Fun Summer Appetizer for Parties: Ladybug Tomatoes #GardenCuizine #recipe

Ladybug Tomatoes 

Summer Appetizer

      
Non-hybrid heirloom tomatoes are quite hardy and easy-to-grow from seeds. Saving seeds from tomatoes takes a little more effort than some seeds, but it's always worth it. I think every single seed I planted this year germinated, which means more for us and more plants to share with friends. We are still planting out our cherry tomatoes. I usually plant them in both pots and directly in the garden.

On our recent adventure to Sicily, we were often served cherry tomatoes at meals. I had never really seen a bowl of sliced cherry tomatoes served in a restaurant before that. Bite-sized cherry or grape tomatoes are an easy way to increase your vegetable intake too. 

Just 1 cup of cherry tomatoes provides an excellent source of Vitamins A and C, plus they're a good source of Potassium, making them a nutritious snack or an ideal choice for use in recipes.

This ladybug tomato appetizer recipe is fun to put together and makes a tasty conversation piece at summer BBQ picnics and parties. Try some this Memorial Day weekend!

This is another one of my freestyle recipes, meaning that you can use as little or as much of the ingredients to create the number of servings desired. No exact measurements are necessary.
 
Ingredients

• Cherry or grape tomatoes (for the ladybug body)
• Neufchâtel cream cheese (has 1/3 less fat than regular cream cheese) 
• Garden herbs (I snipped some chives, parsley and oregano for our Memorial Day batch) 
• Onion powder
• Ground black pepper 
• Black olives (for heads and spots)
• Black artificial color to dye a little portion of cream cheese - optional (can pipe on dots or use as a glue for attaching the olive spots)
• Rosemary (for antennae; or use your imagination, chives...)  
• Crackers or sliced garlic bread toasts
• Any garden greens (lettuce, mizuna, arugula etc)

Putting it all together

1. Set aside crackers or make garlic and olive oil toasted bread slices
2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and slice again but not all the way through and set aside.
3. Cut the olives in half and set aside. Also, cut tiny olive bits for spots. Dye a little of the cream cheese mixture black or dark gray to use as a paste to attach the olive spots on.
4.  In a mixing bowl, whip the cream cheese. Stir in the garlic powder, black pepper and chopped herbs.
5. Now you are ready to put them together and have some fun! Spread a little round of cream cheese on the tops of your crackers or toasts.
6. Spread the partially split tomato half over top to make the wings. Add the head (a small amount of cream cheese helps hold it in place). Add antennae. Decorate with spots dipped in dyed cream cheese to hold them on.
7. Serve your ladybug appetizers atop a mixed bed of garden greens on a red, white or black serving dish. Enjoy!

GardenCuizine Nutrition Data for Cherry Tomatoes: 1 cup (149g): 27 calories; total fat 0g; cholesterol 0g; dietary fiber 2g (7%DV); total carbohydrate 6g (2% DV); Vitamin A 1241 IU (25% DV); Vitamin C 18.9 mg (32% DV); Potassium 353 mg (10% DV); Folate 22 mcg (6% DV); Phytosterols 10.4 mg

Happy Memorial Day! 

Check out my Dave's Garden 'Ladybug Love' article, featuring photos of ladybug cupcakes - another summer party favorite!

Related Links: Ladybug Appetizers Recipe
Choosemyplate.gov Vegetable Group
Memorial Day History
Blog post and photos copyright ©2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

Obese? Have a BMI greater than 30? Study shows risk for heart disease. 5 things you can do

Do you know your Body Mass Index?

It will be to your health benefit to find out. If your BMI is high (greater than 30), a recent study of more than 75,000 people has shown an increased risk for developing heart disease.[1]

1. Avoid using added salt to your foods
2. Read labels and select foods low in sodium (140mg or less) and low in fat (3g or less)
3. Avoid Sugary beverages
4. Eat more vegetables, fruits and high fiber (5g or more per serving) foods
5. Consult with a Registered Dietitian for weight management

Related Links: [1] Health Day News about Study 
Calculate Your BMI

Contemplating Weight Loss Surgery? Have You REALLY TRIED to Lose Weight? An RD can help

Weight Loss

Really Try to Lose Weight before Opting for Weight Loss Surgery

My South Jersey Healthcare out-patient offices are bustling with patients contemplating weight loss (bariatric) surgery or who have already decided on the specific type of surgery they will soon be having - either a restrictive (laparoscopic gastric banding) or malabsorptive/restrictive (gastric bypass or laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy) surgery, depending upon what their surgeon recommends. 

