Amazing @Quaker Chocolate Chip Cookies #gardencuizine @CaWalnuts @GeorgiaPecans

Amazing 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3-times more Fiber, Low Sodium

Adults and Kids love 'em
serve with a glass of milk for even more calcium

Baked goodies can be part of a healthy diet when enjoyed in moderation. To modify baked goods recipes to healthier versions, experiment by reducing the salt and sugar. Add wholegrain flour or ground oats for added dietary fiber. Nonfat dry milk works great for adding calcium. Optional tree nuts add beneficial antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, protein, flavonoids and phytosterols.

The cookie lovers in my life give these amazing chocolate chip cookies two thumbs up! The recipe was inspired from a recipe that my gardening and baking friend, Johanna, gave me. She got the recipe online, called the $250 Neiman Marcus Cookies, based on an urban legand.

This RD revised recipe is worth the effort. I guarantee you will save it as a winner among your favorite cookie recipes collection.

Add Fiber to Cookies

Wholegrain flour and ground rolled oats add healthy dietary fiber to the cookies. The fiber content helps you feel more content and full, aiding in greater satiety and satisfaction, after eating just one or two cookies.

Cookie Jar Favorite
This recipe makes plenty to refill your cookie jars and will fill the bowl of your mixer to the brim.

Cookie Dough Freezes

The dough freezes well too. Form the dough into several one-inch thick discs, wrap in clear wrap, label, date - put in zip-lock freezer baggies and freeze until ready to thaw and bake off. 

Thaw  frozen cookie dough in the refrigerator a day before using. If the dough seems dry and too crumbly to mold, simply moisten hands with water when rolling into balls and flattening out cookies on the sheet pans. Trust me, they will taste and turn out just fine.

Add Calcium to Cookie Dough

Powdered dry milk adds calcium to the recipe. 

Yields: 105 cookies
about 5 discs of dough (~2370g total); each disc yields approximately 21, 2 1/2-inch cookies

Ingredients 
4 cups rolled oats ground in a food processor to powder
2 1/2 cups (345g)  unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup (128g) white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (42g) instant nonfat dry milk fortified with vitamins A and D
1.5 teaspoons (8g) baking soda 
2 teaspoons (10g) baking powder
1.75 oz (50g) dark chocolate bar grated

1 cup (208g) sugar 
2 cups (334g) brown sugar, lightly packed
2 cups butter, unsalted 
4 eggs (I prefer cage-free omega 3 enhanced, or local eggs) 
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
1/4 teaspoon salt

11.5 ounces (326g) 60% bittersweet chocolate chips (whole bag Ghiradelli or other premium quality baking chips)
2 cups (200g) chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) - optional

Putting it all together

Line a cookie baking sheet with foil and roast nuts in 350 oven until lightly roasted; set aside to cool. When cool, break up nuts using clean hands. Save and use the same cookie sheet for baking cookies.

• In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except salt), stir in the grated chocolate
• In a separate mixing bowl, whip the butter and add in the sugar
• In a small bowl, crack and add the eggs, add vanilla
• Add the egg/vanilla mixture and salt to the butter and mix well
• Add in the remaining dry ingredients, slowly pulsing since the volume is so large 
• Add in the chocolate chips and nuts last

Portion the dough into 5 discs (about 450-500g each) and wrap in clear wrap and store in refrigerator or label and freeze and store in the freezer. Thaw dough in refrigerator as needed.

To bake: pick off dough and roll into golf ball size portions and flatten with palm of hand on prepared baking sheet. 

• Bake 350 degrees 10-12 minutes; do not over bake!

Celebration Cookies

To make special jumbo cookies or bars, press the dough into a heart, rectangle or round baking dish. Cookie cutter shapes can also be used to mold cookie dough pressed down with fingers. Bake, cool and decorate as desired. 

• Ideal for Birthday, Valentine's Day, Graduation parties or any special occasion. 
• The cookies can also be broken in half and inserted into the mouth of Cookie Monster Cupcakes!

