Food Hero – November Feature
Cranberries
Doing scary things to your food for Halloween
By Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
“Where there is no imagination there is no Horror.” Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.
I just love everything about Halloween! It has a long and scary history; being it is one of few of the ancient holidays that has survived to today. The pumpkins are so beautiful and orange, burning brightly from doorsteps and those adorable trick or treaters! (Good thing I live in Bayside Gardens) There is just one thing that is distressing about this playful holiday; and that is the incredible amount of sugar that is consumed during it.
Over 2 billion dollars will be spent on Halloween candy this year to hand out to those little ghosts and goblins. Let me say that again… 2 billion dollars. Wow, let’s pause for a moment of reflection. That is enough money to send 20,000 students to a decent college for 4 years, or to feed 303,030 kids in Ghana, Africa for a year. That is a LOT of candy being consumed!
Now I am not going to start preaching here to ban this marvelous holiday, but there are a few tips I can offer to offset the sugar footprint of it.
-Have your trick or treaters drink water before going out to beg for candy, and bring water with you.
-The next day bargain with them for their candy. You know like, “How about I’ll take you swimming at open swim this week if you give me half your candy.” Or offer them homemade cookies or cupcakes for the candy, which are so much better for them. (Strange but true, due to all the un-natural things in candy like corn syrup and artificial colorings.)
-Limit the amount of trick or treating you do with your kids so there is only a little candy to deal with.
-Have a Halloween party for your munchkins that has low sugar, nutritious fun foods.
– Make sure and have your little witches and wizards have a filling and fun meal before going trick or treating.
Pizza is the perfect thing to serve at either a party or before trick or treating. Kids love it, you can get away with lots of veggies on it and there are so many goofy and strange things to do to it to entice your gremlins to eat it instead of sugar. A very simple idea is to get a pre-made pizza dough, cover with sauce and veggies then cut out shapes of pumpkins or ghosts from sliced cheese, place on the pizza and bake. Or take a personal sized pizza dough, slice strips of cheese and layer over the toppings to look like a mummy’s face. (use olives for eyes) This following recipe sounds harder but it is really simple and fun. Just takes a little time and planning ahead. Eat, drink and be scary this Halloween!
Mummy or Snake Pizza
You can either make your own pizza dough or buy it pre-made in the frozen section of your grocer. I prefer the whole wheat but you can use white dough as well. If you are making it, have it raised once and ready to go.( I have a great recipe on my blog for whole wheat pizza dough) If you have bought the frozen dough, let it thaw out in the fridge overnight and then bring it to room temperature before working it. The snake is by far the easiest to make, but the mummy is oh so funny. To see a video on how to make the mummy, go to http://www.rhodesbread.com/recipes/view/1769. Remember that this is fun food! Don’t take it seriously; there is no wrong way to play with your food.
1 pound of whole wheat pizza or bread dough
Pizza sauce, (You can used pre-made spaghetti sauce)
Pizza toppings minced; choose low moisture toppings like onions, garlic, olives, broccoli, sweet peppers, spinach, canadian bacon, pepperoni, and cooked chicken breast
Grated cheese(s) such as mozzarella, smoked provolone or parmesan
1 egg beaten in a small bowl
For the snake; Roll out the dough in to a loooooong rectangle about 2 feet long by 8 inches wide with a little flour on the work surface to keep it from sticking. Fill the center 4 inches with your pizza fillings, but leave about 3 inches unfilled at the tail and 2 inches at the head. (Don’t over stuff or you won’t get him tucked into the dough!) Pull the dough together in the center and pinch the dough so it seals down the back of the snake. Model the dough to look like a head and tail of a snake.
Transfer the snake to a lightly oiled baking sheet and mold him into an “S” shape. Brush the top of him with the beaten egg and let rise for about 20 minutes in a warm place. While the snake is rising, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. When the snake is done rising, pop in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes till the golden brown and gleaming. (If you have a pizza stone bake it on there for a better bottom crust, as per the manufactures’ instructions.) You can serve it at room temperature but is much better warm.