Weight loss surgery is intended for morbidly obese individuals averaging 80-100 pounds overweight, especially those with serious health conditions. Weight loss is imperative to reduce excess body weight for disease prevention and/or relief of obesity-related metabolic conditions such as diabetes, joint and knee pain, acid reflux (GERD), high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, heart disease and lung disease. 

Surgery should be an absolute last resort for weight loss and be considered only after many attempts at conventional methods for losing weight have been exhausted or are not possible. With bariatric surgeries on the rise throughout the country, my concern is for those who may not have seriously tried hard to lose weight before landing in the operating room. 

Be honest with yourself and give your weight loss efforts the attention it deserves. A Registered Dietitian (RD) can help you achieve your desired body weight.

You Can Do It!

This inspirational message for weight loss was recently posted by Virtua Hospital from Tumblr, which said, "Even if you can't physically see the results in front of you, every single effort is changing your body from the inside. Never get discouraged!"

Related Links: Reader's Digest 50+ Ideas to Lose Weight
Weight Control Information Network
Weight Loss for Life

Day by day tour of Sicily #FCPDPG Trip April 2012: 1st stop a Gelateria! #GardenCuizine

S I C I L Y

David Iverson, owner and operator of A Cook’s Tour, led the memorable 10-day Sicily tour, which was sponsored by the Food and Culinary Professionals Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association). Dietetic Practice Group (DPG) members were able to invite family and friends too. It was truly a trip of a lifetime. I'll be blogging about it in segments as I finish sorting through the thousands of photographs my husband, Harry, and I took. Some parts will be published in other sites and links will be posted. 

We passed and visited historic sites throughout the island, including temples, cathedrals and beach fronts walked upon in World War II's allied invasion of Italy. Outside the cities, Sicily's mountainous and rolling landscape is primarily farmed. Grape vines, olive trees, wheat, prickly pear cactus, artichokes, tomatoes, eggplant and other veggies grow - often under hoop houses - as far as the eye can see.

Expect to see many photos and blog posts centered around some of my personal interests of cultural food practices of Sicily, gardens, artisan tiles, pottery and Sicilian baking and pastry.

Sicilian Culture and Cuisine
Palermo, Sicily - day 1 

Traveling from New Jersey, Harry and I arrived a day before the group, so we could adjust to the 6-hour time change. We didn't waste any time checking out the surroundings and took a walk through town discovering the beautiful bay on the Tyrrhenian Sea. We didn’t realize at the time that our cooking class the following day would be at one of the seaside Palazzos we passed along the waterfront. 

We came across a gelateria and stopped for gelato. I got a scoop of pistachio gelato served atop a waffle; Harry ordered coffee gelato served the same way. Our Sicilian gelatos were topped with fresh kiwifruit. I noticed kiwi was served in restaurants throughout Sicily.

As we turned the corner, we discovered Orto Botanico, Palermo's Botanical Gardens, managed by the University of Palermo. Of course, we stopped in to visit. It was much more informal and less busy than Longwood Gardens in PA, back near home. We were on our own and took our time strolling around looking at the hundreds of tropical plants from all around the world.

It began to rain, but that didn't stop us. Oranges and tangerines were ripe and falling to the ground. A passer by encouraged us to pick fruit from one of the trees for a healthy snack, which we did. We stood by a trash can as we peeled and ate our hand-picked citrus fruits.

We were surprised that the weather in Sicily was similar to our April Spring weather in New Jersey - cool, not warm like we thought it would be in the Mediterranean. We wished we had packed sweaters and more long sleeved shirts. The locals were dressed in fall attire. Some families had their children wearing winter parkas and scarfs.

Day 2 Sicily highlights coming soon!