GardenCuizine Nutrition Analysis: One, 2 1/2 -inch size cookie: approximate calories: 99 (116 w/nuts), calories from fat: 48 (60 w/nuts); total fat: 5g (7g w/nuts), saturated fat: 3g; trans fat: 0g; cholesterol: 18mg (6%DV); sodium: 40mg (2%DV); total carbohydrate: 12g (1 CHO serving); dietary fiber: 1g (4%DV); sugars: 6g, protein: 2g (4%DV); Vitamin A: 131IU (3%DV); Calcium: 21mg (2%DV)
Cookie clip art © Bobbie Jean Peachey

Related Links: 

How Oats Work
Walnut Nutrition Information 
Pecans Nutrition
Percent Daily Values (%DV) are reference values based on eating 2,000 calories for adults and children age 4 or older. Your daily values may be higher or lower based on your individual needs.
Blog Post and Photos Copyright © 2012 Wind. All Rights Reserved.

Healthy Lifestyle * Senior Activity * Life Story Writing * Share Memories @NIAGo4Life @AmerGeriatrics #GardenCuizine

Salottolo Family Memories

by Junetta Salottolo Mehl

Mom's vignettes are posted as we get them from her. At 80 years old she has learned to use a computer! We've encouraged her to type her memories into a Word document. Her ongoing project has been to sort through old boxes of photographs and tell us about them. I encourage you to do the same with the elders in your family. Life story writing is a great activity for seniors. Buona lettura

post 3: A New Member of the Family

In the latter part of my fourth year, my mother decorated a bassinet. It was made of wicker and had four big wheels. She decorated it with white satin ribbon and bows. I had never seen anything like it. Then I remember she went away. A few days later my father took me to see her. But there was some commotion about whether I could go in. I got the feeling that I shouldn’t be there. But somehow my dad snuck me upstairs and I remember seeing this baby with big, big eyes. 

That was my introduction to my brother, Alexander. We call him Al, for short. I don't remember ever seeing my mother because my dad took me back down to the lobby of the hospital just as fast as he took me up to my mother’s room. And I’ll never forget those big brown eyes! 

Photos: Alexander's first Holy Communion. And Al home at Briggs Ave., Bronx, NY

Related Links
Eating Well As You Get Older

Healthy Aging: Keeping Mentally Fit
Maintain Your Brain - FREE AARP Online Games

Control or Prevent Type 2 Diabetes w/Healthy Eating #diabetes #gardencuizine @NDEP

Diabetes Control

Control or Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

After spending the day helping patients deal with the consequences of undesirable, painful complications of slow healing wounds, amputations, peripheral artery disease, diabetic retinopathy and foot pain from obesity coupled with uncontrolled diabetes, I wanted to share this healthy eating with diabetes video. 

Healthy eating is critical for losing and maintaining a healthy weight and is important to control:

• blood sugar
• blood pressure
• cholesterol 

If you or someone you care for has diabetes and does not know how to control their blood sugar, Certified Diabetes Educators (CDE) and Registered Dietitians (RD) can help. Dietitians can be found in hospital out-patient settings and in private practices. Your doctor may have a referral or you can contact the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for a Dietitian near you.
 

 A dietitian can help you learn about which foods raise your blood sugar and come up with an easy to follow meal plan.

• Think “small steps”  

A few small changes can go a long way in helping you live a healthy lifestyle with diabetes.

Related Links: 

National Diabetes Education Program
Diabetes
American Diabetes Association

Healthy Lifestyle * Healthy Seniors * Life Story Writing * Sort through Family Photos

Salottolo Family Memories
by Junetta Salottolo Mehl

Mom's vignettes are posted as we get them from her. She types her memories on her computer. Harry scans her photo(s). Then I blog her story without any alteration to the content. Truly a family affair. I encourage you to do the same with your family or special friends. Life story writing is a great activity for seniors. Buona lettura

post 2: During This Same Period

During this same period I would accompany my mother and grandmother on trips to visit Aunt Anna and Uncle Joe (Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Zingales) at their home in Cranford, NJ. Uncle Joe was my mother’s brother. These trips were such fun because we had to take a ferry from Cortlandt Street in New York City across the Hudson River to New Jersey. I loved the ferry ride. (This was probably the start of my love of boats and boating that I have enjoyed all my life.) Then we’d catch a Jersey Central train to Cranford.

