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

We went to the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck this past Sunday for Maple Weekend.  It was wonderful.  We got to stand in the evaporator and take in the maple scented air.  We sampled fresh maple syrup right out of the evaporator.  We took a walk through the grounds to see the tapped trees, and we had a yummy meal of pancakes, sausage and fresh maple syrup. 

There were many people purchasing honey and maple products from Remsberger Maple Farm and Apiary.  The question of the day is this…What do I do with the syrup and sugar now that I have a years worth?

There are a few really easy applications, such as top your ice cream or yogurt with maple syrup.  It’s delicious and when you use a good quality low fat unsweetened yogurt, you have control over what you’re eating.  Instead of a spoonful of sugar on your oatmeal, try maple syrup!  The next time you make an apple cobbler, replace some of the sugar in the topping with maple sugar. 

Here’s a nice way to incorporate maple into savory dishes, like salmon.

Maple Salmon on a Cedar Plank

Ingredients

4 4-6 ounce salmon filets (can be a whole filet or individual pieces)

Salt + pepper

1/4 cup real maple syrup

1 lemon, juice and zest

1/4 cup chopped parsely

At least one hour before you are ready to grill, soak your cedar planks in water.  This can be done in the morning for dinner tonight.  You need a good soaking inorder to get enough smoke to nicely flavor the fish.

Fire up your grill to 350-400. 

Combine maple syrup, lemon juice, some of the zest and parsley.  (Taste before adding all of the lemon, adjusting to your liking)

Place the cedar planks on the grill.  Close the grill for up to 2 minutes to allow the planks to start smoking.

Lay fish on planks, but be careful not to crowd the fish.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Brush some of the maple mixture on the fish. 

Cook with the cover closed for 15-18 minutes, until the fish flakes with a fork.  (The fish will be cooked through and will have a nice smokey flavor)

While the fish is cooking, put the maple mixture in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  This will concentrate the flavors for a final glaze.

Using a clean brush, baste with the maple mixture before serving. 

Garnish with a wedge of lemon and more fresh parsley.

No problem if you don’t have a grill or just want to cook this in your oven.  Place the soaked cedar plank on a baking sheet.  Set the sheet in a 350 oven for up to 5 minutes to get the plank heating.   These are the only changes to the grill instructions. 

If you don’t want to use the cedar plank, just place the fish in a Pyrex container and bake the prepared fish for 15-18 minutes in a 350 oven.

If you like your fish rare rather than cooked through,  start checking the fish after 10 minutes. 

Note: Only use cedar that is sold for cooking.  Cedar from a lumber yard has been treated with chemicals.

Maple Weekend continues this weekend, March 28 and 29 at the Fairgrounds.

www.remsburgermaple.com/

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When you think of Sunday morning breakfast, the first things that come to mind are the mouthwatering aromas of coffee brewing, bacon or sausage frying, and yummy maple syrup that will blanket a pile of fluffy pancakes. It’s a nice relaxing breakfast, or late brunch if you like to indulge in a little extra sleep. 

Most of us have had real bacon, sausage and coffee.  However, maple syrup is a different story.  More people use grocery store brands like Aunt Jemima and Mrs Butterworths, which consist of high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and assorted chemicals, than the real thing. They don’t know what they’re missing.  Once you try real maple syrup, you won’t want to go back.  First of all, there’s the taste.  It’s all natural.  Sure, man has has to coax that flavor out, but it’s worth the wait, and the price!  Real maple syrup is also a healthy food.  (Healthy like dark chocolate though, so you don’t want to live on the stuff)  Maple syrup is an excellent source of manganese and a good source of zinc.  Both help boost our immune system, so skip pancake syrup and use the real deal. 

If you like candied sweet potatoes, glazed carrots or a glazed baked ham, maple syrup is the sweetener to use.  Yea, brown sugar tastes good too, but it doesn’t have the character of pure maple.  You can use it in most recipes that call for a sweetener.  It makes a delicious topping for ice cream, yogurt and oatmeal too.  (It’s also really good on pancakes and waffles)

Canadians will say theirs is better, but I say go with the local stuff.

Remsburger Maple Farm is having their annual Maple Festival March 21-22 and 28-29 from 9:00 am to 4:00pm at the Dutchess County Fairgounds.

Watch them make maple syrup.  The aroma coming from the sugar shack is intoxicating.  I wish I had a sugar shack in my back yard!   Save room for some pancakes, I know we will!

(The maple cotton candy is awesome!  And don’t forget to check out the honey too)

http://remsburgermaple.com/

Who would want to eat a scoop of high fructose corn syrup pecan ice cream anyway?

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     This post we look at what Jenny Craig has to offer the folks who want to lose weight using a commercial diet system.

     Compared to NutriSystem, the biggest difference between programs is that Jenny Craig comes with different levels of counseling and support which you get to choose depending on how much money you want to spend to lose weight.  From what folks have said in reviews the food is much more expensive as well. You also have to become a "member" which allows you to order the food and includes a fee, of course.

