Part of the diet includes chicken at a certain stage and that can be such a great treat for some. For others it is a step you aren’t required to take and you can stick with fish.  If I went into all the ways you can prepare chicken this blog would become a cookbook! I will stick to a couple great ideas and tips, and then you can go from there.

Beginning I will remind my readers about food safety. So far you have been cooking a mostly vegetarian diet with some fresh fish thrown in. While you need safe food handling with all that you prepare, and with fish as well, never is it so important as when handling raw poultry. Even with cleaner farming techniques, meat fabrication, and sterile plastic wrapping, the risk of salmonella is still there.  That being said lets get to it!

How do you want to eat your chicken now that you are far enough along on your Pain Free Diet! Congratulations by the way for those of you who have made it this far, and I hope, have been feeling the benefits of the diet as outlined in the Book. Unfortunately if you are like me you also love Duck. It is too high in fat to include in our diet, but there are many ways of impersonating it with turkey and dark meat chicken, following similar recipes for the preparation of this bird.

I mentioned food safety in an older post, click this link to get to it. Mainly it is about practicing good hygiene and avoiding cross-contamination. That means, boiled down, not dripping chicken blood onto your raw, ready-to-eat salad, etcetera.

So review that post and let’s talk Turkey! Or chicken, or Cornish Hen, or Quail…

My culinary heroine for great Mediterranean cuisine is Claudia Roden.  She knows Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern. If our publishers would allow it, I too could travel the Mediterranean and Middle East in search of great culinary inspiration for this blog *ahem*.  However, my daydream is just that at present, but I always have Claudia to inspire my palate and plenty of hole-in-the wall Shawarma places in Boston.

Chicken is so common, so generic in flavor, that so many have taken to referring to un-nameable proteins as “tasting like chicken”.  This is also it’s saving grace, as it can become so many things in so many dishes. Even alone it does have a “chicken flavor”, albeit a soft one. You can grill, bake, roast, saute, steam,  broil, put it in soups, and have it on a shish kebab.  Some of the best accouterments to chicken, which follow our dietary guidelines, are as follows:

Almonds, apples, asparagus, basil, cabbage, cherries, chervil, chives, citrus, coriander, corn, cranberries, curry, dill, endive, escarole, fennel, five-spice-powder, garlic, ginger, grapes, herbs, horseradish, lemon, lime, mangoes, marjoram, mint, morels, mushrooms, mustard, mussels, olive oil, olives, onions, oranges, oregano, oysters, paprika, parsley, peas, pecans, pepper, pineapples, plums, prunes, rosemary, savory, sour cream, soy sauce, star anise, sweet potatoes,  sumac, tarragon, thyme, tomatoes, truffles, vinegar, walnuts, wine, yogurt and zaatar. To name a few.

Marinating is a great way to infuse flavor into skinless chicken for use in many final dishes. A general rule is you want to marinate for a minimum of 20 minutes. You can leave it for several hours, refrigerated, even overnight. Never leave raw poultry out at room temperature for more than 2 hours at a time. You should get into a habit of working with the ingredients while the poultry stays under refrigeration until you are ready to apply your cooking techniques, this includes marination prior to cooking as well. If you are concerned at all with any re-heating or preparation of items refer to my previous link above which will take you to my food safety post.

The best ingredients for marinades contain an acid and an oil, as well as flavor enhancing spices and herbs. Puncturing the meat prior to marinading may be an old family tradition, but it should stop with you! This doesn’t enhance marination, and will result in a drier piece of meat due to moisture loss in cooking.  The best technique is to use a sturdy zip top plastic food storage bag, which is large enough for the amount of meat you want to marinate. This allows less marinade to be used once the air has been squeezed out of the bag, allowing all surfaces to be coated. The next step is time, allowing the penetration of flavor into the meat.

You may also prefer a dry spice rub, and to allow time to enhance the spices to penetrate the natural poultry juices. This is also great  and packs a lot of flavor. We will talk about this as well.

I’m going to take a step back into my Florda roots here and offer up my favorite marinade; Mojo Criollo. I  love it.  I love the *POP* of flavor it gives to chicken.  It is a bright, happy, pungent, mouth watering marinade.