Related Links

A Cook's Tour 
Italian Gelato Flavors 
Food and Culinary Professionals

Discover the Culinary Treasures of Sicily #FCPDPG @EatRight

S I C I L Y

Had a fantastic time discovering the Culinary Treasures of Sicily - April 12-22, 2012 - with members and friends of the Food & Culinary Professionals DPG of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association).

Stay tuned for photos and articles of Regione Sicilia.


Ciao! 

Whole grain Italian Easter Bread Recipe #GardenCuizine

 Whole grain

Sicilian Easter Bread Recipe

Sicilian Easter bread is a tradition on our Easter menu. This recipe has evolved over the years and features nutritious 100% whole grain wheat. Italian Easter recipes feature wheat in the Spring as an ode for a successful garden harvest. My mama's recollection of Easter egg braided breads from her childhood inspired me to create the recipe.

The versatile dough without the candied fruit makes delicious whole grain dinner rolls or whole grain breakfast cinnamon-raisin snails.

Mixing the Dough

Easter bread dough can be mixed quickly in mixer with the use of a dough hook. If you have the time and energy, the dough could also be kneaded by hand.

Fruits * Seeds * Nuts

Every year is different for us. Sometimes I add anise seeds from the garden and toasted almonds and/or chopped dates or candied fruits, such as: papaya and pineapple. I always add lemon zest and candied orange peel. You can use whatever added ingredients that suit your preferences.

Forming the loaf

The bread can be molded into any shape. For holiday meals, I like to make large braided rings. Alternatively, several smaller braided rings could be made or just a long braided loaf, similar to the shape of Challah bread.
Yields: 2 large braided loaves
Leftover bread can be frozen and the eggs stored in the fridge to eat for lunch. An extra loaf makes a welcomed gift.

Ingredients 
10 eggs (6 to put in the braids "uncooked", they will cook in the oven; and 4 eggs for the recipe)

1 Tablespoon (14g) instant yeast 
1/2 cup warm water 
1 teaspoon (6g) sugar

1 cup lowfat milk (1% or 2%)
1 stick (114g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (100g) sugar

7 cups (900g) King Arthur's unbleached white whole wheat flour (or 3 cups white whole wheat and 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour)
3 whole eggs and 1 yolk (reserve 1 white for egg wash) 
1 teaspoon anise seeds
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon (6g) salt
1/4 cup (42g) candied orange rind

small amount of semolina flour for baking sheets
egg wash: whisk together 1 egg white and one teaspoon water

Putting it all together

STEP 1 
This can be done the night before: dye 6 eggs. Beets, spinach and turmeric make great veggie-based egg dyes. Easter egg dye kits are less expensive and readily available. Plain white or farm fresh brown eggs can be used as is if you prefer a natural color.

STEP 2 
Warm up your mixing bowl by pouring in hot tap water and dumping it out. Add 1/2 cup warm water; sprinkle the yeast over top. Gently whisk in 1 tsp. sugar. Set aside undisturbed for 10-20 minutes. Active yeast should begin to bubble, smell yeasty and begin to rise a little.

STEP 3  
In a small pot, combine the milk, butter and sugar. Heat to melt the butter and scald the milk; remove from heat immediately. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. 

STEP 4  
When the milk is cool: (reserve 1 cup of the flour) start to mix in 6 cups flour to the mixing bowl on top of the rising yeast. Adding 3 eggs and 1 yolk and the cool milk mixture.

STEP 5  
Knead using a dough hook. After 5 minutes sprinkle in the salt. Sprinkle in the last of the reserved flour one tablespoon at a time - you may or may not use it all. Keep kneading until well blended and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix in the orange rind and any fruits.

Scrape the kneaded dough into a large bowl that has been lightly rubbed with olive oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place.  

STEP 6  
After the dough has risen for at least an hour remove from the bowl onto a floured cutting board. Using your hands flatten out any air and shape dough into a rectangle. Cut in half using a bench scraper. Then divide each half into 3 even pieces. I used to cut a small piece from each one to make crosses over each egg, but decided I didn't care for it as much and don't do it any more. The thinner dough pieces tended to get too brown over top of the eggs.  