     One reviewer described the counselors as not having any connection to their clients because they had "been thin all their lives" and couldn’t possibly understand what it is to fight with weight issues. Other reviews described the counselors as being "so large they couldn’t possibly have used Jenny Crag themselves. So how do you know it works?"

     Other reviewers describe high-pressured selling tactics to drag them into the highest level program as fast as possible. Is this a diet program or a used car lot?

     As for the food, it was also a mixed bag. Many reviews describe the food as being terrible. Others loved it. Everyone has their own tastes. On a positive note, some dieters have responded that they lost weight more gradually and had an easier time adjusting their eating habits to what was expected of them for the diet to succeed.

     But you’re still spending $150-175 or more on food for one person. And from what we’ve heard this doesn’t include the shipping costs. So, if you have a family of 4 on this program it would be close to $800 per week!

     Sticking with a diet or lifestyle change needs to be a positive move otherwise it will more than likely fail. If you dread the food you won’t stick with the program and you’ll hit the cookie aisle for a bag of Oreos! (By the way, there is nothing wrong with a little indulgence!)

     Do a search on Yahoo! or Google for Jenny Craig reviews and you’ll find dozens of Web sites that offer a huge variety of reviews from customers and, believe it or not, former employees with opinions on the program from the inside and out. You need to decide how important the Jenny Craig system will be to you reaching your goals. Because it seems there is much to sacrifice here to succeed.

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     The reality is commercial diet systems like NutriSystem, Jenny Craig and The Zone Diet want you to become dependent upon their food. This is how they make money. So, you decide to make the leap thinking that 12-18 dollars per day for food isn’t that bad. This sounds inexpensive until you add in the fact this doesn’t include your spouse or the rest of your family if you have children. So you still have more work to do to prepare meals for everyone. And you thought your food worries were eliminated?

     Jill and I have searched through various review Web sites and spoken to a number of folks who have been on these diet systems and we get very mixed responses. From the quality of the food to poor customer service to menu availability.

     We found these responses for NutriSystem:

• "A few of my friends swear by it, but it seems expensive, especially if you still have to cook separately for your family."
• "After losing 15 pounds on NutriSystem, I have gained all plus five back. The diet was OK, food ranged from decent to inedible. The pictures on the website and TV are inaccurate."
• "They are very small portions and require salad and other side dishes to complement to get full enough."
• "I dealt with almost constant problems just with getting the food I ordered. They were constantly out of things and would just send substitutions."
• "Even though I took their survey on what I can or can’t eat they still got it wrong. I said I don’t eat beef and they sent beef as a substitute and I’m allergic to nuts and they completely ignored that."
• "The food is flat out disgusting, and thats IF you get any of the entrées that actually HAVE taste."
• "I have to say I don’t think the food is so bad but I am starving from mid-afternoon to the time I finally fall asleep. I’m totally following the diet which is supposed to keep you "full and satisfied" Really the sodium is so high it should keep you so bloated you won’t want to eat anything but, no, I’m HUNGRY."

     Of course there are plenty of positive responses as well. Consider, if you are satisfied with store bought frozen dinners then you will most likely find NutriSystem’s meals fine. But if the quality of your food extends from beyond weight loss to nutrition and taste, you will most likely not feel satisfied. And if have to prepare regular style meals for the rest of your family you’ll be torturing yourself because you won’t be able to eat what they’re having for dinner.

     A Personal Chef offers you and your family a more livable option for changing the way you eat as part of a new lifestyle. We sit down with your entire family and learn about likes and dislikes, allergies, and special diets. We work one-on-one with you to create a weekly menu (usually for dinners only, but we can add lunch and breakfast too) based on what you wish to eat. You will always have the correct menu prepared unless extreme circumstances make a particular ingredient unavailable in our region. In which case we find an acceptable substitution that fits your expectations. From experience we’ve found that on rare occasions some species of fish, fruits and vegetables may not be available due to season.

     Would you prefer to conform to what a diet system offers you to eat or would rather have custom made meals that fit your dietary (lifestyle!) needs? With a Personal Chef preparing healthy, delicious meals for you, even if you do decide to have store bought, "healthy" frozen dinners for lunch, you’ll have a fantastic dinner to look forward to 5 nights each week.

     Please explore NutriSystem and other diet programs for yourself and find other folks who have enrolled in these programs so you can make an informed decision for yourself.

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Gobble gobble gobble

First we stuffed the bird, then we stuffed ourselves.  It’s inevitable that we’ll be eating turkey sandwiches for the next week.  I don’t know about you, but I actually like a nice fresh turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving.  

If that sounds like a fate worse than death, here are a few ideas.  If you aren’t feeling creative, or you just don’t like to cook, the easiest option is to package meal-sized servings of turkey, stuffing or potatoes and gravy in Tupperware, then stick it in the freezer.  Pull it out the day before you’re planning on eating it, and just nuke it.  Instant easy meal after a long day of holiday shopping.  I like some of the other options a little better.  Turkey Pot Pie, Turkey Chili, Turkey Soup, Turkey Salad, Turkey Stir Fry, Turkey Tacos, Turkey Fajitas, Turkey Croquettes, Turkey Hash, or just have the old stand by…Hot Turkey Sandwiches.  You could even use it for breakfast by adding it to the filling for you Sunday morning omlet. 

