Dinner’s On The Table – Healthy Specialty Foods & Recipes

Here are a few great ideas for serving at a dinner party. Remember, we eat with our eyes first.

We’ve all seen the old standard of spinach dip served in a rye bread bowl.  Use the same idea for dips…

• At your next party, hollow out a tomato and a pepper for salsa, guacamole or onion dip.   Display them in the middle of a platter of chips. 
• Create height on your buffet table.  Mix pedastal cake plates with pretty bowls and platters to make the table look more appealing. 
• Take a pretty jello mold ring and fill it with hot cooked rice.  Unmold it on a pretty serving plate and fill the center with black beans.  Top it with some cojito cheese and some fresh cilantro for garnish.
• Don’t forget flowers and greens to spruce up your display.  They don’t have to be in a traditional vase.  You can make your table lovely by having greens under the platters and a single flower decorating each platter.   (Make sure the flower is edible before you put it on the same plate as food.)
• Use whole seasonal produce as a centerpiece.  Pomegranates, red, orange or yellow peppers, apples, ears of corn, all kinds of berries, lemons and limes add great color and texture to a table.  A big elevated bowl of beautiful apples in the center of the table is a gorgeous display that doubles as a healthy snack!

Use your imagination.  Take conventional household items and use them in unconventional ways.  Make it a party to remember!

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How do you eat your Hummus? That wonderful, creamy mixture of smashed chickpeas, sesame tahini, olive oil, herbs and spices? Most folks eat it like a dip with flat bread or pita, crackers or vegetables. Here’s a twist. The next time you reach for mustard, catsup (ketchup) or mayonnaise – STOP! Look for your hummus instead. 

Yes, that’s right, hummus on your turkey breast, roast beef or even ham sandwich.  It’s healthier and tastier than just about any sandwich topper you can think up.

Healthy? It has less than 1/3 of the fat in regular mayonnaise and a tad less than low fat mayo. Mustard and ketchup can’t hold a spoon to the nutritional value either. And did I mention tasty? Think of all the flavor variations! Kalamata olive, roasted red pepper, garlic, caramelized onion, roasted pine nut, extra spicy and many others that you can dream up on your own.

As a matter of fact, hummus has matured in recent years here in the North East. Grocery stores now carry numerous brands, flavors and styles to suit your tastes. Hummus isn’t that little container of overly vinegared (preserved) mush it once was (unless, of course, you like it that way). It’s smooth, creamy and tastes oh so fresh.

And if you’re adventurous, easy to make as well. Here’s a simple hummus recipe that can be adjusted with any flavors you wish. And you can even substitute ground chickpea flour for canned in a pinch. See After Recipe.

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You don’t need to wait in line at a deli or yearn for the weekend just to have a delicious egg sandwich for breakfast. Here’s a quick tip to get your egg sandwich up and running and its healthier than going to that fast food joint for an Egg McMuffin.

Do you like veggies with your eggs? Here’s a way to prep them ahead of time and make your mornings easier. Grab an onion from the pantry and a pepper from the fridge. Now take your favorite knife or food processor and dice them up.

Next, take a cookie sheet that will fit into your freezer. Place a sheet of wax paper or a silicon pad on it and then spread out the diced veggies evenly so there aren’t any big clumps. Then place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 1-2 hours until the individual dices are frozen. Now you can place the veggies into a Ziplock freezer bag, favorite Tupperware or other freezer container and save in the freezer.

When morning comes (or any other time of day) reach in and take out what you need for a quick sauté, or microwave until heated through. Add to your eggs, cook and go.

If you don’t want your onions and peppers mixed, process them separately.

Don’t forget to try other combinations of veggies, just make sure the dice is small enough to allow for quick cooking. You can also find pre-diced veggies in your grocers freezer section. There’s no reason why you can’t have a quick, healthy breakfast that isn’t complicated or boring.

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Friday night my husband and I decided to check out Hudson Valley Restaurant Week.  We poured over the restaurant list on the web site and finally decided on The Ship Lantern Inn in Milton.  Their menu looked very good and they had a table waiting for us. 