STEP 7 
Keep half of the dough covered so it does not dry out while you are working on the first 3 pieces. On a lightly floured cutting board or clean counter top, roll out each piece of dough into long strands at least 21 inches or longer.

Dough does not like to be overworked. I usually roll one piece for a little to stretch it out, then set it aside and work on the second piece. Then I set that one aside and work on rolling the 3rd piece. Then I repeat the process until each strand gets to the desired length.  

STEP 8  
Moisten your fingers with water and pinch the 3 strands tight at the top; make a braid with the dough. Curve the dough into a wreath round shape or leave it as is to make a loaf. If it is a wreath shape, pinch the ends together to join them. I usually place an egg in that area to cover up the connection. Gently press in 3 total uncooked eggs into the loaf. Be careful not to crack the eggs by pressing them into the dough too hard, remember they are not cooked yet!
 
STEP 9  
Carefully move your work of art to a baking sheet that has been sprinkled lightly with semolina flour.

STEP 10  
Repeat the entire process for the second loaf. Cover each loaf and allow to rise a second time. When ready, egg wash (don't egg wash the eggs or the color will run into the bread!). Bake in preheated 350° F oven for 20 minutes then to avoid an egg from exploding, reduce the temperature to 325° F and bake until golden and tests done (20 minutes or so). Baking times vary depending on the size of your loaves.
 
Buona Pasqua!

Related Links
Benefits of Whole Grains

Vegetable Stained Easter Eggs
Dye Easter Eggs in Nature's Hues 
Making Colored Eggs with Natural Ingredients
Blog post and photos Copyright (C) 2013 Wind. All rights reserved. Revised 3/28/16

Herbal Marinade for Easter Lamb #GardenCuizine

Herbal Marinade

Delicious for Lamb l'Agnello 

This marinade recipe adds to the aroma of Italian flavors for lamb at Pasqua, Easter. The recipe was inspired from the cookbook, "Italian Family Cooking" Like Mama Used to Make by Anne Casale. We pretty much use the recipe as she suggests, but reduce the salt by more than half, and added more dried rosemary.
 
Marinade

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (reserve the lemon zest for use in other recipes)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

2 Tablespoons fresh mint, minced

1 Tablespoon crumbled dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

Putting it all together  
Combine all the ingredients. A whisk or spoon works well to give it a stir.

For Lamb: Place your meat in a large Zip-lock plastic baggie and add the marinade. Place in your refrigerator and let the lamb marinate overnight. Give the baggie a turn before going to bed. In the morning your lamb will be ready for cooking!

For Chicken: Follow the same procedure. You may want to cut back on the amount of rosemary used.

• Chicken does not need to soak in the marinade as long either. Chicken can be marinated for whatever is convenient for you. Less than 6 hours is fine. 

What about Fish?

• Due to the tenderness of fish and the strength of the natural acidity in lemon juice, we prefer not to use acid-based marinades for fish. We generally bake, broil or grill our fish using a small amount of olive oil and seasonings and no marinade at all. 

Why do people marinate fish in lemon juice?

The answer should not be to neutralize odor, although this is true. It would be best to try and purchase fresh fish, without any fishy odor. Ask to smell fish before you buy it. Fish is naturally tender, the reason to marinate it in lemon juice should be for lemony flavor!  

Decomposing fish is what causes an odor. Muscle in fish contains a chemical substance called trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) that breaks down when fish decomposes creating aromatic amines called trimethylamine and dimethylamine. These amines promote the anaerobic growth of bacteria creating a "fishy" smell.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_people_marinate_fish_in_lemon_juice#ixzz1rSELUWem

Related Links:
Why do Fish Smell?

the photo I took to accompany this post seems to be forever stuck in my iphone! Whenever I figure out how to get it transferred, I'll add it to this GardenCuizine blog post!

Blog post Copyright (C) 2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

Weight Management for a Healthy Lifestyle

Weight Management 

for a 

Healthy Lifestyle

Managing your body weight, as some of you know, can be challenging! Especially with today's wide availability of tempting foods that work their way into your mouth, like convenient, high calorie, grab and go foods. 