Once in Cranford, I was like the city mouse visiting the country mouse. I would have such a great time. I’d play with my cousin Tom, who was a year older than I. The back yard was huge with a creek at the far end. During the winter it would freeze over and we could go ice skating, if I was lucky enough to be visiting during a cold spell. During summer visits I’d mow the lawn with one of those old fashioned mowers – the kind with the cutting blades rotating between two wheels. Aunt Anna always thought I was crazy. But I loved it. Uncle Joe, the doctor, gave me my first eye examination, which led to my wearing glasses forever after.

Photograph: Tommy, Junetta, Granddad Zingales (my Great Granddad) and Joey

Healthy Seniors: Scan Old Photos * Write Stories * Share Memories @NIAGo4Life #GardenCuizine

Italian Family Memories

Mom's Vignettes

The senior citizens in your life may enjoy sorting through old photos and writing about their past memories as an activity. Junetta Salottolo-Mehl, now the eldest in our family at 80 years old, has a wealth of knowledge about growing up as an Italian in New York City. As you may know, I've been prodding her about her recollections of foods from her childhood and what it was like growing up. Italians have long been big on fresh garden-grown foods and cooking. 

Unfortunately, dear Mom can't remember many food or garden stories...(sigh)...but whatever she would like to share, I'll be posting here on GardenCuizine in hopes of inspiring other seniors. Mom's boxes are packed full of photographs of people that only she can identify. Using today's modern technology, we've been scanning the pictures into the computer for her so she can share and enjoy them.

Senior activities enhance well being by stimulating the body, mind and soul. Sharing stories, writing, sorting through old photos can be fun and sometimes sad, when we remember those who are no longer with us.

Post 1: I Can Remember

More of Mom's vignettes will soon be posted; she has written several now - stay tuned.

Related Links:  Best Way to Preserve Old Photos
Senior Activities for Mind and Body 
Seniors
Benefits of Eating Well
Physical Activity for Older Adults
Go4Life

Healthier School Lunches on the Way @USDANutrition @theIOM @letsmove @Fruits_Veggies

USDA Ruling Now Official for

Healthier School Meals

The new USDA nutrition standards for our national school lunch and school breakfast programs will benefit the nutrition and health of 32 million school-age kids nationwide.The final ruling was announced this past week on January 26, 2012 by the US Department of Agriculture. The revisions update the meal patterns and nutrition standards in school food service to better align the foods provided with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Most schools will be required to increase their availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and to provide fat-free and low-fat milk. The levels of sodium, saturated fat and trans fat in meals will also have to be reduced. School meals will also have to meet the nutrition needs of school children within their calorie requirements. 

The improvements to the school meal programs were largely based on recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. The new rules take effect March 26, 2012. Schools will have until July 1, 2012 to comply.

Related Links: USDA Nutrition Standards for School Meals 
IOM School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children
USDA Healthy Meals and Healthy Kids 
The National School Lunch Program

Reduced Sodium, Low Fat Lentil Chicken Noodle 'n Veggie Soup #recipe #GardenCuizine

Reduced Sodium
Low Fat, High Fiber

Lentil Chicken Noodle

'n Veggies Soup

Harry got invited to the Philadelphia Flyers hockey game the other night. He doesn't like lentils, so guess what we had for dinner while he was gone? Something quick and easy with lentils of course! What could be easier than a pot of hearty soup on a cold winter night?

Making your own soup is so easy; extra soup can be refrigerated or frozen for another meal too. Homemade soups generally provide a lot more nutrients than store-bought canned soups, not-to-mention that they can be made using a fraction of the salt. For example, this recipe contains less than half of the sodium found in Progresso reduced sodium chicken noodle soup, and has 75% more Vitamin A and 18% more dietary Fiber. 