Keep in mind that the turkey isn’t the only thing you can get creative with.  You can use the potatoes or the stuffing as a topping for your pot pie.  The veggies can go into a pot of soup.  Even the cranberries can be transformed.  Mix them into a container of cool whip, spoon them into a dessert dish and top with crushed graham crackers or chopped walnuts.  Top some non-fat vanilla yogurt with a spoonful of cranberries and sprinkle with granola for a healthy breakfast or snack. 

(If you have any pie left, your best bet is to eat it or freeze it.)

If you like some of these ideas, but don’t want to spend another day cooking until next Thanksgiving, give me a call.  We can schedule a cook date and whip up something delicious with your leftovers. 

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My husband and I are on a hummus kick.  It's one of the healthiest dips out there.  What could be bad about chick peas, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and tahini?  Add some roasted garlic, olives, roasted red peppers or pine nuts and it's even better.  There are so many things you can do with hummus. 

Making it is easy.  If you have a blender or a Magic Bullet, now is the time to break them in if you haven’t used them lately.  The easiest way to make a batch is to drain and rinse a can of chick peas.  Put the chick peas into the blender with a few teaspoons of tahini, the juice of half a lemon, a few teaspoons of olive oil, a few cloves of garlic, a bit of cumin and add enough water to almost cover the chick peas.  Then blend them until you have a nice smooth paste.  Taste it to see if you have enough tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and to see if you need salt.  You can add just about anything to the blender for additional flavor.  Once you like the flavor, pour it onto a plate and stir it with the back of a spoon to make a groove.  Sprinkle your toppings, additional chick peas, pine nuts, roasted red peppers, carmelized onions, sun dried tomatoes, spices, you get the idea, then drizzle with really good olive oil.  It’s now ready to devour.  (If you don’t have the 5 minutes it takes to make a basic batch of hummus, Cedars is good, Sabra is great, but yours will be the best ever!)

The possibilities are endless as to how to eat hummus.  You can scoop it up with fresh pita, baked pita chips, tortilla chips, baby carrots, sliced veggies, a spoon,  your fingers.  Just don’t double dip!  You can make a sandwich by placing lettuce, tomato, cucumber and whatever other veggies you have on hand into a pita pocket.  Spoon some hummus in and enjoy.  If you have any leftover, spread it on bread instead of mayo for a roast beef or turkey sandwich.  I haven’t tried it for breakfast yet, but that veggie hummus sandwich sure sounds good.

We haven’t tried brushing our teeth with it, but the Zohan seems to like it.  (If you haven’t seen Don’t Mess With The Zohan with Adam Sandler, check it out.  He does some really strange things with hummus.) 

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When we’re on the go we like to eat our eggs on a sandwich, right? But cooking eggs in a frying pan isn’t conducive to fitting on your English muffin, bagel or kaiser roll without some part of the egg dangling out. Here’s some tips on how to make your eggs behave.

Frying pans, griddle irons and microwaves are the most popular methods of cooking eggs. So how does McDonald’s keep their eggs in a nice little circle so it will fit onto an Egg McMuffin? I can’t say for certain, but I know how you can do it at home. If you’re using a frying pan or griddle iron you need something that will stand up to heat and not damage your cookware. An egg poacher is one option. It usually comes as a unit for up to four eggs. If you’re poaching eggs, you would fill a sauté pan with water so that it just covers the poacher. Once the water reaches a slow boil, break open one egg and place them into each round. Poached eggs usually have a soft yolk center, but you can cook them longer to firm it up.

You can also use the poacher if you plan on frying an egg as well. The important thing to remember is to use a low heat setting and you must cover the frying pan or poacher unit on the griddle to allow for even heat distribution and complete cooking. Use some non-stick spray or spread a tablespoon of olive oil (or other cooking oil) on the surface of the pan where the poacher will sit. Crack open an egg for each round and then cover. You eggs should be done in 5-7 minutes. This will also work if you have a large cookie cutter or donut cutter.

Now, what if you want to use a microwave? I’ll bet you have a soup crock in your cupboard that will do the trick. Measure the bottom of the crock to the English muffin, bagel or roll to make sure its the right size. If it is, your good to go. Spray the crock with cooking spray or coat with a small amount of cooking oil, crack an egg into the crock, place it into the microwave and place a paper towel or other cover over the top of the crock (no metal please!). In this case the cover is to avoid having the egg coat the inside of your microwave. The trick with cooking an egg in the microwave is to turn on the microwave in 30-45 second increments to try and avoid the egg exploding. As a quick explanation, the microwave heats foods up by making the water molecules dance around really fast. This causes steam, and if the steam doesn’t escape before the egg solidifies, it can burst out. Don’t worry. This explosion won’t damage anything; just make a mess if you don’t cover the crock. Stop cooking when the egg has reached the consistency you want. Remember, each microwave is different so you’ll have to use your better judgment and knowledge of your machine. Please Note: The egg doesn’t always explode. This is a precaution.

Now that your egg is cooked, grab some cheese, your bread of choice and off you go.

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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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