Virginia’a Mojo:

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (the kind with seeds, not Naval)

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup sliced, fresh garlic from firm cloves

3 tablespoons freshly toasted, and ground cumin seeds

2 teaspoons Kosher salt or 1 teaspoon sea salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

In a small sauce pot heat the olive oil until just about to simmer and add the garlic cloves. When you can smell the garlic, about 2 minutes, and before it begins to turn brown, quickly and carefully, pour in the orange juice and lime juice mixed together with the cumin added. You can do it off the heat and do it quickly so as not to splash hot oil onto yourself. Let this mixture come up to a boil, then turn off the heat and add sea salt or Kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Now, this will be hot so we cannot use it to marinate right now, or it will poach the meat. Let this cool in another container in the refrigerator before use. If you like you could then add fresh chopped cilantro, or oregano to this marinade for another twist. I have also made this marinade substituting the orange and lime with grapefruit juice and the cumin with fresh, chopped rosemary. Keep the garlic, it is intrinsic to the flavor profile. Once the marinade has cooled pour it over your meat that you would like to prepare. You can do this in a plastic food storage bag, or storing the product flat in a shallow baking dish with the marinade coating. Either way use good sanitation and make sure you do not reuse marinade that has been in contact with raw meat unless you plan to make a sauce with it, and will boil it prior to consumption. This amount of marinade will cover 4-6 skinless chicken breasts.

You can alternate your favorite ingredients, bear in mind that a good marinade has an acid and an oil to carry flavors, and coat. So if you like vinegar use it along with olive oil, fresh herbs and spices. When you are ready to cook the meat it is not necessary to keep the marinade as it will have penetrated into the meat during the extended time in contact. Not all marinades require cooking, you can approach them the same way you would make any vinaigrette for salad. I have found that my Mojo recipe works best when heated and cooled, as it helps to really carry the flavors of the garlic and cumin. You may also just coat the meat in some Dijon mustard and herbs and leave that to marinate for a few hours before baking. Something as easy as this carries a lot of flavor into meat, as it already has an acid added to it and loads of wonderful flavor.

If you plan to saute, make sure to pat dry your protein before applying it to a pan, so as to guarantee a good sear. The same goes for baking or roasting, but since leaving the skin on is not recommended, in order to reduce fat, it is not as much of an issue as it would be should you require a crispy skin.

Dry marinating is also great for impacting poultry with lots of flavors. It does not require wet ingredients, or oil and this can reduce calories and fat. You can use a wet ingredient in small quantity such as honey, or yogurt though.  I look to my culinary dream region of the Mediterranean islands for this next one. I have mentioned Zaatar and Sumac in previous posts for their flavor and aroma. To boot they are excellent on poultry.

For 4-6 chicken breasts:

2 Tablespoons plan, Greek style Yogurt

3 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground sumac

1/4 cup Zaatar spice

Zest of one Meyer lemon, or regular lemon if Meyer cannot be found

Salt and Pepper

In a clean bowl, mix all ingredients well, and taste for seasoning. Rub all over the chicken and let sit, either in a plastic baggie, or in a baking dish, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for no less than 2 hours. You can omit the yogurt all together if you prefer.

I love this marinade on chicken that will be grilled or used in a shish kebab. If you have metal, or bamboo skewers handy and some yummy vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash, large chunks of red onion, bell peppers, and such you could arrange them on the skewers and marinate all of the ingredients together! You don’t even need to grill this they are so easy to cook in a pre-heated oven set to broil on a parchment lined, sheet tray.  Set them in rows on the sheet tray, or baking sheet, or use a roasting rack that fits neatly onto a sheet tray if you have one, and slide into a pre-heated oven to bake on 400 degrees or to broil, close it and let it rip for about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken cubes.

If you want to simply salt and pepper your chicken and roast it for use in salad, this is great. Chicken salad is a wonderful lunch, as long as you use soy mayonnaise, sour cream, or yogurt to bind the ingredients. As listed above items that are great with chicken include: cranberries, grapes, cherries, plums, tarragon, walnuts, mustard, almonds, garlic, citrus, apples, and chives. These specific ingredients make for great chicken salads, especially tarragon and chives. You can serve it over a bed of shredded Napa cabbage, or on a leaf of Bibb lettuce, or on a slice of toasted, multi-grain wheat bread.

If you love making soup have some chicken or vegetable stock on hand as often as you can. If you make it at home, you can store it in the freezer for later use. I find that once my chicken stock cools completely, I can take several sturdy, zip-top, plastic freezer bags and place them over a container that is tall, and fill them with stock, close them tightly, then store the stock lying flat in my freezer! I have it on hand, and it takes up little space this way.  Both light and dark meat, skin off, are excellent in soups. A trick I learned in culinary school is to have your meat seasoned and roasted prior to using in the soup you are making, as this helps retain moisture and texture. If your stock is good you don’t need to cook the poultry in it with the other ingredients, and having it cooked off ahead of time is a better way to go, as well as a great way to use leftovers from a different meal with chicken. Generally you don’t need to season a soup until the end, and do so to taste with salt and pepper. Fresh herbs can also be added at the end.

