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

Celery Soda is definitely an acquired taste. Though, not too difficult to acquire. I think the biggest obstacle is equating the stalk with the drink. We already use celery in our juicers creating health drinks made from a concoction of fruits and vegetables. So creating soda pop from celery shouldn’t be too great a leap of faith!

As far as I know, the only manufacturer of celery soda, spelled Cel-Ray, in the northeast United States is Dr. Brown’s. This has been my favorite for years. But, living in the Hudson Valley, I can only find it at limited locations. Stop and Shop happens to be one of them.

We’ve recently become owners and fans of the SodaStream soda maker. This home carbonating system is perfect for the everyday soda drinker who enjoys fresh soda without the hassle of buying, storing and returning bottles.

While SodaStream has a fantastic assortment of soda flavors, they don’t have Celery Soda. We’ve adapted Alton Brown’s Celery Soda recipe for newbies. We suggest you go with the lighter version here if you want to try some celery soda for yourself. If you want a full strength celery soda, please use 1 tablespoon of freshly ground celery seed. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 tablespoon freshly ground celery seed
• SodaStream Soda water

Directions

Place the sugar and the water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to combine. Continue to stir frequently until all of the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the celery seed, cover and allow to steep for 1 hour. Strain using a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof container. Place in the refrigerator, uncovered, until completely cool. Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator and store for up to 6 months.

To use, add 8.5 tablespoons of syrup to 1 liter SodaStream carbonated water. We like to use little plastic squirt bottles you can find at kitchen supply stores

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     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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     Every so often we get a craving for pancakes for dinner. This becomes breakfast for dinner as we have eggs or some kind of meat (sausage, bacon, ham or Canadian bacon) to go with them. Then comes the warm maple syrup or fruit preserves.

     But pancakes don’t require a sweet topping. Why not a savory pancake? With a savory topping and/or filling? Crepes can be savory. Blini filled with meat (thus blintzes) can be savory.

     So we set out to create a savory pancake. We adapted a recipe from the Joy Of Cooking for a cornmeal pancake to go along with a smoked baby clam cream sauce. Smoked baby clams, smoked baby mussels, or smoked scallops can be found in most grocery stores.

Savory Cornmeal Pancakes

1 1/4 Cups yellow cornmeal, prefer fine, stone ground
3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 Teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons salt
1/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper

1 2/3 Cups milk
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, melted
2 Large eggs

Additions:
2 Tablespoons of finely chopped chives
3/4 cup of corn, drained

Whisk the dry ingredients (items 1-5) in one bowl, wet ingredients in another bowl (items 4-8). Pour wet ingredients on top of dry and whisk together until just combined. Batter will be thin. Stir in chives and corn.

You can make any size pancake that you wish. We prefer to make them about the size of a Hellman’s Mayonnaise jar lid (screw on lid, 32 oz jar) or standard coffee mug circumference. Cook until the top of each pancake has formed bubbles – once the bubbles have popped, flip. Cook until bottom is lightly browned.

This batch makes quite a few pancakes that can be frozen for later use. We recommend that you pre-heat your oven for 170-200 degrees to keep the pancakes warm while you finish cooking the rest.

Standard White Cream Sauce

2 Tablespoons of finely minced onion
1 Tablespoon of finely minced garlic (optional)
2 Tablespoons of butter, margarine or olive oil (or a mix)
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/4 Cups milk
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sauté onions and garlic in melted butter/margarine/olive oil for a few minutes until translucent. Whisk in flour. Stir for 2-3 minutes to slightly brown the flour butter mixture (roux). Slowly stir in milk. Once incorporated, add nutmeg. Simmer lightly, stirring frequently for 6-8 minutes. Add 1 can of smoked baby clams, smoked baby mussels or smoked scallops. Simmer and stir for another 2-3 minutes for the flavors to blend. Add salt and pepper to taste.