For the mummy;
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, into a large upside down pyramid shape, about 2 feet long by 15 inches wide at the shoulder. Gently draw a small triangle with a paring knife, the same shape as your dough, on the inside of your pyramid, leaving 2 inches or so room from the outside edge. (careful not to cut through the dough) Fill the small inside triangle with your pizza fillings.
Now the fun part, at the top (wide part) of the triangle cut a fat strip right where the head should be and then form the head. (I ended up sticking two cloves of garlic in there to get the shape I wanted) Then cut strips radiating out from the small triangle, uniform on each side. At the bottom, leave a big fat strip that will be the feet. Take the strips and pull over the triangle of fillings to make it look like a wrapped mummy. Form the feet . Carefully transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet and brush with the beaten egg and let rise for 20 minutes or so. Follow the instructions for the snake to bake. Have a boo-tiful dinner.
Take a walk on the wild side with cauliflower
by Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
The veggies are coming in hot and heavy. My CSA (community supported agriculture) box arrives each Saturday, full of promise and I must perform. Yes, I must do all these amazing vegetables that are grown locally, organically and tended with loving care, justice. We are in the middle of the most abundant part of our growing season and I will not weenie out and let them rot. I will find recipes that use them. (pant, pant)
If I sound maniacal, it is because I am. But as we all know, necessity is the mother of invention, and I’ve got to admit, I’m getting pretty inventive on the use of veggies. Stir fries are the new go-to dinner around here and our main stay, large salads, are always in the fridge. I even welcome the giant cauliflower arriving in the box. I’m talking GIANT, humongous, enormous! I took one look at that beauty and knew exactly what I was going to do with it. (Mu ha ha ha!)
One of my favorite things to do with cauliflower this time of year is make pizza crusts that are a most excellent canvas to serve tons of veggies on. I know it sounds weird, but honestly it is delicious. The hubby and I have actually gotten to where we truly prefer cauliflower pizza crust over any pizza crusts made out of anything. It takes a bit of work but you will thank me, I promise. Just take a walk on the wild side and try it.
I have found some great secrets to making cauliflower pizza crusts after a lot of testing. Okay, let’s start from the very beginning. To prepare your cauliflower, you can either grate it with a regular cheese grater or let the food processor do the work for you. I personally like to use my food processor. I cut the cauliflower into small pieces, put in the processor in small batches and pulse to finely mince. It doesn’t work to well to just set the processor to “on” as all the cauliflower just sticks to the side of the bowl and end of mincing. So remember, just pulse.
If you are in a hurry, you can prepare the cauliflower the day before and keep in the fridge till you are ready. This really speeds up the prep time when making the pizzas. When I get one of those mammoth cauliflowers in the box, I will sometimes mince the whole thing when I have time, so that I can make this pizza crust a couple days in a row. (We never tire of pizza!) Just remember that the cauliflower will go bad faster in this state.
This is one dish you must let your imagination and the contents of your fridge run wild. Just remember that if you are using “wet” veggies like zucchini, onions, eggplant or mushrooms, it pays to sauté them first so they won’t make a puddle around your pizza crust when cooking. Top with fresh tomatoes after taking the completed pizzas from the oven, for similar reasons. Most of all, have fun and use up a bunch of veggies in a creative, fun and healthy manner making a low carb delish pizza.
Cauliflower crusted pizza
Coconut flour can be found at any health food store. Veggies can be found on the street corner or in your neighbor’s back yard. You can make this crust without cheese if you wish, just add one more egg to the mix.
The crust
2 cups of grated or finely minced cauliflower
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1-2 garlic cloves finely minced
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of dried basil
OR 1 tablespoon of fresh basil, minced
1 egg
2 tablespoons of flour or coconut flour for gluten free
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
Heat up the oven to 425 degrees. While that is heating up, mix the cheese, garlic , salt and basil with the cauliflower till well mixed. Crack your egg in the bowl and blend it in well. Sprinkle the coconut flour over the cauliflower mixture then mix it together. Then drizzle the olive oil over the whole mix and stir some more till all happy and mixed together. Your batter will be wet and loose, unlike a nice doughy bread.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I like to make my paper stick to the sheet by lightly oiling the baking sheet then laying the paper on the oiled surface and pressing it down and taa daa! Stuck. Next drop big blops of the batter into 2 equal portions on the paper and then pat them out into nice neat circles about 1/2 inch thick. Pop into the oven to bake for about 10-15 minutes or so or till the crusts are browning around the edges and the center springs back when you touch it.