You can be creative and create a soup using ingredients you have available. Here is the recipe I concocted for the Lentil Chicken Noodle Veggie soup. It made a great one-pot meal served with a side of fresh bread. I made it for just two of us and refrigerated the extra for healthy hot lunches the following days.

After working in the industry making large commercial broth batches that required using ingredients that you would never use at home such as, sodium hydroxide to adjust pH and dextrose - I rarely use store-bought broths in soups. Water works just fine and is plenty flavorful after adding in all the veggies and aromatics.

Serves 16 

Ingredients
2-3 (~224g) boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders cut in bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon (14g) olive oil 
1 medium-large onion (~118g) diced
hot pepper (as desired; I used minced dried hot peppers from our garden)
1 extra large sweet potato (~458g) peeled and diced
  
2 teaspoons (6g) minced garlic
1 tablespoon (6g) minced ginger
2 teaspoons (4g) sweet curry powder

10 cups water
1 cup (~180g) dry lentils rinsed
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
2 tomatoes (~304g) diced
1/4 teaspoon (1g) dried thyme leaves
pinch ground black pepper

1 cup (~150g) dry tubetti pasta 

Putting it all together

• In the stock pot you plan on making the soup in, over medium high heat; add olive oil. Saute and partially cook chicken pieces. Remove and set aside when lightly browned.
• Add onion, hot pepper and potato to the pot; stir. Let cook 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
• Add garlic and ginger, stir again.
• Stir in curry powder.
• Add water, lentils, bay leaves and remaining ingredients; stir.
• Cover and simmer on low until potatoes are firm/tender (the lentils will be cooked by then too)
• While waiting for the potatoes to cook; heat a smaller pot of boiling water and cook the pasta al dente. Drain and stir the noodles into soup.
• Heat thoroughly and serve with a side of fresh bread and Parmesan cheese.

Buon Appetito!
GardenCuizine Nutrition Analysis: Calculated using USDA Nutrition data
Excellent Source: Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Folate 
Good Source: Iron, Thiamin, Niacin, Phosphorus, Manganese 

Serving size 1/16 of recipe; about 1cup (247g): Calories 162, total fat 3g, saturated fat 1g, Omega-3 42.5mg, Sodium 172mg, carbohydrates 26g (2 CHO exchanges), dietary Fiber 5.6g (22%DV), Protein 7.2g, Vitamin A 4936IU (99%DV), Vitamin C 5.5mg (9%DV), Thiamin .3mg (17%DV), Niacin 2.0mg (10%DV), Folate 23.2mcg (22%DV), Iron 1.8mg (10%DV), Phosphorus 109mg (11%DV), Manganese .3mg (16%DV)
Photos and Blog Post Copyright ©2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

National Soup Month Cream of Butternut Squash Soup #GardenCuizine

~ Low Fat, Vegan/Vegetarian ~

Cream of
Butternut Squash Soup

National Soup Month starts the New Year off on a warm and comforting note. My first homemade soups were always large batches made for a crowd back in the Garden of Eden days (my health food store and restaurant). This nutritious squash soup recipe was inspired from one of my favorite "go to" cookbooks - The Cabbagetown Cafe Cookbook by Julie Jordan. Jordan's recipes were always delicious and allowed the flavors of the vegetables and herbs to shine through. They were always popular with our customers.

No Need for Chicken Stock

Soup recipes featuring butternut, broccoli or split peas, all can definitely hold their own and be outstanding - if not even better - without using chicken stock. Chicken stock is so often over-used, especially in soup recipes. For soups where a vegetable is the star, using chicken stock can overpower the flavor. 

Squash Soup Cooking Tips

• Squash flesh can be cubed and cooked right in the soup pot with the potatoes; however, roasting the squash first makes it easier to scoop out the seeds and enhances the flavor.
• For special occasions, garnish the soup with snipped chives and a swirl of thinned out yogurt or creme fresh.
• Ingredient measurements do not have to be exact when making soup. Use what you have available and season to your taste.