Chicken is best cooked in standard methods, so allow a little time for these, or purchase pre-cooked meat. Be aware of labels though, and check for sodium and calories. I say this because microwaves are great for many things, but not meats. There tend to be “cold spots”  in microwaves which can cook unevenly, and the last thing you want with poultry is uneven cooking temperatures!

I also want to talk quickly about Quail before I wrap up here. Quail are a small, wild game bird,  related to pheasant. They are about the size of a pigeon, and are very delicious.  They are found fresh, or frozen in gourmet markets and are easy to prepare. If thawing make sure to thaw refrigerated before use. Here is a quick recipe to cap off my post:

Quail with White Grapes:

4 quails

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

appx. 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup of white wine such as a Riesling

1/3 cup of chicken broth

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon, fresh, minced tarragon

2 cloves garlic, minced or smashed

1/2 cup of seedless white grapes (or 1/4 cup golden raisins if you prefer)

2 tablespoons of toasted almonds, sliced

Rinse the birds and pat dry inside and out, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and white pepper. In a non-stick skillet, saute the quail in olive oil until golden. About 5 minutes on each side, at medium heat. Add the wine, chicken broth, garlic, tarragon, and remaining lemon juice. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, checking to make sure the broth does not reduce too quickly. Add the grapes and almonds and cook for 5 more minutes or until the birds are tender.

This can be served over a bed of wilted Swiss chard, cabbage and kale for a power packed meal.

I hope I have helped inspire you on your way to adding poultry to your diet. Remember that chicken is like a blank canvass for your culinary creativity. It plays very well with others, and when handled smartly, makes a great addition to your diet.

Comments(0)

Lentils are a member of the legume family which are plants bearing pods with rows of seeds inside. They are ideal as a quick source of protein, fiber, amino acids and are low on the glycemic index. They are very low in saturated fat and cholesterol and are also a good source of iron, folate, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. For one cup of cooked lentils you get a whopping 18 grams of protein and 16 grams of fiber! That means they fill you up. They cook very quickly, and depending on which type you are using some faster than others. You don’t need to soak lentils like other beans, and it there is much controversy as to salting before or after the cooking process. It has been my experience that after soaking, adding salt to the cooking water can slow things down a bit, but because beans contain calcium and other minerals, these make the cell walls sturdy anyway. Adding salt can sort of fill in spaces  in the cell walls, and make it take a bit longer, but with lentils it doesn’t really matter. It can produce a more flavorful result and since they don’t need to be soaked prior to cooking go ahead and add salt. Now, regularly I would say to cook your beans in a pressure cooker, as I am a huge fan of these. Lentils, however, will not fare well in a pressure cooker, and will become mushy and paste-like as an end result.
The most common varieties of lentil you have eaten are probably the delicate and peppery French green, or “Puy”, and the earthy Brown lentil. Split peas are considered to be a lentil as well. In Indian cooking “Daal” is a common dish and is another name for lentil, as well as “Gram”. The delicate yellow or red variety is used most commonly for this cuisine and while they don’t retain their shape very well after cooking, they are delicate and flavorful with a velvety texture that is very enjoyable.
Dried lentils are best because of their quick cooking and that they don’t need to be soaked beforehand. You can find most types I have mentioned in any grocery store, and also in the store’s “international” or “ethnic” aisle. My go to for varieties of any kind of food is “Cooks Thesaurus” on the web.
If you are dining out, and you are searching for the lentil, your best bet would be Middle Eastern, Greek, or of course, any Mediterranean type restaurant. You can easily find lentils added to many dishes, or alone in a salad, and are most likely prepared with unsaturated oils, like Olive oil.
To cook simply pour the amount of lentils you are going to use into a clean bowl, and rinse them with cold water picking out any debris, or stones, or discolored ones. There usually aren’t many of these these days anyway. Then drain them into a colander, and using a ration of : 1 part lentils to 3 parts water or stock, simmer until they are tender. Usually for brown or green lentils this takes about 15-20 minutes. For the more delicate red, or yellow “daal” I mentioned, it takes a whopping 5-10 minutes! Woo Hoo! Split peas can take another cup of water as they swell a bit more than their cousins.
Lentils love assertive flavors like citrus, garlic, onion, spices and fresh herbs. They stand alone or compliment vegetables, poultry, or fish, especially Salmon.

