Dutchess County Staycation…Part One

Posted on July 16th, 2009 in Appetizers, Day Trips, Dinner Ideas, Lunch Foods, Restaurant Reviews, Side Dishes, Snacks by Chef Jill

I just read in article in the Poughkeepsie Journal with ideas for your staycation.  I’m going to try to give some ideas that, with a little imagination, will make you feel like you’re at the shore, or the lake, or just not stuck at home!

We took a wonderful vacation a few years back on Cape Cod.  Reminded me of childhood vacations right down to the tent and the torrential downpour we experienced one night.  Ever since that wonderful week, my husband has been obsessed with whole belly clams.  We usually stay away from deep fried food, but there’s something amazing about a freshly shucked clam, coated in a batter and fried so perfectly that you can actually taste the clam and appreciate the contrast of the softness of the clam and the crispiness of the coating.   Fried clam strips just don’t cut it!

We were driving south on route 9 right around Easter and my eyes were drawn to a sign that I had driven by a few times.  This time, before we had a chance to think , we found the car turning into the parking lot for Joe Willy’s Fish Shack.  We really just wanted to see what they had to offer, so we went in.  The owners have done a good job trying to make you feel like you’re at the shore.  They offer everything you expect if you’re at the Cape.  Including Ipswich Clams.  Those golden morsels of yummy-ness also known as whole belly clams.  Now we had no choice but to eat here.  We ordered half orders of the fried oysters and the Ipswich clams after being told they shuck them to order.  How fresh is that?!?!?!

Joe Willy’s offers something for everyone!  Lobster rolls, fish and chips, steak and cheese, chicken, even a veggie burger!  You have the choice of fried, broiled, or grilled for many of the seafood selections.   Your kids will LOVE IT HERE!  They offer more selection on the children’s menu than many local restaurants do. 

The best part is that they are located right next to Splash Down Beach!

Don’t waste your summer at the Galleria Mall.  Find something fun to do!

Tune in next time for some fun in the Rhinebeck area…and have a great summer!

http://joewillysfishshack.com/

http://www.splashdownbeach.com/

 

Mahi Mahi With Blood Orange, Avocado and Shallot Salsa

Posted on July 2nd, 2009 in Dinner Ideas, Lunch Foods, Personal Chef, Recipes by Ira Weiss

Mahi Mahi is without a doubt one of my favorite fish to eat. I was introduced to it on a trip to Aruba in 2002. The flesh is mild, white and firm and works with light to spicy seasonings. Even the pickiest fish eaters should enjoy Mahi Mahi. Here’s a photo of what a Mahi Mahi looks like right out of the ocean, followed by a really nice summer recipe.

SERVES 4

  1. Using a small sharp knife, (segment the orange) cut the peel and white pith from the orange.  Working over a small bowl so you catch the juice, cut between the membrane to release the segments.
  2. Add Avocado, shallots, jalapeño and lime juice to the bowl with the orange; stir gently to blend. Season salsa to taste with salt.
  3. Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Add fish to skillet and sauté until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
  4. Place one fillet on each plate. Spoon salsa over fish and serve.

Note: If you can’t find blood oranges, substitute regular oranges and add 2 more teaspoons of lime juice to counteract the sweetness.

Serving Suggestion: A Mesculin Salad with a Light Vinaigrette and Cous Cous.

The Healthy Vegetarian – Making Tofu Tastier

     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  

 

Burmese Food? In Dutchess County?

Posted on April 21st, 2009 in Chinese Cuisine, Food Opinion, Lunch Foods, Restaurant Reviews by Ira Weiss

     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.
 

Creamy Pinto Bean Soup – It’s More Than a Snack, It’s a Meal!

Posted on February 4th, 2009 in Appetizers, Cooking Instruction, Cooking Tips, Lunch Foods, Meal Planning, Recipes by Ira Weiss

     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.

How to Ad-Dress Your Salad the Healthier Way

Posted on January 14th, 2009 in Appetizers, Cooking Tips, Lunch Foods by Ira Weiss

     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!

Improv in the Kitchen: 2 Quick and Easy Soups

Posted on January 12th, 2009 in Appetizers, Cooking Tips, Lunch Foods, Meal Planning, Recipes by Ira Weiss

     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. 
 

Hummus vs. Mayonnaise – Which is Healthier?

Posted on January 7th, 2009 in Appetizers, Cooking Tips, Food Opinion, Lunch Foods, Side Dishes by Ira Weiss

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!

New Year’s Resolution: Jenny Craig – The Diet

Posted on January 6th, 2009 in Breakfast Foods, Food Opinion, Lunch Foods, Meal Planning, Personal Chef by Ira Weiss

     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.

New Year’s Resolution: NutriSystem – The Diet

Posted on January 4th, 2009 in Breakfast Foods, Food Opinion, Lunch Foods, Meal Planning, Personal Chef by Ira Weiss

     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.

 

The Story of Leftovers, Thanksgiving Style

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. 

 

Hummus For Breakfast????

Posted on September 22nd, 2008 in Appetizers, Breakfast Foods, Herbs and Spices, Lunch Foods, Personal Chef, Recipes by Chef Jill

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.) 

Bounty of the Hudson Valley

Posted on August 31st, 2008 in Day Trips, Dutchess County Farm Markets, Lunch Foods by Chef Jill
We decided to try out a new farm for our fruit picking pleasure today.   We have a few favorites, but they’re a bit too far from home with the price of gas these days. 
 
We decided on Mead Orchard in Tivoli and I think if gas prices don’t drop back to the $2.00 a gallon range, we’ve found a new favorite place.  We picked apples, peaches and plums.  We also found some great pears and tomatoes at the stand where you pay.  The kicker was the variety.  We found Blue Plums, Italian Plums, little round yellow plums that were as sweet as sugar.  They have every apple you could want, ripening as the season progresses.  On August 31 they STILL have sweet blueberries!  And if you don’t think tomatoes are a fruit, try the orange cherry tomatoes.  You’ll be a believer!
 
If you live in the Hudson Valley, here are a few places to pick beautiful fresh fruit.  None of these farms charge you a fee to park or to pick.  You just pay for what you pick.  A few of them also have a farm stand that includes food for lunch, fresh local jams, honey, maple syrup, apple cider donuts among other goodies.  Check em out! 
 
Mead Orchard in Tivoli New York  www.meadorchards.com
Fix Brothers Farm in Hudson New York  www.fixbrosfruitfarm.com
Dubois Orchard in Highland New York  www.duboisfarms.com
Weed Orchards in Marlboro New York  www.weedorchards.com
If you don’t want to pick for yourself and you live in Northern dutchess, check out Migliorellis.  They have two farm stands and a booth at the Rhinebeck Farmers Market.  Check out their farm stand at River Rd. & Rt. 199 just before the Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge and also the stand on Route 9 Red Hook.
Rhinebeck Farmers Market in Rhinebeck New York www.rhinebeckfarmersmarket.com

Do You Hummus? The New Sandwich Topper

Posted on March 24th, 2008 in Breakfast Foods, Cooking Tips, Lunch Foods, Recipes by Ira Weiss

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.