     Serving ideas: Serve with a grilled steak and grilled asparagus

     Kosher Option: Simply use margarine, olive oil and non-dairy creamer in place of milk products if your serving with meat. And, of course, skip the shell fish and pick up some Kosher smoked fish like lox or trout!

     Vegetarian Option: Saute mushrooms instead of fish and use liquid smoke for the sauce. If you don’t have liquid smoke, sprinkle smoked salt on top of the sauce just before serving

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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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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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     If you do a search for a Creamy Pinto Bean Soup online you will find dozens of recipes. As we usually do, we found a recipe that sounded good and tested it out. By itself it was an excellent soup. But we wanted to make it for dinner and have it be satisfying as well as a well-rounded meal.  

     The soup is a delightful, creamy soup without any chunks as it’s pureed in the blender, a food processor, Magic Bullet or trusty hand-blender. What we did to maximize the meal-worthiness of the soup is add a topping. Just as Campbell’s Soup suggests that you can top their Tomato Soup with anything you want, you can do the same with this Creamy Pinto Bean Soup.

First we’ll start with the Soup:

2 cups sodium-free vegetable broth or bean stock (Use Beef Stock for a heartier taste to go with the topping)
1 cup water
2/3 cup chopped onion
3-4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped (size depending on how hot you like it), or a pinch of Cayenne.
3 cups cooked pinto beans (You can use 2 cans of pinto beans, drained)
1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped or use canned tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
3/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) 

1.  Pour stock in pot. On Medium heat, soften the onions, garlic and pepper in stock and water for 5-10 minutes. Prepare other ingredients.

2.  Add remaining ingredients except salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, mostly covered, 10-15 minutes.

3.  In 2 batches, puree the soup in a food processor until creamy. Add salt to taste, if desired.

4.  Return to pot and keep over low heat until ready to serve.

Now for the topping:

1/2 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 cup Diced Green and Red Peppers
1/2 cup Scallions, Diced or Onions
1/2 cup Canned Corn
1/2 cup Zucchini Squash or Fresh Tomatoes Diced
1/2 package of Taco Seasoning or make your own – or use Penzey’s Rojo Taco Seasoning (Our Favorite) 
 (If you prefer to use the whole package of taco seasoning just double the recipe and have leftovers!)

1.  Prepare the Beef according to seasoning packet.
2.  Add remaining ingredients and cook until the vegetables are the desired softness.

     Optional Ingredients: Sour Cream, Guacamole, Lime Juice, Chopped Cilantro Leaves, Cotija Cheese (Mexican Cheese like Romano) or Shredded Monterrey Jack or Cheddar.

     Serve the soup in large shallow serving soup bowls. Spoon 1/2 cup or desired amount of topping in the middle of the soup. It will sink so pile it up. Top this with Sour Cream or Guacamole and a sprinkle of Cilantro. Then squeeze lime juice in the soup around the topping followed by a sprinkling of cheese. Serve with Nacho Chips or some Crusty Bread. Fantastic!!!

     Prep and cook time 30 minutes for soup/45 minutes overall. Serves 4-6.

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     Pizza is by far the number one food served for a Super Bowl Party. You could order out for it, but you may not know what everyone wants on their pizza. And it’s cold by the time you go for seconds. Here’s a way to create a pizza buffet without keeping the oven on all night long, yet folks can enjoy hot, delicious pizza their way!

     Grilled Pizza is quick and easy and you can get started making the shells tonight. First of all, very important. If you don’t have an interest in standing in the freezing cold in front of your barbecue grill and you don’t have a stove top grill pan, you may want to go out and get one. They’re relatively inexpensive ($20-30) and very useful all year round.

     Then buy some pizza dough and toppings from your local megamart. Your going to make 8 individual pizzas out of each dough ball. So estimate how many your guests may eat and buy accordingly.

     When you get home let the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours or until the dough rises and looks nice and fluffy from all the yeast activity. Spread some flour on your work surface and punch down your dough with your knuckles. Then form it back into a ball. Now take your pastry dough cutter, or a knife if you don’t have one, and quarter the dough and then half each of the quarters so you have 8 little dough balls.

