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

     Sugar Snap Pea season is in full swing. If you have the opportunity to buy them fresh from a farm stand like Migliorelli’s in Red Hook or Rhinebeck, the Rhinebeck Farmer’s Market, Hyde Park Farmer’s Market or get the chance to pick your own, do so quick before you miss out. Otherwise, check you local grocery store. Find your local farm market in New York.

     If you don’t know what a sugar snap pea is, they look like snow peas, but they have full-size peas still inside and totally edible shell and all. You can usually find them alongside snow peas in your market. They also make a great snack to go along with baby carrots – just wash, trim the stem end and eat!

     They also make an awesome quick side dish, salad topper or main dish. Here are 4 ways to help make dinnertime fast and tasty! One idea leads to another and another and…

Sugar Snap Pea Side Dish (Step 1)

1 lb of sugar snap peas
1-2 medium size onions – sliced
3-6 garlic cloves – sliced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
(Optional) – Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat

     Saute onions in olive oil for 1-2 minutes on medium heat in a wok or sautee pan. Add garlic and sugar snap peas. Continue sauteeing until the garlic is soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. You’re done. This side dish is extremely flavorful and easy to make.

But wait! Here’s another idea…

Sugar Snap Pea Salad Topper with Dressing

Ingredients from Step 1 and…
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

     Spoon the side dish above into a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard and 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil (Or use your Magic Bullet, blender or food processor instead of a whisk). Toss with the snap pea side dish and refrigerate for 10 minutes, just long enough to cool. Serve over your favorite salad greens.

But there’s more…

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     I’ve had many inquiries about cooking for a Vegetarian.  It’s not as difficult as it sounds.  Most of us eat at least one Vegetarian meal a week. 

     When’s the last time you had Eggplant Parmigan?  Yup, it’s a Vegetarian meal.  Bean Burritos, Fettuccini Alfredo, Veggie Omelets or Quiche are all Vegetarian meals that don’t require any special ingredients.  Now there are plenty of ingredients that you either need to purchase or make yourself for other dishes, but many Vegetarian meals can be prepared easily by anyone with just a few kitchen skills.  The really hard part is making sure the meal is balanced.  Many Vegetarians don’t get enough protein, and alternately have too much fat or carbs in their diets. 

     I’ve seen the Vegetarian offerings at restaurants.  Some get it right and offer delicious, nutritionally complete meals.  While most just offer a veggie burger or a veggie plate.  Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and rice.  Now THAT’S going to make me want to give up meat?!

     What makes matters worse for many Vegetarians is having to prepare meals for themselves and the meat eaters in the house.  It’s just too much work!  Nobody wins.  How does someone who doesn’t eat meat prepare a chicken dish?  I know I taste everything I make.  There are a few foods that can substitute easily for meat.  Seitan and tofu are good sources of protein.  When prepared properly, they’re both delicious!  I know what you’re thinking… TOFU????? YUK!  It has no flavor, and I don’t like the texture.  Not so if you do it right!  If you want your tofu to taste good, you need to infuse it with flavor. 

     Place a skillet over medium heat.  Add your choice of flavors.  Soy sauce and toasted sesame oil are really nice for Oriental dishes.  Heat the sauce then add cubed, dried tofu to the skillet.  Allow the tofu to cook for a few minutes, until at least half the sauce is absorbed and the tofu starts to brown.  Flip the pieces over and continue to cook until all the sauce is absorbed and the tofu is browned on the bottom.  Remove from skillet and prepare the rest of your dinner.  Toss tofu cubes in at the end to avoid breaking the tofu.  (If you don’t use all of the tofu, you can top a tossed salad with it for lunch the next day)

     You can use any marinade you like to get similar results.  Think pesto, a nice vinaigrette, any Indian spice mix with a bit of oil.  The options are endless and delicious!

     Call us to set up a cook date!  We can whip up healthy meals for homes with both Vegetarians and meat eaters.

     For more information on adding green to your diet, check out www.greenyourdiet.org  

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     In the 10 years I’ve lived in Dutchess County I’ve seen a small explosion of Asian restaurants and Asian grocery stores that have really expanded my interest in Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Indian cuisines. As chefs this is fantastic because we are able to buy ingredients at these stores that just aren’t found at Stop and Shop, Hannaford or Price Chopper, which allows us to prepare truly authentic dishes for our clients (and ourselves) without traveling to Westchester, New York City or Northern New Jersey.