A simple dish you can make quickly would be a red lentil salad, with spinach, lemon juice, fresh parsley and minced garlic with some extra virgin olive oil.

• 1 pound fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
• 4 cups cooked red lentils
• juice of 1 fresh lemon
• 1 cup rough chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed or minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

You can also take some cooked, puy lentils and make the same. Or make a hardy stew with crushed, low-sodium tomatoes, garlic, pepper and oregano.

• 4 cups cooked lentils (or 2 cups raw)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups vegetable stock (or 6 if cooking the raw lentils as is)
• 1 can low-sodium crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 white onion finely chopped
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, smashed or finely minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh, chopped oregano, or 1 tablespoon dry
• salt and pepper to taste

In a sturdy pot on medium heat, sweat the onions with a little sprinkle of salt until they become translucent, add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for about 1 minute and quickly add the stock and lentils. Cook for about 10 minutes or until it comes to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer a bit and add your oregano or fresh herb of choice. A dash of red wine vinegar, or lemon juice will brighten up this stew.

These are just two simple examples of quick and healthy ways to prepare lentils. I hope you will consider them a lot more in your diet as they are one of the easiest ways to get both high protein and high fiber in an easy way.

Comments(0)

Oh yes, I said it. Anchovies! And any other yummy, cold-water, oily fish too! Like sardines or herrings! Oh now, forget that thought of crusty little pieces of brown, bony, stink on a pizza! I am talking about plump, juicy, fleshy, white sardines that you can get on any good Spanish tapas plate called “boquerones” or “anchoas”. They are super high in Omega-3’s, and are lightly cured in salt and vinegar, and packed in olive oil, so they last about a month refrigerated once you open them. I dare say they won’t need to make it that long though.

They are filleted and make the perfect snack, or ingredient for salad dressing. Just stay with me here.Yes I know some of you out there love your brown anchovies in a can, more power to you. With those I prefer to use them as an ingredient, ground to a paste, and not as a snack food. If you like them, eat them! Today, however,  I want to focus on the small, oily, fatty, little fishies that frequent the Mediterranean diet. We are, after all, modeling our diets to the Mediterranean one, and what better than little, flavorful fish? These are becoming trendy and it’s likely you have had them in any restaurant that serves Tapas, or if you have traveled to Spain or the Mediterranean. They aren’t difficult to make at home, and require a minimum prep time of 45 minutes to 1 hour. You can get frozen fillets but I recommend fresh. If you ask your fishmonger to gut them perhaps they will, otherwise it is a bit of a job to do but so worth it! Since they are so tiny you just wash them well, clean and gut them by slicing their bellies open head to tail, pinch the heads off with your thumb and fore-finger and pull the back bone out. Watch out for a tiny bone underneath near the head too. Soaking them in either white wine, or Sherry vinegar, lemon juice, and fresh water helps soften any bones you might have missed. For an example for about one kilogram or, 2.2 pounds of Boquerones, you would use:

1 cup Sherry or Wine vinegar

1 large lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon sea salt or Kosher

1/4 cup fresh water

You can layer them in a dish and sprinkle the salt over them before the vinegar and lemon. You can also omit the lemon and just do the vinegar.Once marinated for about 1 hour, or just until they are no longer translucent, but opaque and white, you can drain and rinse them, and pack them in good olive oil to cover completely, overnight, before using. This helps preserve them. Feel free to add garlic cloves, or slices, and chilies or freshly chopped parsley. Then when you want, just pull however many you want out of the oil and serve on a slice of baguette, or on a lavash cracker and have a little wine, maybe some Cerignola, or Lucques olives, a couple almonds. . . you get the picture.

I must admit though, as easy as it is to make them yourself, they are just as good bought from the store, or online from a specialty foods store. Another one of my favorites is pickled Herring. You can find these easily, and they make a great snack food as they are sweet, vinegary, and satisfy any meat cravings you might have. Try either one of these, and if you make the Boquerones at home let me know how they turn out!