Remove from the oven and spread with pizza sauce, cooked meat, veggies of choice and thin slices of fresh mozzarella (my favorite). Pop back in the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted to your satisfaction. Pull out of the oven and slide onto plates and eat immediately. (With a knife and fork) Enjoy your walk on the wild side! You won’t go back.
Suggested pizza toppings
Ground Italian bulk sausage, cooked
Canadian bacon
Shredded cooked chicken
Cooked bacon, crumbled
Sliced olives or roasted garlic
Sautéed mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, or fennel blubs
Chopped sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, and kale
Thinly sliced fresh mozzarella, or grated provolone, or crumbled feta
9 Ways You Can Make a “Healthier Choice”
by Anne Goetze, RDN, Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council
It’s fall, school is back in session and the YOW Challenge has entered into the last round of competition. Are you in? Hope so!
One of the challenge questions each week is, “How many times did you make a healthier food choice?” YOW offers up a full menu of suggestions each month to help you make those choices, everything from attending a nutrition talk to trying a Food Hero recipe. Results from earlier challenges show that YOW participants are making healthy choices more often, an increase of 10% during the Spring (2nd quarter) competition. Hats off and congratulations!
For final quarter motivation, I’ve compiled some fresh ideas. Nine of them, to be exact. We’ve all heard most of the common recommendations like, “eat more fruits and vegetables,” “choose whole grains,” “drink 8 glasses of water every day,” and so on … I decided to search out some more real ideas. For inspiration, I took to the halls of my workplace to query my colleagues.
As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I often shy away from asking people about their personal eating habits when in a casual setting like airplanes or social events, mostly because it can make people feel just a little uncomfortable. In this case, my colleagues took a little warming up, but then the ideas started flowing. Once they realized they didn’t have to say what they thought I wanted them to say, they gave me some very concrete examples of healthier choices they make each day. Here’s the best for you:
- Choose chewy grains, because chewy grains are more likely to be whole grains. If your jaw gets tired, you know you made a healthy choice.
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Drink water early and often, and take it with you on the road or in your pack. How to know if you are drinking enough? If you have to go to the bathroom often and your urine is light colored, you probably are getting enough.
- Make coffee at home or order a simple latte – save money and skip the sweet calories in “fancy” coffee drinks. Let the natural sweetness in milk satisfy you.
- Blend up a smoothie for a quick snack – make it with milk or yogurt to satisfy with a boost of nine essential nutrients.
- Choose cottage cheese as a lean protein source. Not-your-grandmother’s-salad anymore, cottage cheese is a center-of-the-plate, quick and convenient protein for any time.
- Order extra tomatoes and lettuce on sandwiches, tacos or even burgers. Add vegetables whenever you can.
- Make milk or water your go-to drink – skip the high calorie sodas, sweet tea and juices.
- Fix-up your take-out chicken from the grocery store. Add a bag of salad, fruit and a loaf of chewy bread or rolls. Pour a glass of milk and you’ve just made a healthier choice.
- Use the “one less” rule – have one less cookie, one less handful of chips or candy, one less high- calorie beverage … you get the idea. When in doubt, stop short.
Making a healthier choice means something different to each person. It’s an individual thing, but shouldn’t be overly complicated or daunting. Even small steps are still steps in the right direction. It simply can be about the little choices you make each day that will add up to make a big difference in how you feel and function.
Good luck in the fall challenge. Now go make those healthier choices!