     In the meantime, get your grill pan hot – use medium heat. Or start up your barbecue – on low for now. You can also spray some oil on the surface just before placing the dough.

     Spread a small amount of additional flour as needed on your work surface. You can either take a rolling pin and roll out each dough ball, or do it by hand to give it a more rustic look. If by hand, punch the dough down with your knuckles. Then grab an edge of the dough, lifting it off the surface. Place your fingers of both hands next to each other and lightly stretch apart. Don’t pull too hard or too far or you’ll put a hole in the dough. Gravity will be pulling and stretching the dough downward. Go around the dough at least once. You’re trying to make the dough into a rough circle but not too thin. Place back on the surface and spray cooking oil on one side of the dough. This side will be going down on the grill pan first.

     Take the dough by one edge, hands apart. You want to lay the dough’s bottom oiled edge onto the far side of the pan allowing it to "stick" so you can stretch the dough over as far as possible to the other side of the pan. Don’t worry, when the dough is cooked it won’t continue to stick to the surface. The pizza dough will cook fast, only a few minutes on each side. And you’ll have nice grill marks to show for it. Repeat with all your dough. You can wrap them in plastic and keep them at room temperature until the next day or put them in the fridge (but let them come back to room temperature before cooking because this way the toppings will cook faster and more evenly).

     On Super Bowl Sunday set up your pizza buffet line. The dough is already cooked so all you’re doing is making sure that the cheese melts and the toppings heat up. You can use your oven, broiler, toaster oven, specialized pizza counter cooker, frying pan or grill pan to reheat. If using a frying pan or grill pan, use a pot cover that doesn’t fit securely and allows air circulation, yet retains heat so the toppings heat through. A lower heat setting is best so you don’t burn the crust.

Important Note: Don’t put any raw foods on your dough – please cook them first!

 This works great for any party or sporting event (football, baseball, hockey, basketball, soccer).

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     Helloooo Salad! As Norton from the Honeymooners would say if he were addressing his salad instead of a baseball. We always fall back on the tried and true salad to cut back on our calories and fat when we’re looking to drop a few pounds. Besides, a big hearty salad tastes really good every once in a while.

     But the best way to blow the salad ideal is overload it with toppings. Gobs of shredded cheese, too many croutons and who has the time to measure a serving size of dressing anyway. Grab the bottle and pour on the goopy goodness!

     For one, skip the croutons and go for a small dinner roll. Choose a lower fat cheese. And if you can, make your own salad dressing using light or extra virgin olive oil, fresh cheeses, low fat mayonnaise, low fat cream cheese, low fat milk, low fat sour cream or low fat yogurt. and don’t forget the herbs, spices and a conservative amount of salt – to taste. (Stay tuned for some awesome salad dressing recipes in future posts). By making them yourself you avoid all those wonderful chemicals and scientific food additives.

     If you don’t have the time to make your own salad dressings or we’re not there to make them for you, here are a couple of tricks you can use to fully enjoy salad using store-bought dressings.

1. One way to avoid using too much salad dressing is to dip your fork into the dressing and then attack your lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. The last thing to hit your lips and taste buds is the dressing that has been pushed to the top of the fork.

2. Find a large enough Tupperware or Rubbermaid container that will hold enough salad for the servings you want to serve. Add salad. Measure out the suggested serving size of salad dressing. Cover tightly and shake it up! Keep shaking until the salad is covered evenly with the salad dressing. You can leave the tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and other salad foods out of the container so you can arrange them appetizingly on the salad plate after plating the lettuce.

     Of course you could use those salad spritzers when you’re on the run, but you can over spritz yourself too!

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     It’s cold and snowy outside. The wind chill is giving your goose bumps, goose bumps. You CRAVE soup! Soups are some of the most wonderful dishes to enjoy. They’re delicious, filling, and usually inexpensive to make. But they are time consuming to make as well.