Yields: 12-15,  6 oz servings

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash ~2 lb, 14oz (~1322g)
1 Tablespoon (14g) Olive oil

1 Sweet Onion ~8.8oz (~250g)
1/2 optional Hot Chile or Red Pepper (Peppers are easy to grow and dry. We keep jars full and always have them for use as spice)

1 Tablespoon (~10g) minced Garlic
1/2 teaspoon (1g) sweet Curry 

1/8 cup Cream Sherry (optional) 

3 Potatoes ~1lb, 6 oz (~636g)
2 Carrots (~155g) 
2 Bay leaves
few sprigs fresh Parsley(~3g)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 
4 cups (946ml) water

2  teaspoons (4g) minced ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons (3g) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon (6g) salt

4 cups (946ml) soy milk (we used vanilla Silk)

Putting it all together

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Wash the squash and potatoes. 

• Carefully cut the squash in half; rub olive oil on the part that will be face down on the foil lined baking sheet
• Bake about 90 minutes or until soft and you notice some areas starting to turn light golden brown*
• When the squash is cooked well, use a spatula and turn the squash over to let cool.
• Using a spoon, scoop out and discard seeds

* While the squash is roasting, 

chop the onion and optional hot or red pepper

• Add olive oil to a large soup pot and heat on medium 
• Add chopped onion and red pepper. Cook until onion is translucent. Try not to caramelize the onion or it will make the soup brown in color.*

*While the onion is cooking, mince the garlic and peel 

and chop the potatoes and carrots

• Add the minced garlic to the onions; stir in sweet curry
• Add optional Sherry and stir
• Add potato, carrots, bay leaves, parsley sprigs, black pepper and water. Stir, cover and simmer until all the veggies are very soft
• Remove the bay leaves and add the remaining seasonings: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt 

• Puree (hand held mixers work great because you can keep the soup right in the soup pot and not transfer it to a blender or food processor)
• Add the soymilk, mix well
• Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve hot. Garnish as desired.

Buon Appetito! 
GardenCuizine Nutrition Analysis: Calculated using USDA Nutrition Data
Good Source: dietary Fiber, Vitamin K, Vitamin B12, Potassium, Manganese 
Excellent Source: Vitamin A and Vitamin C

Serving size 6oz (1/15th of recipe): Calories 123, carbohydrates 24g, dietary Fiber 3.9g (16%DV), total Fat 2.4g (4%DV), Protein 3.5g (7%DV), Vitamin A 6181IU (124%DV wow!), Vitamin C 21mg (35%DV), Vitamin D 32IU (8%DV), Vitamin E 1.4mg (7%DV), Vitamin K 13 mcg (16%DV), Vitamin B6 .5mg (23%DV), Vitamin B12 .8mcg (13%DV), Calcium 127mg (13%DV), Potassium 492mg (14%DV), Manganese .3mg (16%DV), phytosterols 4.7mg
Related Links: 
Winter Squash Varieties and Nutrition
Winter Squash Growing and Bread Recipe
Espelette Pepper Warms Up Your Recipes by Diana Wind RD
Photos and Blog Post Copyright ©2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

2012 "Healthy You" New Year's Resolutions #GardenCuizine @MyPlate @Fruits_Veggies @CookingMatters @letsmove

New Year's Resolutions
for a Healthier You

• Vary Your Protein
• Avoid Oversize Portions
• Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
• Make Half Your Grains Whole
• Get Your Daily Calcium
• Move and Exercise

Enjoy Life and give back to others: Help a Charity, Help a friend in Need, Help a Stranger, Help the Hungry, Help Kids Cook, Help the Environment, Help Feral Cats, Help ________ "You fill in the blank on what would be meaningful to you." 

Best Wishes for a 

Happy and Healthy New Year! 

