than learning or helping her cook. As she became more feeble, I prepared a Christmas meal for her and my family. She asked me, "where did you learn to cook"? From the TV, I responded. She had no clue what I was referring to so she just grinned.

This isn't specifically a Rachael Ray recipe, but I prepared it in less than 30 minutes. 

Ingredients:

2 rib-eyed steaks

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Brush steaks with olive oil, sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper on each side, and place in a hot skillet.

3. Sear on each side for up to two minutes.

4. Place in oven for 6-8 minutes, depending on how thick the cut of meat and desired doneness.

5. Allow meat to rest before slicing and serving.

You don't need a grill to have a good steak quickly. I learned that from Rachael.

Review: Kuk's Dog Days

There is a culinary ray of hope now in the midst of all the hamburgers and BBQ in Tuscaloosa, and it is shining from the corner of Greensboro and University. It is Kuk's Dog Days, hot dogs as they were meant to be enjoyed in a casual, friendly, and unassuming atmosphere. 

Although it opened in May 2009, I have just had the opportunity to eat there, but I feel fairly certain this will become a weekly splurge - in fat calories, not money. For $5, I got a brat, fries, and large soda.

By appearance, I thought the fresh cut fries would taste too greasy. They were a little, but they were greasy fantastic! The meats are advertised as Red Hot Chicago meat products and Supreme Tamale products direct from Chicago. The brat was deliciously spicy and perfectly cooked.  A+

Drink! Drink! Drink!

Spring is here. People are coming out of the gyms and into the parks for their daily exercise. While it feels nice now, we have had a few 85 and 87 degree days. With even mild to moderate exercise, one must pay attention to adequate hydration.

Minor dehydration impairs one's concentration, coordination and reaction time, and it reduces stamina and compromises the body's ability to resist disease. Do not rely on your thirst mechanism during or after exercise - it will trick you! Once you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated!

To prevent dehydration, it is important to drink plenty of fluids (preferably water) before, during, and after intense periods of exercise. Here are guidelines as outlined by Registered Dietitian Amanda Carlson of Athletes Performance:

• you need to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water per day. So, if you weigh 150 pounds – you must drink at LEAST 75 oz of water per day. 1 L = 33 oz
• the best rehydration fluid is cold water. If your event or training last longer than an hour or you are in an extreme environment (hot, humid), choose a Gatorade or similar product. Gatorade provides fuel and electrolytes to optimize performance during intense exercise! Drink 16-32 oz of Gatorade per hour during these conditions. 
• avoid drinking anything with a lot of caffeine or alcohol because they may increase urine production which will in turn increase dehydration.
• salt tablets aggravate the condition by drawing more water out of muscle and into the stomach
• heavy training athletes use over 2 gallons (8 quarts) of water per day

Remember: 

.5 x actual body weight = fluid needs in ounces/day

A Bama Chevre*

One of my co-workers has a goat named Mr. Simmons. How cute is that? I imagine Mr. Simmons to be a lot like the goats who contribute their milk to Belle Chevre, described as "....well-cared for on a gentle landscape and roam free and happily".

Belle Chevre is in northern Alabama and owned by an ex-New York City marketing executive and Southern Belle, Tasia Malakasis. Check out Alabama's finest artisan goat cheese! Online store here.

(*Chevre is the French word for goat and pronounced ‘shev).

What's in season for April?

Here in Alabama, we are beginning to enjoy April's offerings of these vegetables:

beets
cabbage
cauliflower
collard greens
onions
snow peas
spinach
strawberries
turnip greens

Don't knock them until you've tried them! Packed in the majority of those Southern U.S. vegetables, particularly the dark green leafy vegetables and the strawberries, are great sources of vitamins and minerals. Check out the interactive seasonal ingredients map at Epicurious to find out what is available in your state. You'll also find food definitions and recipe suggestions.

ummmm..... No

I can't even begin to describe how wrong this decision would be for one's meal choice!

The KFC Double Down replaces the sandwich buns with fried chicken*.  From an accountant's standpoint, here is a way to reduce waste and use leftover chicken. From a cardiologist's standpoint, come on down! We have an appointment available just for you.

*No vegetables were harmed in the making of this sandwich.

While We're Waiting....

“The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook” ~ Julia Child