     So, in the modern age we reach for a can of Progresso’s or Campbell’s. But they don’t always have the flavors you want and you may not have the right flavor in your pantry. Here is a quick solution for creating fantastic soup in only a few minutes using chicken broth you may already have waiting for you in your pantry when you don’t have the time and we haven’t cooked for you yet:

Spicy Chipotle Chicken Soup

16 oz of Chicken Broth or use Bouillon and Water (follow package directions)
1/2 – 3/4 cup of Vegetables and/or Beans
1/2 cup Cooked Chicken (optional)
1/4 cup Cooked Rice or 1/2 cup Uncooked Broken Angel Hair Pasta
1 tablespoon Chopped Cilantro (optional)
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Chipotle Powder (Can substitute Ancho or Chili Powder)
Salt and Black Pepper to taste (be careful that you taste before adding salt)

     Bring broth just to a boil in a sauce pan, turn down to a simmer. Break the pasta into 1 inch or smaller pieces. Add in all the ingredients except Cilantro.  Heat through or until pasta is soft. Add half the cilantro and cook for 1 minute. Add a dollop of sour cream (optional) or crumble in some tortilla chips and garnish with remaining cilantro. Serves 4-6. For another twist, sauté 1/4 cup of onion and 3 chopped garlic cloves before adding broth to the pan.

     If you read my Improv In The Kitchen posts you’ve noticed I like to play around with spices and make my own recipes. Frozen vegetables and canned beans are always in my freezer and pantry. You can use any combination of veggies to beans here. I had a Mexican frozen vegetable blend that had broccoli, carrots, beans, green beans and peppers in it. You can use corn and black beans or any other vegetable you have on hand. I actually used a packet of Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup as the base when I first tested this recipe out. You can use any brand chicken broth (College Inn, Swanson’s, Trader Joe’s, Wolfgang Puck) or even your own.

For Vegetarians: Substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth and firm tofu for chicken. Or simply add more beans.

Greek Chicken Florentine Soup

16 oz Chicken Broth or use Bouillon and Water (follow package directions)
3/4 cup Chopped Spinach
1/2 cup Cooked Chicken (optional)
1/4 cup Cooked Rice or 1/2 cup Uncooked Broken Angel Hair Pasta
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground marjoram or 1/2 teaspoon marjoram leaves
1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (adjust to your tastes)
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Black Pepper and Salt to taste

     Add broth to sauce pan. Stir in oregano, marjoram and garlic powder and bring just to a boil, turn down to a simmer. Break the pasta into 1 inch or smaller pieces. Add in all the ingredients except Lemon Juice and Feta Cheese. Heat through or until pasta is soft. Add lemon juice and stir just before serving. Crumble feta on top when serving.

     For Vegetarians: Substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth and firm tofu or cannellini beans for chicken.     

     These soups are perfect for a quick dinner or taken to school or work for lunch the next day. Please note: Dinner’s On The Table, when cooking for clients, makes all soups from scratch. 
 

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We were asked the question whether hummus was healthier than mayonnaise. Hummus wins hands down. Here are the facts:

     Sabras Hummus, which is by far our favorite store bought hummus, has 6g fat, 1g saturated fat, and 130mg sodium for a 2 tablespoon serving.

     Regular Mayonnaise has 11g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol and 85mg sodium for just a 1 tablespoon serving!

     Low Fat Mayonnaise has 5g fat, .8g saturated fat, 5mg cholesterol and 101mg sodium for a 1 tablespoon serving.

We went to Calorieking.com for our mayonnaise information.

And if you make the hummus yourself you can control the fat and sodium even more. And you can make as many flavors of hummus as you can think of. Just use your imagination!