And, thanks for following GardenCuizine^TM

Related Links: Healthy New Year's Resolutions 
^{Photo courtesy of Vojta Jahoda, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
Eat Right Get Your Plate in Shape artwork Copyright 2012 The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. All Rights Reserved.}

Nutritious New Year Kiwifruit Smoothies #GardenCuizine @CalKiwiTweet @ZESPRIkiwifruit

Low fat, Low Sodium

New Year's 
Kiwifruit Smoothies

Yields: 5-6 cups

   Ingredients:
32 oz Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt
3 Kiwifruits
1 frozen Banana
1/3 cup Orange Juice
splash Lime Juice
sweeten to taste with sugar, agave nectar or honey

Optional: Cocoa powder. Believe it or not, chocolate tastes really good with Kiwi!

   Putting it all together

Smoothies don't really need a specific recipe. This is a chance for you to be creative and use whatever ingredients and proportions you desire. Put everything in a blender and mix until combined. You can't really go wrong. We usually save and freeze ripe bananas in their peels for use in smoothies, baked goods or for the birds in the spring and summer. Catbirds love bananas!

Read about Kiwis History and Growing Kiwifruit Vines: Check out my
Kiwifruit article published on Dave's Garden

Happy New Year!

GardenCuizine Kiwi Smoothie Nutrition: calculated from USDA nutrient values

Excellent Source: Vitamin C, Riboflavin

Good Source: Protein, Potassium, Magnesium, Vitamin B12, Selenium

1/6 of recipe (238g): calories 187, total fat 2g (4%DV), sodium 110mg, carbohydrate 34g (2 CHO exchanges), dietary fiber 2g (7%DV), protein 9g (18%DV), Vitamin C 39mg (64% WOW!), Calcium 292mg (29%), Magnesium 45mg (11%), Potassium 585mg (17%), Riboflavin 0.4mg (21%DV), Omega-3 24mg, Vitamin B12 0.9mcg (14%), Selenium 8.2mcg (12%)

Photos and Blog post Copyright ©2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

Facts label image courtesy of www.NutritionData.com.

Holiday Cookies! Low-fat Anise Biscotti recipe #GardenCuizine

Low-fat, Low-sodium

Anise Biscotti

Unlike typical American cookies high in saturated fat, sodium and calories, these Italian Anise Biscotti cookies are better. Two 3-inch biscotti contain 58mg sodium, 2g total fat and only 98 calories. And, for those managing their blood sugar, two cookies are equivalent to one carbohydrate exchange (15g).

Grow your own Anise

I add a few teaspoons of anise seeds from our garden to the recipe. Anise (Pimpinella anisum) makes a wonderful addition to butterfly and cottage gardens. After the Anise blooms, the seeds can be gathered and saved for use in baked goods. Anise seeds add licorice flavor and texture to recipes like biscotti or pizzelles. Italian biscotti cookies are one of Mama's favorites!

If you make the biscotti 3-inches in size and dip the edges in dark chocolate, they make a welcomed addition to holiday and party cookie trays. The recipe was first published in 2008 in an article I wrote for Dave's Garden. 

Here is the link: Diana's Anise Biscotti

My recipe was inspired from a 1976 Anise Toast recipe published in the Van Sciver School Heritage Cookbook submitted by Sandra Pitoscia. Junetta Mehl, my mom, used to be an elementary school teacher at Van Sciver school in Haddon Township NJ.

Photos and blog article Copyright (C) 2011 Wind. All rights reserved.

White House Squash Soup #GardenCuizine @letsmove @ObamaFoodorama

Squash Soup with
French Espelette Pepper

Check out White House Chef Cristeta Commerford's seasonal recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Squash Soup With Pepitas And Greek Yogurt. Chef Commerford adds Espelette pepper powder in just the right amount for medium heat and delicious flavor. 

Learn more about nutritious Espelette peppers from France. Read my article "Warm Up Your Recipes With Espelette" coming this Friday, December 9th on Dave's Garden. The link for Chef Commerford's nutritious squash soup recipe is posted below.