     But who would have guessed we would be lucky enough to have a Burmese restaurant open up…in Hyde Park! 

     Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is sandwiched between China, Thailand, Laos, India, Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. And you’re correct if you guessed that Burmese food is influenced by these surrounding countries, yet it has a flair all of its own.

     KT Sushi is located in the small shopping center across from Twist and the former Amish Market in Hyde Park on Route 9. Amish Market was one of our favorite grocery stores because you could find some interesting specialty foods there. But we also loved to grab a Hawaii Roll or Spicy Tuna Roll as well.

     If you miss Amish Market’s sushi bar, you can find the sushi chefs over at KT Sushi. They liked the area so much they decided to stay and open a restaurant. However, while sushi is 60% of the menu you can explore authentic dishes from Burma just a few miles from home.

     Now, while they do have a couple of tables in the back for eating there, they are built more for the takeout crowd – perfect for that quick lunch or dinner.

     Our favorites include Spicy Beef, Green Chicken Curry and Burmese Noodle Soup which is a delightful blend of chicken, egg, scallions, lemon juice, and noodles in a coconut milk broth.

     We find inspiration for menu items that we offer you from our own experiences. We’re currently perfecting some Burmese dishes and we’ll be adding Burmese recipes to our list later this year.
 

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On our way home from our cook date Tuesday afternoon, we decided to check out the Rhinebeck Health Food store.  We were very pleasantly surprised to find ramps and fiddlehead ferns.  After checking out the rest of the store, we decided to purchase some of each. 

Tonight was our first try at both this year.   We cooked fiddleheads a few years ago but we’ve never had ramps.  I did a quick internet search for recipes and got a few ideas.  Fiddleheads can be used in many recipes that call for broccoli and asparagus and they lend themselves nicely to oriental dishes, so since we were making cedar plank salmon with a wasabi soy glaze and healthy fried rice for dinner, the fiddleheads made a really nice vegetable side dish.  I blanched them for a few minutes until the were nice and tender then tossed them in a hot skillet with olive oil.  I added 3 sliced ramps to the pan, sprinkled a pinch of salt and that was it! 

We bought enough ramps to last us a few weeks, but only enough fiddleheads for dinner tonight, so I guess we have to go back for more while they’re available. 

Just a note…neither have a very long shelf life, but I’m storing the ramps in my new Tupperware FridgeSmart container.  I’ve had mushrooms last for literally weeks and lettuce keeps until we actually finish it, so the ramps should be good until we finish them too.  No more wasted produce for us!

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Don’t you just crave that wonderfully crunchy, creamy, shrimp toast that you can order at your favorite Chinese Restaurant? We don’t want to know what’s in them. Nope.

But there is hope for shrimp toast lovers who are on a strict diet. Here’s a recipe that is baked, not fried, and we can contest is VERY GOOD. This has been adapted from an AARP recipe. Instead of using white bread we chose to use pita or Indian naan. The higher the dietary fiber the better. The recipe has a more satisfying crunch with Pita or naan flatbread…and it’s healthier. Why did we use naan instead of white bread? We actually don’t keep it in the house!

The taste is very close to the fried version and should definitely fill your craving.

• 12 ounces pre-cooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 thin slices white bread 2-3 Pita or Indian Naan
• tablespoons melted butter
• Fresh cilantro leaves and toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the shrimp until finely chopped. Add egg white, cilantro, scallion, cornstarch, ginger, and salt. Pulse several more times until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

2. Lightly brush both sides of each flatbread with melted butter. Cut each flatbread into 8 triangles like a pizza. If your naan is oval you’ll need to be creative making wedges. Spread shrimp mixture over each of the triangles, distributing evenly. (You can skip the butter and it will still come out fine.)

3. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown. Note: The top of the shrimp toast may not turn golden brown due to the cilantro. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired.

Make-ahead tip: Make shrimp toast topping up to a day in advance and refrigerate until ready to use.

Nutrients per serving (1 toast). Will vary if using flat bread and skipping the butter.

• Calories 42
• Protein 4g
• Carbohydrate 3g
• Fat 2g
• Dietary fiber 0g
• Cholesterol 31mg
• Sodium 118mg

Baked shrimp toast makes a great appetizer, snack or even a light lunch, i.e. finger sandwiches. Ask Chef Jill to add them to your next cookdate!

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