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     So why do  millions of folks throughout the world turn to commercial diet systems to prepare and package their food? There is very little science to what NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, The Zone Diet and Weight Watchers do. They measure quantities and package it up. Yes, some measure the glycemic index, calorie levels, etc., etc. If you sit there and measure all these variables you may as well be an accountant as a profession. My grandmother, who was a very wise woman, said "everything in moderation." Now, of course, she said this to encompass everything, not just eating. But she had the right idea. If you eat too much of anything it will cause problems. Yep, you could probably eat too much salad too. (When you’re running to the restroom late at night you’ll know why )

     And besides, commercial diet food has proven to be OK, to barely edible, to ugh, I wouldn’t feed that to me neighbors dog much less my own! So why do we torture ourselves with nasty to blah food when we can make it ourselves?

     Oh, weight (pun intended), it’s the convenience factor.

     Well, believe it or not, with a little bit of planning and a few hours time you can be your own Personal Chef and prepare your own meals and snacks so you can succeed on your own diet plan (no, lifestyle change!). Seriously, you could do this yourself. You have plastic containers like Rubbermaid and Tupperware. You probably also have Pyrex containers too. Ziplock and Glad have disposable containers and plastic bags. You have all the tools needed. This is in effect meal planning. A topic most people shy away from because they feel it is too time consuming. And meal planning is what we do as Personal Chefs.

     One Sunday every other week (or whichever day off you have) put aside 4-6 hours to prepare meals and snacks for yourself. It takes just as much discipline to do this as it does to endure the food you’d buy from the diet systems and you’ll know they taste that much better- and what’s in them! Besides, I’m only talking about making meals, not necessarily snacks. There are plenty of options out there for snacking. They even have specific 100 calorie packages too. Not to mention nature’s prepackaged items like fruit and nuts which are healthy and tasty.

     Now we say 4-6 hours when you’re cooking for one. We put aside 6-8 and sometimes up to 10 hours for a cookdate for a family of 4. In the long run it is time well spent for you. Because during the busy week all you have to do is re-heat and eat. Then pop the dishes into the dishwasher.

     When you have your meals planned, mapped out for you throughout the week, you’re more likely to stick with it, especially if you enjoy what you’ll be eating instead of dreading it.

     Ultimately, if you’re looking to lose weight you’re better off adjusting your activity levels and watching what and how much you eat instead of counting calories. Because counting calories is an inexact science anyway. And do what my Grandmother used to say – eat everything in moderation.

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     Both Jill and I were snow bound, sick bunnies last night. The first time in years we hadn’t spent New Year’s Eve with friends. And we found ourselves without a store-bought onion soup mix to make a dip with. (Shutter to think of it!)

     So, I hit the pantry. We keep brown gravy mix on hand when we get lazy and don’t want to make gravy from scratch for ourselves, check. We have dehydrated onion flakes on hand for many uses, particularly when making tuna salad. Why? Because you get all the delicious onion flavor without the strong onion taste that can overwhelm the salad.  Check. A little fresh cracked pepper, check. And my secret ingredient – mustard oil. Just a drop. It adds a cool little bite and an unusually interesting flavor.

     You don’t need any extra salt because the brown gravy mix has it already.

16 oz Sour Cream
3 Tablespoons Onion flakes, Dehydrated
1 Tablespoon Brown Gravy Mix (Or Powdered Vegetable Bouillon if vegetarian)
Pepper to Taste
1 Teaspoon Mustard Oil (optional)

     Always taste the recipe. If you feel you want more brown gravy mix, add a teaspoon, mix and taste. If you think it needs more, repeat. If you want to explore, look for other ingredients in your spice cabinet. Cajun? Dry Mustard?Chili Powder? Have fun with it. Now grab your chips and veggies and your set!

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     It’s days like this that remind me of my teenage years. Snowed in and nowhere to go. Granted today the car is in the shop and I have a doosy of a cold (thanks Jill!).

     Well, back when I was 15-16 years old, school was out due to snow and we didn’t have a car to cruise around in (it’s amazing how well a 10-speed bike worked for transportation back then), so I’d hang out with a friend at his house (Hey Pete Ruzzo, where are you!) watching movies and  scrounging through the cupboards for something to eat.