It takes will power and determination to resist salty snack chips, cookies, donuts, candy, chocolates, pizza, burgers, bacon, mayo, sugary drinks, subs, processed meats, cheese, high fat fries and fried chicken. These abundant, nutrient-poor or high-salt, high-sugar, high-fat foods affect the waistlines and arteries of all people (regardless of income and status). 

My standard recommendation for everyone is to eat more GardenCuizine! More fruits, more vegetables and whole grains = more dietary fiber, nutrients and a healthier you.

Weight Management recommendations

• Make half your plate cooked or raw non-starchy vegetables like: tossed garden salad, tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, onion, zucchini, and carrots
• Select low fat foods (technically 3 grams or less total fat; 5 grams or less may be more attainable

The best way to tell how much fat, salt, sugar or fiber

 is in a food is to read the food label

• Select low sodium foods (140mg or less)
• Select foods low in sugar (5 grams or less)
• Select high fiber foods (5 grams or more per serving)
• Don't skip meals!
• Eat balanced from all the food groups
• Don't forget a daily calcium source (low fat milk, soy milk, yogurt, powdered milk, collard greens, spinach, kale, okra, white beans, calcium fortified OJ...)
• Be honest to yourself and with your dietitian 
• Set and write down realistic goals, then take action!
• Keeping a food diary/journal has been shown to help dieters be successful at losing weight

Related Links

Weight Management and Calories
Health Risks of Being Overweight
Use the Nutrition Facts Label for Healthy Weight Management
Blog post Copyright (C)2012 Wind. All rights reserved. 

Fight Obesity * Eat Lean * Eat More Green * Exercise! * Beware of Portion Distortion @letsmove @atlanticcape

 Chefs Move to Schools

This video was a delight to watch after a long day on the job counseling adults and children in the fight against obesity. Prevention is far more desirable than having to try and regain control of an already overweight or morbidly obese body that has or may soon be at health risk for: 

• high blood pressure
• heart disease
• hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol)
• aching knees and joints that may require knee replacement surgery
• GERD (reflux disease)
• diabetes
• the list goes on...

Now in it's second year, The Chefs Move to Schools program - a major component of the First Lady's Let's Move initiative - continues to provide an opportunity for thousands of chefs (so far 3,400 chefs and 3,350 schools) around the country to help solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. 

Chefs Move to Schools pairs chefs with schools in their communities to make learning about fruits and vegetables fun. The program brings messages from the cafeteria to the classroom, teaching kids in an interactive way about food, nutrition and healthy cooking. 

My former Academy of Culinary Arts pastry chef/instructor Chef Chelius (known as the "Queen of Lean" in the video) adopted Mrs. Spangler's, family and consumer sciences teacher (aka the "Queen of Green") 6th grade food class from Ocean City Intermediate School in South Jersey. They share their approach to MyPlate in the classroom and how they are helping in the fight against childhood obesity in New Jersey. Enjoy the video!

Great job to all; the teacher, all the participating 6th grade students, the school - OCIS, and of course the Chef!
Related Links
Let's Move Chefs Move to Schools Sign up
MyPlate

Garlic lines Spring Gardens... #GardenCuizine #gardenchat

Garlic for Health

Spring has sprung in South Jersey! Most people associate peas and asparagus as the harbingers of spring, but biennial and perennial herbs like parsley, thyme and rosemary along with fall planted bulbs, like garlic, get well established long before peas or asparagus even begin poking up from the earth. This season brings no exception; garden herbs and garlic are growing strong, while spring peas and asparagus are just now beginning to emerge.

There are a few distinct kinds of garlic, namely hardneck and softneck varieties. Our Italian hardneck garlic Garlic Rossa di Sulmona was special ordered direct from Italy. We can't wait to cook with and taste it. We're also growing Certified Organic Garlic Early Italian White Softneck. All garlic was planted with other kinds of bulbs last fall. 

The emerging green growing shoots sprouted up back in November. The eager growth went dormant throughout the winter months (if you want to call this winter a winter). Now, come Spring, as you can see in the photo above, the garlic is growing well! 