I usually tell myself not to eat the bread that’s delivered before eating my meal so I don’t fill up on it.  (I always eat it anyway)  The bread was delivered hot and crusty.  It was worth blowing my appetite for!  They also put a tray of crudite out.  You don’t see veggies offered with your bread too often anymore but It kept me from filling up on the yummy bread.  

For the first course, I chose Gnocchi alla Toscana with Butternut Squash, Prosciutto and Sage.  My Husband had the Roasted Vegetable, Wild Mushroom and Montrachet Cheese Strudel with Chive Infused Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Glaze.   My Gnocchi was barely dressed and would have been delicious by itself.  The squash was al dente. The prosciutto and sage added just the right touch.  I devoured the dish of light, fluffy pillows.  My husbands’ strudel was also delicious, although I only got one taste so I can’t really go into detail about it.  We always share a few bites, but the strudel was so good, he got a little greedy.

My husband decided on Manchego Cheese Filled Breast of Airline Chicken with Graham’s Port, braised Endive and Dried Cherry Compote for his main course.  After giving my my token taste, he proceeded to devour every morsel.  I chose Scaloppine of Pork Saltunbocca with Madeira Wine and Fine Herb Jus.  Both were served with whipped potatoes and sauted mixed vegetables.   I decided to save room for dessert and asked for a doggy bag.

Dessert was easy.  The Raspberry Scented Swiss Chocolate Mousse Filled Profiteroles and Bailey’s and Espresso Ice Cream Cake were staring us down.  My profiteroles were nestled on a bed of raspberry sauce that was just the right blend of sweet and tart.  If plate licking wasn’t considered a faux pas, lets just say they would have been clean.

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week runs through March 21.  A three course lunch at selected restaurants is $16.09.  Three course dinner is $26.09.  Be sure to call first to ensure you can get a table. 

www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com

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     Valentines Day has a reputation for being a high pressure day for the guys.  It can be difficult to decide what will make the day sweet for the one they love.  I decided to make it easy for my husband.  I convinced him to take me to the Palisades Mall for the World Chocolate Expo.  I got the best of both worlds.  We got to sample some great chocolate, wine and pastry, and I got to shop!!!  It also saved him from having to make reservations on Valentines Day, a day I would rather spend at home.

     The highlight of the World Chocolate Expo had to be the Wine and Chocolate Pairings demo presented by the owner of A Wine for All in Orangeburg.  We were each given a cup to sample the wines and four pieces of Dove chocolate.  We learned that you want the wine to be slighltly sweeter than the chocolate, although there are those who contradict this.  After each dessert wine was poured, we were instructed to taste the chocolate that matched the wine.  Let it melt in your mouth and hit your entire tongue.  I have never tried to match wine to chocolate, but I am a fan of sweet dessert wines so I was a happy girl.       

     The first wine we tasted was Yalumba Muscat "Museum Reserve" Frotified NV 375 Australia.  This was sweet so it paired nicely with the chocolate caramel that was suggested.  We enjoyed the chocolate and it didn’t overwealm the wine.      

     We tried Dashe Late Harvest Zinfandel NV, Dry Creek Valley CA 375 ml with a piece of dark chocolate.  The chocolate is not too sweet and although the wine is a late harvest, meaning the grapes are picked when they have a very high sugar content, the wine wasn’t overly sweet.  The combination was wonderful.           

    The biggest surprise was when he had us taste a piece of dark chocolate with a red  non dessert wine.  Layer Cake ‘06 Primitivo "AKA Zinfandel, 750 ml Puglia Italy is more dry than I usually drink and tasting it on its own, I detected too much tannin.  When I tasted the chocolate and let it coat my entire mouth, then tasted the wine, I didn’t notice the tannis so much and was able to appreciate the complexity of the wine. 

    We finished with a tasting of Sabra Chocolate Orange Liqueur from Israel.   We tasted this with the milk chocolate.  The sweetness of the wine and the fat content of the chocolate were a good marriage.  We were told that this is outstanding with a piece of chocolate dipped candied orange peel.  You get an explosion of orange and chocolate in your mouth.   Who needs dessert when the wine is this good. 

 A Wine for All is located at 516 Rt 303 in Orangeburg New York.  Their web site is www.Idrinkwine.com

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