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
by Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
The simple and common apple is actually a superhero. Immortal and extraordinary, the apple has been flying through history in art, science experiments, legends, and torrid love affairs. It has also been seen flexing its vast muscles and protecting health and smashing disease for centuries. The apple is also the master of disguise as we just see a quiet everyday apple lying there in our fruit bowls.
The wild apple of ancient Asia, malus pumila, a member of the rose family, is the ancestor of our current juicy superstar apple. The malus was small and sour, much like the crab apples. There are many tales told of this ancient apple and its rise to fame but the ever imaginative Romans are credited with cultivating it into the predecessor of our caped crusader. They began the magic by creating 7 different varieties of the apple.
Now there are over 7500 varieties of the delicious nutritious apple grown in the world today. There are only 2500 of those grown in the United States, and only about 25 of those will you ever see in the produce isle. The leading producer of apples is China, (big surprise!) with the US coming in second with Washington State as the quarterback.
Apples are the world’s favorite fruit with American’s eating an average of 50 pounds per person. Johnny Appleseed was on to something when he planted apple trees across the country. Apples are tied hand and hand with American history and considered “all America” starting with the first settlers that brought little potted apple trees with them that helped sustain them through many a hard winter.
The nutritional benefits of our humble hotshot are astounding. A medium apple eaten raw with the peel on has only 81 calories and a whopping 3.7 grams of soluble fiber. (Make sure and eat them with the skin on, most of the good stuff is in there.) It is also loaded with antioxidants, potassium, folic acid, Vit C and calcium. The amazing apple also has been shown in studies to reduce the chance of lung, breast and colon problems. An apple a day really does keep the doctor away!
How does one pick the right apple out of 2500 different varieties for the dish? I once again, sacrificed myself and my husband for the good of all. We tried many apples to bring you our humble opinion. Honeycrisps are the BEST all-around apple for eating and baking. Granny Smith apples are great for baking and cooking where you like a little bit of tart in your pot. Gala’s are a pretty good all-around apple too if you can’t find honeycrisps. Macintoshes are the best applesauce apple but do not bake with them, or you just get mush. There are so many wonderful varieties of apples I recommended you do your own personal trials and enjoy this super hero in disguise.
This recipe I am sharing today is a lovely fall recipe that incorporates two of my favorite autumn foods, apples and winter squash. Winter squash can be a bear to cut up and peel but don’t let it stop you from making this soup, you can buy cut up and peeled squash in the produce section of the grocery stores. (I love that!) Have an apple a day and keep health going your way!
Apple and winter squash soup
I like to use butternut squash in this soup, it makes a lovely color. This makes it much easier. If you are vegetarian, omit the bacon and use 2 tablespoons of butter or oil to sauté the veggies in. I use the apple skin and all but you can peel it if you want a smoother texture. Serves 4 as an appetizer, two as a dinner.
3 slices of bacon chopped into bits (optional)
1 large onion finely diced
1 large leek, white and green parts chopped fine
2 – 3 cloves of garlic minced
2 ribs of celery minced
1 carrot sliced into thin rounds.
2 cups low sodium broth such as veggie or chicken
2 cups of water or so
3-4 cups of winter squash, peeled and chopped into cubes
4 medium sized boiling potatoes cubed (like red or Yukon golds)
1 medium tart apple, like granny smith, grated
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon of fresh sage, chopped fine
1/4 cup of sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Truffle oil (optional)
Fry up that meat candy (bacon) in a large pot till crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate and save for garnish. You should have 2 TLBS of fat, if not, add a bit more high heat oil to make that in the pot. Add the onion, garlic, leeks, celery and carrot to the bacon fat (I know, but trust me on this one) and sauté till tender and fragrant. Add the broth and water and stir up the browned bits from the bottom. Then toss in the squash, potatoes, apple, and cinnamon. Simmer mixture covered till all the veggies are super tender and delectable, about 15-20 minutes.
Now carefully puree the soup in a blender in small batches till smooth as silk. (An immersion blender is perfect here, if you have one. (The hot liquid can splash up and burn you during this process) It took me four small batches in my blender. Pour batches back in a clean pot and re-heat over medium heat stirring frequently. If it’s too thick add a little water. Serve up hot with a dollop of sour cream, crumbled bacon and wee bit of truffle oil drizzled on top. Bon appétit!