     Pete’s Mom had lots of Campbell’s Soup. And a full spice cabinet. So we experimented. We started off doctoring up one can of soup. Made it WAAAAYYY too spicy. I think it was split pea and ham. We would then stretch the soup with a can of something else. Was it Pepper Pot? Can’t remember. We went so far as to finally mix in one last soup and not overdo the spices. By the time we finished we weren’t eating dinner that night. This scenario repeated itself probably half a dozen times over a few years. It was a blast.

     And we got to catch up on a few movies too!

     My moral for this story is don’t be afraid to experiment with herbs and spices in your kitchen. If you are following a new recipe and you’re not happy with the outcome, explore your spice cabinet. Put a little in at a time, stir, wait a few minutes for the flavors to meld and take a taste. You just may have made that recipe even better! Most of all, please your own tastes.

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     Salt. You can’t escape it. It’s in almost everything we eat. And it’s also a necessary part of our body’s chemical processes, particularly hydration. You could say we have a love/hate relationship with the mighty salt crystal. On the whole, we need a minimum of 500 mg per day to be healthy. 2300 mg per day is the recommended maximum intake which is the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of table salt.

But the average American consumes 2-3 times more salt than needed on a daily basis.

     So how can you reasonably keep track of how much salt you’re consuming? If you eat at restaurants regularly there is no way to accurately estimate the salt content in your diet aside from keeping the rest of your meals low to salt free.

     Restaurants over salt your food for a number of reasons. First, they know we crave salt. It’s part of our physiological make-up. Second, because it makes food "taste" better, we are more likely to eat out at restaurants that hit our taste buds in the right spots. Third, restaurants that serve alcohol know that you are more likely to order more drinks if you feel thirsty. And alcoholic drinks are a very big money maker for restaurants.

     The inspiration for this post was the new Food Network program called, "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" with Anne Burrell. In the episode in particular, Burrell was making Spaghetti Bolognese, a very popular Italian dish. We sat there in utter amazement as she grabbed handful after handful of salt and flamboyantly splashed it into the dish during the cooking process in Emeril Lagasse fashion. The only thing missing was the "Bam!"  

     She then went on to explain that it may seem like a lot of salt, but in "restaurants we properly season our food." Whatever that’s supposed to mean.

     Too much salt, is too much salt. And salt intake can be addicting just as with sugar. Our bodies and taste buds become used to a certain level of salt. And just as some foods require salt to bring out their flavors, too much salt can also mask flavors so you can’t taste them.

     Personally, we use a modest amount of salt in our food at home. I grew up with parents who needed to reduce their salt intake due to blood pressure and other reasons. Because we use salt moderately, we’re better able to judge the taste of dishes. Preparing foods with a minimum amount of salt, enough to make dishes taste great without being overwhelming, is very important to our clients who require a lower salt diet – and to us.

     So, back to accurately estimating the salt in your diet, the best way to do this is to cook your own meals and watch the amount of salt you use. If you must buy prepared foods, watch the sodium content. This, along with eating correct portions, will allow you to reduce your salt intake. The other option is to hire a personal chef who will work with you to build the right meal plan for you and who will adjust the seasonings in your food to help you build a healthier lifestyle. Actually, we’ve learned that herbs and spices offer a variety of flavors that, along with a modest amount of salt, create a flavor panorama that is more satisfying than just salt alone.

     And stay away from frozen TV dinners! Many frozen dinners can pack 2-3 days worth of salt and fat into one meal. Now you would need to eat plain fruit and veggies for the next 2 days to make up for it (if it were that easy!). Check out the 20 Saltiest Foods in America.

     Tip: Taste your food throughout the cooking process. With raw meat, wait until the meat has cooked through. Remember, you can always add salt to a dish, but you can’t take it out!

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     We’ve noticed that we get a lot of searches and hits for Hummus. A recent question was posed as to what to dip in it.