Spanish white anchovies or "Boquerones" with Parsley and Olive Oil

Comments(0)

Brussels sprouts have been given a bad rap, kids try and feed them to the dog under tables, they kind of smell like well…farts sometimes when overcooked (this is because of the release of a sulfurous compound glucosinolate sinigrin released through over cooking), they get frozen and thawed and are mushy and oozey green. You have probably seen them fresh on the stalk and hopefully taken them home to try out. I have some tips on how to prepare them that are very quick and easy and will yield tasty results as well. If you get them fresh on the stalk or in a bag, this is what I recommend, but frozen could work too in other applications such as casseroles or baked. The fresh ones are easy, just pop the brussels sprouts off the stalk and give them a quick wash in the sink. Get some water in a medium to large pot, one you might cook pasta in, and add plenty of fresh sea or kosher salt so the water tastes salty. While that is boiling, get a paring knife out, and slice off the stem piece that sticks out a little further in than you usually would and remove the first couple leaves that loosen, or fall off the sprout. Then you can cut the sprout in half lengthwise, to get two pieces that are the same. When you have finished with all the sprouts you are going to use, the water should be boiling. Get a bowl or container of ice and water ready and a slotted spoor or sieve with a handle, for scooping. Dump in the brussels sprouts and let the water come back to a boil, about a minute or so, and remove them to the ice-water with the slotted spoon or handled strainer. They should be slightly tender and bright green. At this point they will have taken on some of the salt and cooked a little bit and will taste delicious in a salad cold, or you can let them dry out for use later on. I like to get a medium saute pan hot over medium heat with some olive oil and gently cook the sprouts until they begin to brown a little, or caramelize, then toss in some crumbled up soy bacon and fresh herbs for a really tasty side dish. You can also bake them until golden with some baby potatoes or pearl onions for another wonderful side dish, or vegetable dinner. If you are using frozen sprouts they won’t come out like the fresh do, but are just as nutritious. They are best used in salads, or finely shredded with a sharp knife to add in with cole slaw. The freezing process tends to render them softer than they are when fresh, so steaming them or boiling them shortly, 3-4 minutes reduces over cooking. Brussels sprouts belong to the same family that includes cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi. They also contain vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fiber. You can definitely cook them quickly, shred with a sharp knife raw for use in salads or slaw, or blanch and saute, use in side dishes or alone. 

Comments(0)

Pomegranate’s are pretty, they make up bits in potporri baskets and appear in fall designs and wreaths, on our dinner tables and around the home as decor. You have probably walked past them in the grocery store, smiling whimsically at the thought of purchasing one, though not knowing what you will do with it when you get it back home.

Comments(0)

There is really nothing “simple” about this power house member of the Pea family. Used in Asia for over 5000 years as a source of vegetarian protein fondly called “Tuna of the forest”, and in Chinese medicine. Soy is universal in today’s nutrition. Click Here for nutrition analysis of edamame, or the simple soybean. Derivatives made from the soy bean are everywhere. Tempeh, Tofu, Tamari, Soy Sauce, Miso Paste, Soy Milk, Soy Cheese, Soy Mayonnaise, Soy Yogurt, Tofu Sour Cream, Soy Nuts, Soy Nut-Butter, Textured Soy Protein, Soy bean oil, Soy flour, and you get my point? High in fiber and protein, containing heart healthy Omega-3’s, Soy helps reduce blood pressure and menopause symptoms as well as increasing bone strength to ward off Osteoporosis. It helps reduce risk factors for many types of cancer as well as for diabetes.

It is so easy to add it to your diet and many of my recipes in the book contain Soy based ingredients already! Let’s start with Tofu. You have your extra firm, firm, medium, soft and silken. All are great to add to your diet and all require you to rinse and drain them prior to use. Generally speaking extra firm or firm are your best option when using in dishes such as a stir fry. If you freeze these two prior to use they take on a “chewier/meatier” texture that can be a little more satisfying if you are one who is coming of a basic “meat-and-potatoes” diet to the Pain Free Diet. You can get something called “pressed Tofu” which is void of almost all the moisture already and you can grill it or stir fry it. Tofu is basically of a sponge-like texture and while that can seem gross it also means that is soaks up marinades very well. So take advantage of that. To press out the liquid just gently squeeze it with a clean dish towel or paper towels, or let it drain out in a colander with a gentle weight on it overnight. A basic marinade for tofu that I really like is as follows for1 cake of Firm Tofu, rinsed and drained (pressed) :

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Tamari
• 1 teaspoon Chili Paste or Siracha brand chili sauce (Can substitute 1 teaspoon chili flakes also)
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, smashed really well
• 1 stalk of scallion (green onion) sliced thinly on a diagonal
• 1/2 teaspoon Splenda or 1 teaspoon sugar since this is such a small amountOptional: 2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce

I like the fish sauce for the “umame” flavor it brings, it doesn’t really make it taste fishy at all and adds a bit of mystery.
Just whisk together and marinate for a few hours or overnight. Then blot dry and use in stir fry or grill or pan sear, or bake it. You can play around with ingredients like Soy-Butter if you want more of a Satay flavor. Or even go Italian by using Balsamic, olive oil, and garlic, black pepper and a little sea salt. Think of your Tofu as a substitute for meat and you get the picture. You can even Barbeque it if you want to. Make sure that the sugar content in your sauce of choice is low enough to fit in the diet though.