Cooking with Garlic

At this stage, the green growing stems can be snipped and added to foods like you would use scallion tops. During the plants maturity, hardneck varieties will send up edible scapes that bloom into flowers. When the scapes appear, I'll try to post a photo to show you what they look like. Scapes add a gourmet touch to foods.

Harvesting Garlic

Garlic becomes ready to dig up and harvest when most of the greens have died back later in the season. Garlic is best harvested after a few weeks of dry weather, according to Jodi Ferguson - organic gardener who wrote an article about growing garlic for Heirloom Gardener magazine.

Garlic for Health
Garlic is associated with health claims from being antibacterial, good for the heart, lowering cholesterol, reducing blood pressure - to reducing the number of tick bites. With the exception of having antimicrobial properties, science-based evidence is limited or conflicting on most of the other claims.

Garlic is full of nutrients, many that you wouldn’t expect: Vitamin C, Calcium and Vitamin B6.

You may have heard of garlic’s potent antioxidant and active component, Allicin. Allicin has antimicrobial properties that inhibit a wide range of bacteria. 

Fresh garlic has the most allicin vs pre-minced garlic in jars, which may be more important than convenience.

For maximum Allicin benefits, allow fresh
chopped garlic to "rest" for 10 minutes before cooking.

***

GardenCuizine Garlic Nutrition: calculated from USDA Nutrient data  

3 cloves (9g) = 13 calories, 0 calories from fat, saturated fat 0, cholesterol 0, dietary Fiber .2g (1%DV), Protein .6g (1%DV), Vitamin C 2.8mg (5%DV), Vitamin B6 .1mg (6%DV), Calcium 16mg (2%DV), Manganese .2mg (8%DV), Selenium 1.3mcg (2%DV)

Percent Daily Values (%DV) are for adults or children age 4 or older, and are based on a 2,000 calorie reference diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower based on your individual needs. 

Health note: garlic may interfere with some drugs and is not recommended to be taken in excess or supplement form if taking anticoagulants, like Warfarin. Best to check with your doctor.

Related Links

Growing Garlic (Allium sativum)
You can find garlic bulbs from many garden suppliers. Our garlic was ordered online from growitalian.com.

Photo Copyright (C) 2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

Antioxidant-rich Shamrock Ginger-Mesquite Cookies #Recipe #GardenCuizine

St. Patty's 

~ Low Sodium, Antioxidant-rich ~

Ginger-Mesquite Cut-out
Cookies Recipe

Another GardenCuizine^TM cookie jar favorite! Antioxidant-rich gingerbread cookies inspired the recipe for these tasty year-round treats made with nutrient-dense Mesquite flour. The difference from traditional gingerbread cookie dough is that they are lower in sodium, and higher in dietary fiber from the mesquite flour, which is ground from dried mesquite beans.

Read previous blog post for more information about Mesquite

Contrary to popular belief, the flavor of mesquite is not smokey. Mesquite flour is sometimes compared to carob flour. You really have to try mesquite flour and taste it for yourself. I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor and appealing ginger color it adds to baked goods. My taste testers like it too. 

This recipe yields a large batch, but you don't have to bake off all of the dough at once. Like most cookie doughs, when well wrapped, the dough stores well in the fridge or freezer. 

The dough makes great gingerbread men at Christmas too!

• Ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg mingle well with the unique natural flavor of mesquite, making these Ginger-Mesquite Cookies a new cookie favorite
• Any shape cut-out can be used
• Organic, fiber-rich, mesquite flour can be found from online sources, such as Casa deFruta

Yields: approximately 12 dozen 3-inch cookies
Ingredients
5 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup organic mesquite flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 sticks unsalted butter  
1 cup packed brown sugar 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup molasses 
2 eggs (cracked into a small cup and set aside)

Putting it all together
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)

• Foil line a few cookie sheets and set aside
• Sift the dry ingredients, except for the salt, into a large bowl.
• In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and salt. 
• Add molasses and beat until well combined.
• Add eggs, scraping the bottom of the bowl if necessary.
• Add dry ingredients. Mix (with paddle) on low until just combined.
• Divide the dough into about 6 portions. Press the dough into 1-inch disc shapes.
• Wrap dough in clear wrap. Label and date. Store in airtight freezer-safe baggies.
• Keep refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.