     I think a more accurate question could be, "What can’t you dip in hummus?" Because the "world is your oyster," if you can dip it, you can dip it in hummus. Traditional would be pita bread. Cut a pita into wedges and either toast them first or serve them as is. As for vegetables, anything you normally would use as a dipper for dips: carrots, celery, green peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

     You can also be a little creative. How about french fries? Chicken nuggets? Believe me, awesome taste and beats honey mustard hands down. And of course chips of any kind. And if you like the sweet and savory flavor combination try dipping apple or pear wedges into your hummus. Plain hummus would work better in this case, but hey, whatever hummus taste kick hits your fancy. Go for roasted red pepper, Greek olive, pine nut, extra roasted garlic, caramelized onion, even citrus flavored hummus. Flavorings for hummus are endless. Mexican chipotle adds a nice extra heat punch and great flavor too!

     And don’t forget, hummus makes a fantastic sandwich spread too. Hummus is enjoyed throughout the Middle Eastern region and beyond. And it’s so popular there that it can be eaten at every meal!

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Metal racks come in all shapes and sizes; oval, concave, square, rectangular – you name it, they have it to fit any roasting pan. But they are a pain in the tush to clean. Why not add some flavor and skip washing the "dish?"

I’m all for skipping the need to wash another dish, believe me – I’m the chief bottle washer.

Grab some carrots, onions, celery, and bell peppers. You can be adventurous and add some parsnips, turnips, or radishes. Take it another step and you can add some of the same herbs and spices that are flavoring the meat right to the veggie rack too. Your liquid can be water, stock or your favorite wine. Quantity varies, but I usually add 1/2 to 1 cup, enough to get everything wet. If you’re roasting a dryer meat, add more so the vegetables don’t dry out. Then follow your usual roasting method or follow the recipe.

Adding vegetables not only adds flavor to the meat, they add flavor and body to the drippings so you can make some really delicious gravy.  You can either strain the vegetables out or emulsify them with a hand or counter top blender.

This is also a great way to use up those vegetables that have been sitting in the fridge one day too long to use in a recipe, yet still have a little life to give (Don’t use any rotten ones please!). They may have some wrinkles or a few bad spots to cut away, but they can still provide you with flavor.

Keep this in mind when it comes time to roast that turkey this Thanksgiving Day!

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We all eat frozen veggies. Sometimes it’s because the vegetable we want is out of season and sometimes it’s to save time. (Hey, we Personal Chefs eat frozen veggies too!)

Steamed, baked, stir-fried, microwaved- no matter how we reheat them – we’re always looking for ways to make them seem not quite so, well, frozen. Especially when the vegetable is most often the last thought of "Oh, Yeah!" Some of us grab for the butter or liquid cheese-food stuff to liven up the dish.

Here’s a quick easy tip to perk up your side dish.

If you have the time to make your own pesto, by all means go for it. A handful of fresh basil, a couple of cloves of garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, a handful of nuts (pine, hazel, pistachio all work well) and a sprinkling of hard cheese like Romano or Parmesan (optional). Place the basil, garlic and nuts in the blender or food processor and give it a whirl to start the chopping process. Now, with the pouring lid open, drizzle in olive oil until it forms a paste. Keep adding oil until you are happy with the consistency. Now add in a pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper and some cheese. Taste it. Add more salt, pepper or cheese to fit your taste buds.

You can use your pesto right away, or you can grab an ice cube tray and freeze individual portions to use when you need it. Just pop them out when they are frozen and store in a freezer bag in the freezer.

Back to the veggies! Stir in some fresh or frozen pesto toward the end of the cooking cycle and you have a cool twist that is much healthier than using butter or margarine. Mangia!

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Wow! Adams Fairacre Farms in Kingston, NY has expanded their smoked fish offerings. And we’re happy campers because of it.

Aside from additional options of salmon, cod, eel, mackerel and other fin fish, Adams now has smoked scallops, smoked shrimp, smoked mussels and a mix of all three. These are all sold in vacuum packages that can be popped into the freezer for later…or taken home and greedily consumed as dinner that night.