That covers the firm Tofu but what about Silken or Soft? This is the preferred Tofu for dressings, smoothies or shakes, dressings and desserts like custards of substitutions for fats in desserts. You should not freeze this kind of tofu as the texture is very delicate, think “flan” as a reference to texture for this type. A cup of this Tofu is a great addition to a smoothie with fresh berries and a banana, or a half of an avocado and strawberries and some form of allowable sweetener. Tempeh is the Indonesian meat substitute. This is going to sound gross but it is okay; it is made by injecting the soy beans and other grains and allowing it to ferment. It is pressed into a cake and sold as tempeh. It is very safe to eat and actually pretty tasty! Well, you used to eat Cheeses with blue mold! Don’t even ask me what is in the Fish Sauce you just put in your Tofu marinade! Before using Tempeh it is best to steam it for about 10 minutes or simmer it, to soften it. Then you use it just like you would meat or firm tofu. You can marinate this as well. It has a chewier, saltier, nuttier flavor than regular Tofu and for that it is liked by vegetarians or health conscious people like yourselves. Tempeh can even be crumbled like ground beef and used to make chili or sauces. You can also find “Textured Soy Protein”, and this is used in products like “Chick Patties” and “Garden Burgers”.

Another great by-product of Soy is Miso-Paste. It comes in a variety of colors and strengths. It is a thick paste made from soybeans and grains that has been fermented and then aged for up to three years. It’s a staple in Japan, where it’s used to flavor soups, dipping sauces, meats, and dressings. There are literally hundreds of varieties of miso, and the Japanese match them to dishes with the same care that Americans match wines to meals. The darker kinds are saltier and more pungent, the lighter are sweeter and milder. Two types that are easily found in American markets are white and red miso. White Miso, or “Shiro-Miso” is the lightest and sweetest of them all. It can be used to make miso soup, or broths for soup or to make dressings or marinades. 1 Tablespoonwhite miso can substitute 1 bullion cube and reduce a lot of sodium and still offer flavor and more nutrition.

Red Miso or “Aka-Miso” is red in color, and generally has barley or rice as an ingredient. It is more pungent and is the preferred miso in most Asian countries. It is great for rubs, or marinades. You can also use this to substitute bullion in soups. Always add miso to soups and stews at the end, since boiling it destroys beneficial bacteria and causes it to curdle.

Lemony-Miso Dressing:

• 1/2 Cup White Miso
• 1/3 Cup water
• 2 Teaspoons grated, fresh ginger root
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 whole lemon, cut into 1/4
• 1 packet or teaspoon Splenda brand sweetener or 2 Tablespoons Agave Nectar or Honey for sweetness
• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil

In a blender add all ingredients except oil and blend really well. Add the lemons as they are and the oils in the rind will help add texture and a very lemony-punch. Add the olive oil last and blend until emulsified. Check for flavoring and add a little black pepper and sea salt if desired. You can go so far as to add fresh Edamame to your salad. You don’t have to actually do anything to it. You can get it frozen shelled or in the shell and you can shell them yourself. A lot of people like to microwave or steam them prior to eating and this is okay, but not necessary. This dressing would also be great with some asparagus as well!

As far as desserts and baked goods remember to use Silken Tofu, or Soy Milk. You can also make quick Summer treats like Popsicles by blending soy yogurt and fresh berries together and freezing in popsicle molds. Click Here for a link to Soy Foods desserts that are made with Soy products. I would use extra virgin oil instead of vegetable but you can use any with “good” fats of course.

I hope this helps you ease into eating more Soy based foods and enjoy the health benefits. Try some of my recipes from the book like the snack bars which contain soy flour and dried berries!

Comments(0)

Don’t mess up asparagus, nothing breaks my heart more than someone who overcooks this member of the Lily family. Just don’t make my cry. There are several varieties, wild, white, violet or purple, and the usual green. It has been declared an almost perfect food by the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board (yes there is an advisory board on asparagus so don’t laugh) because it is high in folacin, vitamin B6, gluthaonine, thiamin, FIBER, potassium, and rutin which strengthens capillary walls. Green asparagus is what you usually find in most American markets, however if you search you can also find White, Purple, and Wild asparagus. White is popular in Europe and grows this way because the stalks are deprived of sunlight, making them milder and delicate in flavor. In Italy and Great Britain violet or purple asparagus can be found, they are heartier and have thicker, woodier stalks. Wild asparagus is something I have had the pleasure of eating and cooking while I was in Minneapolis. They are thin, and weed-like looking mimickers of cultivated asparagus, but asparagus never the less. I loved their fresh flavor and they required very little cooking at all, as they are so thin and delicate.