A love letter to carrots, way overdue
by Dana Zia, The Golightly Gourmet
Dear carrots,
I want to apologize for ever taking you for granted. I have always just seen you as a vegetable in the background like that completely unremarkable music in the doctor’s office. It is easy to take you for granted because you are always in the vegetable isle come rain or shine or season. You are a cheap and easy date that is always there for me no matter how I treat you.
I have marveled and written about your feathery tops and made an outrageous carrot top pesto that rocks everyone’s world. Oh and your carrot cake, dear lord what a masterpiece that is! I have waxed poetically about that numerous times concocting many riffs on it from cookies to ice cream. But I am sorry to say I have not written about you, just little ole’ you.
But I am a changed woman now that I have my own garden and am growing your lovely kind in bright and happy colors of purple, white and orange. I realize how tiny weeny your seeds are and how tough it is to make a straight row and then when it is time to thin your rows how hard it is to choose which of you must go! Each one of you are my babies! Yes, I have changed.
I am here to sing your praises and trumpet on high about how you are in the height of your season right now, no matter that you are available all year, this is your time to shine. When I pluck one of you from the garden, rinse you off and bite into you, your crunchy carrot flavor bursts in my month and I am humbled. How could I take advantage of you? You mean so much more to me than I have shared.
Not only are you delicious but your nutritional benefits are astounding as you are popping with beta carotene and fiber. Dear carrot you so graciously share your vitamin A, C and K and other impressive nutrients with us so that we can have lower cholesterol and blood pressure, boosted immune systems and maybe even see a bit better in the dark.
On top of being a nutritional powerhouse you are so versatile! You go so well in just about any dish. I love you cooked, fresh and anything in between. I love you in stews, soups, salads, stir fries, desserts and just about anything else but particularly raw and fresh out of the garden. Yes, my beloved carrot, you are amazing and I promise to never take advantage of you again.
To show you my devotion I am making a salad that highlights your vibrant color and sweet flavor. It has been a favorite in in the Middle East since the early 1940’s when raw carrots were a new and wild thing to put on the table. Before that you were only served cooked with a similar dressing to this raw salad.
This salad has been jazzed up a bit to celebrate you, dear carrot, with the use of cinnamon and cayenne but I think it does you justice. After all, this is your season to shine and to take the main stage instead of just being a supportive roll, like you always get relegated to. I have made a few versions of this that I am also sharing to really get in the carrot spirit!
Thank you carrots. I love you.
Moroccan(ish) raw carrot salad
Adapted from a recipe on Epicurious.com. Serves 4.
1 pound of grated carrots (4 cups of grated carrots)
The dressing
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3-4 TBLS of fresh lemon juice (One fat lemon does it)
1 tsp of honey
2-4 cloves of pressed garlic (Depending on how garlicy you like it)
1 tsp of ground cumin
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of sweet paprika
1/4 tsp of salt
A pinch or two of cayenne pepper (optional)
The extras
1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
1/2 cup of dried cranberries or raisins
Grate your carrots up and set aside. (I tell you, if you do this in the food processor it is a snap!) Mix up the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk it up until well blended. Pour over the carrots and then mix well until all the carrots are covered in a fine blanket. Toss in the parsley and the dried cranberries or raisins and mix some more. Set in the fridge for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight for the flavors to really develop. Enjoy this super food!
-Variations to try:
-Turkish Carrot salad with yogurt; Substitute 1 cup of plain yogurt for the lemon juice.
-Moroccan Carrot-orange salad; Omit the cumin and add 1.5 tsp of orange blossom water or 1/2 cup of orange juice then 1/4 cup of chopped fresh spearmint instead of the parsley/cilantro.
-Moroccan cooked salad; (The traditional way) Don’t grate the carrots but cut them into round slices and gently boil them till crisp-tender. Drain and rinse in cold water and drain again. Toss with the all the above ingredients and serve chilled.