• Bring to room temperature when ready to roll out. Using about half of a disc of dough at a time, place the dough between 2 sheets of plastic clear wrap. Slowly work and roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out using desired cookie cutter shapes.   
• Bake 350°F 7-10 minutes 

Remember cookies are a treat. Enjoy in moderation!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Related Links  
Spices, Herbs and Antioxidants
Cooking with Mesquite Flour
Diana's Mesquite Apple Cake
Blog post, photo and recipe Copyright 2012 Wind. All rights reserved.

Quick Meal Chili, Skillet Cornbread and Garden Salad #GardenCuizine

~ No Added Salt ~

Quick Meal Chili
and Skillet Cornbread

Chili packs in protein, dietary fiber and good nutrition, including: Vitamins A, B6, C, folate and potassium from all the garden peppers and tomatoes. Compliment chili with a side garden salad and your favorite corn bread; or serve chili over brown rice or quinoa, for a quick and easy, healthy, lunch or dinner - any time of year.

You don't need to follow a recipe for chili. Be creative with ingredients that you have on hand. Try adding seasonal garden veggies and herbs. Two-bean and Three-bean Chili recipes are always winners. If you prefer to follow a recipe, below is my chili recipe from dinner last night. 

Health tips

To keep the chili heart healthy, avoid adding any salt to the recipe when using canned diced tomatoes and canned beans. Read the food labels. Canned foods add plenty of sodium. Even after rinsing the beans, enough sodium will remain for good taste. And, keep in mind, more flavor will come from the cheese topping.

Ideally, you could grow and/or cook your own beans or purchase salt-free or reduced sodium canned goods to even better control the sodium content. 

Skillet Cornbread

Try your corn bread recipe cooked in a cast iron skillet. It's really good that way! In the photo shown above Harry added flaxseed and chia seeds to the cornbread for added nutrition. 

Adding minced jalapeno, corn and/or shredded cheese adds texture and taste to cornbread recipes too. I've added those ingredients both at home and in corn bread muffins when I worked at the White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia. The brunch guests loved our bread baskets! 

Serves 6

Ingredients

1lb (~424g) Ground Beef, Turkey or Vegetarian Boca Burger Crumbles

1 medium Onion (178g) - diced or rough chopped

1 Tablespoon Garlic - minced

1 Tablespoon ground Cumin

2 teaspoons hot Chili powder

1 teaspoon Paprika or dried ground peppers from your garden

1/2 teaspoon hot Hungarian Paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh Oregano

Hot peppers (in addition to ground peppers, we often add a few minced dried or fresh hot peppers)

3 (14.5 oz., 411g) cans Diced Tomatoes

2 Carrots - diced

2 cans water (use one of the empty diced tomato cans)

2 cans (15.5oz, 439g) organic Kidney Beans (drained and rinsed to remove excess sodium)

Shredded Mexican cheese (or soy cheese)

Hot sauce 

Sour cream (dairy or non-dairy)

• Simply cook whatever amount of ground beef, turkey or Veggie burger crumbles you want to use. Cook in the same pot that you plan on cooking the chili in. Remove the protein when cooked. Drain any grease. 
• Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the pot. Saute the chopped onion over medium-high heat. 
• Add a generous amount of minced garlic; stir - cooking a few more minutes. 
• Stir in seasonings (and remember NO ADDED SALT is necessary if you're using canned beans or canned diced tomatoes)
• Stir in diced tomatoes and carrots. Add 2 cans water. Bring to simmer; cover and cook until the carrots are tender.
• Stir in beans. Cook until beans are thoroughly heated. 
• If you want to thicken the chili: use an immersion blender and blend a small amount, like you would when making a pureed soup, but just puree a little bit.
• Taste and adjust seasonings. Remember hot sauce can be added at the table
• Garnish with shredded Mexican cheese and/or sour cream 

Serve with your favorite cornbread recipe 

with added chia seeds and flaxseeds

 ~ Baked in a cast iron skillet ~

Buon Appetito!

Related Links

Homemade Ground Pepper Spices

Blog post and photo collage Copyright 2012 Wind. All rights reserved.