Generally I’ve always been taught that you hold an asparagus stalk gently in two hands and bend it until it snaps, then you know where to cut. Or you can just snap the whole bunch this way. I am used to cooking in batches so I cut, I want to get my prep done in time for dinner and keep my job….so you can snap all you like. If the stalks are hearty, say on green or purple asparagus you can take a vegetable peeler and peel then gently, this is the preferred preparation for fresh white asparagus as well. Have a pot of boiling, salted water at the ready and…AND…an ice bath also at the ready. Well I guess you could forgo the ice bath if you are going to eat the asparagus right away, but if cooking for later, or for salads just get the ice bath also. To do that you just get a large enough bowl, or container to hold enough ice and some water that you can submerge the blanched asparagus in. It has to cover to h alt the cooking process, because think ab out it, asparagus is just a lot of water filled pockets of fibrous goodness, and once you bring the insides up to boiling point you have to cool it instantly or the insides will remain hot and continue to steam it to un-appetizing flaccidity.

So if you’ve chosen your asparagus and peeled it and snapped or snipped it go ahead and toss it into that pot of rapidly boiling, salted, water. Wait until the water comes back up to a boil, and quickly remove the asparagus to the water bath, completely submerging it under the ice for about 3 minutes. Drain and blot dry. Now deciding on what to do with it? You could eat it right there! Slice it on a 1/4″ diagonal, and toss it in a stir fry with some shrimp, pan sear it with some Olive oil, garlic and cracked black pepper with a squirt of lemon. You could bake it with shredded Parmesan. Chop it up and mix it with some crab meat and bread crumbs for crab cakes. Really it’s so versatile and easy…EASY…spritz it with olive oil spray and a sprinkling of sea salt and toss it on a hot grill for a few minutes and that pairs well with cedar planked wild salmon. Now, if you can somehow get your hands on some wild asparagus, just be gentle with it. Very little trimming is needed, very little cooking, even just a toss in a hot pan with some oil and seasonings will do the trick. Just blanch and serve.

So, whether you peel it or not, blanch or grill, saute or bake, asparagus is for all of us. I hope you enjoy some soon.

Comments(0)

Summer squash, yummer squash! Ok, that is just my interpretation. However, I think after you get to know this easy to prepare delight you will get the gist and be able to make them more than palatable! There are so many varieties of squash and the terms winter and summer just refer to the keeping and harvesting of them. Many times these will be found overlapping in markets. Summer squash generally refers to varieties that can be eaten, rind, seeds and all. Winter being those you cook to enjoy, including pumpkins! Today though I want to focus on summer squash, being that we are indeed in full tilt (no pun intended for those Earth Scientists) deep into summer. Zucchini, green and yellow, crook-neck squash, and patty pans are my favorites right now because they are succulent, ripe and cook very quickly and need little done to them to achieve greatness. Gather ye a basket full of squashes and head to the kitchen!

• 1 pound patty pan, assorted is fine or just yellow or green, washed, stems removed and cut in half.
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil, as you know I love pomace, but use nicer if you like!
• 1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley, rough chop
• 1 Tablespoon chopped, fresh oregano, rough chop
• A pinch sea salt and some fresh ground, black pepper

Comments(0)

THIS us one of my faaaaaavorite things to just whip up in minutes when I want some good, healthy, filling, nosh and I just don’t feel like being technical. I got some great yellow and orange bell peppers from the Dallas farmer’s market that are large, and juicy and perfect for this dish. So good.

For 4 people you will want to gather:

• 4 large and colorful bell peppers
• 1/2 medium white onion, small dice
• 1 handful of fresh herb: basil, parsley or cilantro ( whatever you like)
• 2 cups of long, grained rice like basmati or jasmine (rinse it by swishing in some water)
• about 3 tablespoons olive oil ( I use Kalamata Pomace oil, it has a higher burn point, and is tasty)
• 1 cup of leftover baked potatoes, chopped roughly, (optional and you could sub hard tofu)
• 1 cup of shredded soy cheese, or mozzarella
• 2 teasp0ons Jane’s Crazy Salt (optional of course if you like regular salt and pepper)
• 2 cups of grated carrots
• 2 cups of baby, mixed greens

Cook your rice in a rice cooker if you have it, or what I do is once I’ve rinsed it a few times, pour fresh water on and fill it to about 1 thumb width above the top of the rice. Set over high heat to boil, and as soon as it does then you can turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, on low to medium heat, and make sure you cover with a snug fitting lid. I use one that is see-through and has a little steam vent. Let that cook and while it does, cut your bell peppers in half after you cut the stems off, grab the seeds and remove them.