Photo credit: Piments sur les façades and Piments - France - Espelette - Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64) - 2005-08-05 taken by Pinpin courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. GNU Free Documentation license. 
Related Links: Roasted Pumpkin Squash Soup with Pepitas and Greek Yogurt Obama Foodorama blog
Pepper, Pepper, and Espelette pepper. The Basque pepper. With a touch of Armagnac thrown in. FrenchFoodFreaks blog 

Homemade Ground Pepper Spices by Diana Wind, RD

Reduced Salt and Fat * Instant CHIA Mashed Potatoes #GardenCuizine

CHIA Mashed Potatoes

Home harvested or farm fresh whole organic potatoes make delicious mashed or smashed (with skins) potatoes. We savor and save our homegrown potatoes for rosemary roasted potatoes, home-fries for special breakfasts and brunches, or scalloped potatoes for dinners. When we make mashed potatoes, for convenience and speed, we often whip up instant 100% real potatoes. 

If you have the time, and don't want to use instant potatoes, make them from scratch. You could also mix instant with homemade. I've seen chefs do that in commercial kitchens, depending on the restaurant. It's your preference.

Reduce Sodium and Fat

In general, a good rule of thumb for healthy individuals is to avoid consuming excess sodium and fat. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day and less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day for those with or at risk for high blood pressure. The American Heart Association would like to see everyone consume less than 1,500 mg TOTAL sodium per day.

To put sodium content in perspective, the average American consumes over 3,400 mg of sodium a day. Just one McDonald's Quarter Pounder® with cheese contains 1,660 mg of sodium. Their Angus Bacon and Cheese has 2,540 mg, McRib® 980 mg, 10 pc Chicken McNuggets® 900 mg; even an EggMcMuffin® has 1,050 mg of sodium. If you're thinking, "But I don't eat at McDonald's?" Sodium can add up from just using a pinch here and there too. Look out for high sodium in canned goods, processed foods, prepared foods, soups, snacks, seasoning blends, lunch meats, cheese and even in milk (if drinking more than a few glasses). 

Health tip for instant mashed potatoes

Don't follow the recipe on the box! Do you and your family a heart healthy favor, use less salt and fat than what is called for; no one will even notice. 

Recipes given by food companies on boxes of instant mashed potatoes are usually too high in salt and butter. The dried potato flakes themselves are low in sodium and are fat free. You can't eat them dry though! This fully seasoned comfort food recipe cuts the salt from 1 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon, and the margarine from 1/4 cup to 1 tablespoon. Chia seeds add additional nutrients, including omega-3 and dietary fiber.

Reduced Sodium and Fat instant Mashed Potatoes
Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 1/3 cups low fat milk (or non-dairy alternative if vegan)
1 tablespoon (~14g) margarine or butter (we use Smart Balance® Heart Smart spread w/plant stanols; use soy margarine if vegan)
2 teaspoons (~10g) minced horseradish (optional)
1 tablespoon raw Chia seeds
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
few slices hot peppers dried or fresh from your garden (optional)
2 cups 100% real instant dried potatoes (we use Potato Buds® or Bob's Red Mill)

Putting it all together

• Combine all the ingredients except the potato flakes in a large pot and set aside. We like to let the mixture sit while we get the rest of the meal together so the chia seeds can soak and soften up. This way the chia seeds will fully blend into the mashed potatoes. You will see the seeds, but they won't interfere with the creamy, comfort food texture.
• When ready, bring the liquid milk mixture to a boil. 
• Stir to combine all the ingredients and break up any clumps of chia seeds. 
• Turn off or remove the pot from heat. 
• Quickly stir in the potato flakes until evenly moistened. Stir in more potato flakes if the mixture seems too loose. Or, add more milk if the potatoes are not creamy enough. 

~Buon Appetito!