Jill and I immediately knew what we were making. A local restaurant called Kaycey’s, that went out of business a few years ago, had offered a smoked seafood alfredo over fettuccine as an entrée. We missed this dish and have made it at home using canned smoked scallops and shrimp. It tasted good, but a fresher fish option would have been better.

So, we planned the meal as a smoked shrimp and scallop alfredo with mushrooms accompanied by a spicy grilled catfish and green beans (from our garden) with caramelized onions. Absolutely awesome. We also made the alfredo much healthier by using a combination of skim milk and evaporated milk.

Many of the dishes we make for ourselves don’t include a recipe. We’ll post it as soon as we write one down! In the meantime, don’t forget to ask for any of these three dishes as part of your next cookdate. We promise you won’t have any leftovers.

Adams Fairacre Farms is one of the many local Ulster County Grocery Stores where we shop for ingredients for our clients’ meals. Their fish is so fresh we watched the fish manager preparing fresh halibut steaks out of a whole halibut.

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Many foods that we place in the freezer need 24-36 hours to completely thaw so we can place them into the microwave or oven to reheat and eat. These foods can be soups, stews, casseroles and other edibles that have been cooked in preparation for eating later (Like we do at Dinner’s On The Table) or leftovers.

These foods may have been placed in a microwave container with the sole purpose of being reheated in the nuker, an aluminum pan for baking in the oven, or Corningware, Pyrex or similar container that can be used in the microwave or oven. 

If you stored your freezer meal in a Corningware or Pyrex container you’re in luck! Because if you ultimately wanted to bake your meal or reheat it in the oven, you can give it a head start in the microwave. And there is a strategy and a little science behind it. Microwaves create heat by making water molecules jump around really fast, and if you’ve noticed, microwaves heat food from the inside out. Your oven heats food from the outside in.

Now put the two methods together and your meal is reheated faster.

So, start the meal in the microwave and finish it in the oven until bubbly and delicious. Always keep in mind that the internal temperature of all cooked, reheated food should reach 165 degrees, so always keep your trusty food thermometer handy.

(Dinner’s On The Table provides complete reheating instructions and we’re always available to answer any questions. This way, no matter what level of cook you are, your food will come out just right)

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How many of us can’t remember the last time we bought spices?

Go to your spice cabinet, open up a few jars and do a blind sniff test.  Chances are, more than a few people out there won’t be able to tell the oregano from the ground nutmeg. (If you can avoid it, never ever use ground nutmeg.  It loses flavor the instant it’s ground.  Get yourself a nice whole nutmeg and grate just what you need each time.  It should last a good long time and the last serving will have as much flavor as the first serving!)When you use fresh dried herbs and spices, you get far more flavor using less.  (You might actually be able to use just what the recipe calls for)  It’s also easier to add good flavor with less salt when your spices do their job.

The best advise on purchasing spices is to purchase only what you plan on using in a year.  Then label it with the date of purchase.  When you notice a year has passed, give it a good sniff.  If it still has a good aroma, continue using it.  If it smells more like sawdust than what the label says, pitch and replace it.  The exceptions to this rule are spices that are in their whole form.  Peppercorns, star anise, salt, cloves and nutmeg to name a few. 

Choose your spices carefully.  There are many good brands out there.  My favorite is Penzeys.  They aren’t available in grocery stores though.  My husband and I received a gift box a number of years ago and the spices were so fresh and bold that when we took a trip which brought us in the vicinity of one of their stores, we had to make a detour.  The place smells amazing!  Everything they sell is available for sniffing.  They have three stores that are driving distance for us, but since we try not to drive too far, we usually opt for mail order.  If you want to check them out, the next time you take the train to NYC, check out their shop in Grand Central Terminal.  It’s much smaller than most of their stores, but you’ll get a good idea of what they have.  Also, check out their web site www.penzeys.com

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