In a cast iron skillet that is large enough for all halves or two pans even, if you need to use them, pour about a tablespoon olive oil in each and cook the pepper halves convex side up, for about 5 minutes until they begin to become tender. You could just as easily plop them onto a plate, rub some olive oil on, sprinkle a little Kosher salt and nuke them for, oh, 1 minute 30 seconds, or 2 minutes. If this is easier by all means do it. If you want to use the leftover baked potato pieces now is the time to get them chopped, check your rice and if it doesn’t move around when you jiggle the pot roughly, it is time to take it off the heat and let it steam the rest of the way.

In a pan with some of the oil you have, gently sautee the onions with the potatoes and season with Jane’s Crazy Salt or just plain salt and pepper. Same for the firm tofu if you are using that. Toss in your chopped herbs and set aside to stay warm. The rice should be done by now and is steaming gently off the heat, and your peppers should be soft now whether you chose to sautee or microwave.

Now toss the greens and carrots in a bowl with a smidge of oil and vinegar if you like, or a teaspoon of vinigratte dressing if you have any.To serve all this you give each person two halves, whether the same color, or mixed up is completely up to the chef. Mix the rice, potatoes and onions and herbs with some cheese and create a bed of the salad on each plate and scoop the stuffing into each half of the bell peppers.

This really only takes a total of 15 minutes if you time the rice out at the beginning. If you prefer to use a bed of carrots and shredded Napa cabbage this is also really, good. It’s just a start, a canvas if you will, that will allow you to quickly eat some stuffed bell peppers that used to take hours to make. Though I don’t really know why!

Comments(0)

There really isn’t any mystery to cooking this pasta-like “grain” made traditionally in North Africa. You can find it these days in most any market, with flavoring already added, or plain. You can get it small, medium and large. The latter usually “Jerusalem” couscous, or sometimes called “Lebanese”.
A general rule of thumb when preparing this dish is to remember to use the same amount of boiling water to dry couscous.

• Equal parts boiling water to couscous
• 1/2 can, drained and rinsed chickpeas or fava beans
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 or 2 small, white onions, finely diced
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• 1 medium bell pepper, any color.
• Cilantro or parsley

That being said, I usually just set my electric kettle on and pour out a couple cups into a stainless steel bowl. I learned a neat trick at a restaurant I worked in Minneapolis, where the chef showed me how to “massage” a few drops of olive oil into the “grains” before adding the water. Just use like a teaspoon, swish your hand all throughout, massaging essentially to coat all the grains. This keeps them from clumping together and sticking. Just a teensy bit does the trick. Then toss in a touch of Kosher salt and swish around. Add the boiling water just to the exact line of the couscous in the bowl and set plastic wrap tightly to seal.

Now wait about 5-10 minutes. The grains will swell with the water and cook, and puff up.
Here is where you can prepare whatever items you would like to add to the dish.
I like to halve a white onion, peel, and dice very finely so I have small pieces that will release a lot of flavor in a short amount of time. Get a saute pan on medium heat and add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and sweat the onions with a clove of garlic that you smashed and chopped finely. If you have any great, fresh, bell peppers cut one in half lengthwise, grab the stem and seeds and pull out. Toss it in the microwave, as-is, and cook for 1 minute 30 seconds. This is great for that “roasted” or “steamed” texture and flavor. Chop roughly and add to the pan, along with the beans.

Now check your spices. I keep Za’atar on hand and usually just toss in 1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons into the pan and give it a stir with a spatula. The onions should be as near to translucent as they ever will be. Deglaze any browned bits with 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar. Toss in a few Tablespoons of chopped cilantro if you wish. You could add a grilled or steamed chick breast to the pan, chopped.

The ingredients are up to you. Maintain the rules corresponding to which phase in the diet you may be. Turn off the heat and let the ingredients sit, while you fluff the couscous you left aside, covered in plastic wrap. You can gently incorporate your ingredients into the cooked “grains” and enjoy. You can serve with a 1/4 cup of hummus dip and a pita bread, or add some finely chopped, and de-seeded cucumbers to 1/4 cup Greek style yogurt, and a squeeze of half a lemon.

Comments(0)