GardenCuizine Nutrition Analysis

Good Source: dietary Fiber, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium
Excellent Source: Vitamin C and Thiamin
Serving size 238g: 178 calories, 5g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, Omega-3 323 mg, Cholesterol 7 mg, Sodium 244-394 mg (10-16% DV depending on how much salt you use), Carbohydrate 30g (2 starch), dietary Fiber 3g (11% DV), Protein 6g, Vitamin A 346 IU (7% DV), Vitamin C 25 mg (42% DV), Vitamin D 35 IU (9% DV), Thiamin 0.3 mg (22% DV), Ribovlavin 0.2 mg (11% DV), Niacin 2 mg (10% DV), Vitamin B6 0.3 mg (13% DV), Calcium 120 mg (12% DV), Potassium 465 mg (13% DV)

Related Links: CHIA, an Indigenous Food by Diana Wind
AHA Urges Stricter Guidelines for Sodium, Fat Intake
Revised 3/11/13. Photos and blog post Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved. McDonald's Nutrition Data cited was generated by McDonalds.com effective 11-22-2011.

Fine dining at home > Compound Butter adds a touch of elegance! @SmartBalance #GardenCuizine

Making Compound Butter

"Beurres composés", French for compound butters, are blends of butter mixed with other ingredients, such as fresh garden herbs and spices. Compound butters are traditionally made with pure butter, but a healthier version can be made using lower fat spreads like Smart Balance. Smart Balance makes different spreads. My favorite is Heart Right Light because it contains plant stanols, Omega-3 and Vitamin E. Compound butters are often frozen - they unthaw quick - making it all the more convenient to have gourmet butter pats available at any time.   

Compound butter blends can be used to flavor fish, chicken, meats, vegetables or in finishing sauces. I made my first compound butters with herbs and garlic at the Academy of Culinary Arts, in Mays Landing, NJ. We made rosettes and froze them until ready to serve. They really added a nice touch of elegance and flavor to the breads and dinner rolls that we served in Careme's, an upscale, fine dining restaurant.

  Compound Butter Ideas 

• Beurre au citron – lemon butter  
• Beurre à la bourguignonne – garlic and parsley butter

Herb Storage Tips
DILL Cut dill at its peak. Wash and wrap in a paper towel and seal inside an airtight plastic baggie and freeze. When you need fresh dill just slice off whatever you need. BASIL can also be preserved at its peak by whizzing it in a food processor with olive oil. Label and store in freezer. Use basil in oil just as you would fresh basil. 

  Special Occasions

Compound butter adds a special touch to holiday and special company meals. This is the recipe I used for Thanksgiving. You do not need to follow exact measurements for compound butter. Use this as an idea. Be creative and add whatever you have available.

Smart Balance Compound Butter recipe

Ingredients 

12 oz tub (340g) Smart Balance Heart Right Light buttery spread

garden herbs and spices -

• 1 Tablespoon fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil (or garden basil preserved in oil)
  

Putting it all together  
Simply soften butter at room temperature, or if using Smart Balance buttery spread, it will be soft enough straight from the fridge. Mix in chopped herbs of your choice. Make rosettes or mold into logs or squares and freeze. To avoid clogging the tip in the pastry bag if piping out rosettes, try not to use stems or big pieces of herbs in your mixture.

  Smart Balance Rosettes
After mixing the herbs into your soft buttery herb spread, put the blend into a pastry bag with a large star tip and pipe out individual rosettes onto wax-paper-lined plates or sheet pans and freeze. Once frozen, the pats can be combined together in airtight freezer containers or freezer baggies. Smart Balance spread is softer than butter; serve them directly onto your guests bread plates rather than onto a separate serving plate, about 10 minutes before dinner is served.

  Smart Balance Herb Log or square
The soft buttery herb spread could also be formed into a log by rolling in parchment paper, wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen until firm. Or on a lined baking sheet press the spread into a smooth, even 1/4-inch thick square or rectangle block, cover with wax paper or clear wrap and freeze. When ready to use, slice and use in cooking or serve as you would butter. 

Related Links: Plant Sterols and Stanols
Homemade Butter and Compound Butter Ideas 
The Hungry Mouse blog - good step-by-step wrapping in parchment 
Photos and blog post Copyright Wind. All rights reserved.