Floss your teeth, live an extra 6 years...

...so I recently learned. Who knows if it's true (hey-- it's the weekend; I'm feeling too lazy to do the research), but I do know (from my health care marketing background) that taking care of your teeth can help ward off more serious conditions like heart disease. Who knew?

So here's your public service announcement for the week: Brusha-brusha-brusha... and remember to floss!

Gwyneth's Cookbook: First Attempts

Breakfast probably being my favorite meal (well, it's my favorite party... I used to love to host and go to brunches), I decided to try a few of Gwyneth's (yes, we're on a first name basis) breakfast recipes first thing on a rare sunny Saturday morning. I couldn't pass up the apple spice crumble muffins (they reminded me of my beloved Mani's apple spice cakes-- vegan, no refined sugar and absolutely delicious) and turkey breakfast sausage. Both were YUMMY. I had to substitute the spelt flour called for in the recipe with whole meal flour because it's impossible to find spelt flour in Northern England (even a trip to the health food store yielded a big fat fail), so I'm not sure if that changed the chemistry in the muffins or not. And I also learned that "corn flower" is the same as corn starch (so now I have two boxes-- American and British). Plus I've now exhausted the very last of my lovely grade A organic maple syrup (also something I can only find in London-- called for in both recipes). I also added a little more spice to the turkey sausage because I think ground turkey in Britain tastes a little off, so I usually spice it up to compensate. I'm off to make vegetable stock (also from GP's cookbook). Can't wait to try some more recipes...

Homemade turkey breakfast sausage

















The turkey sausage recipe called for fresh sage. Luckily the herbs I planted in a hanging basket outside of the kitchen door are growing like gangbusters despite the chilly temps!

Puy Lentils: Part Deux

MRN asked that I clarify that he did NOT enjoy the lentils. He ate everything on his plate simply because I made it-- not because they were good (I thought they were good). I have filed that information away for the future (oh, and for this morning when I snuck two spoonfuls into his canned soup that he takes with him to work. I figure it will only make it better, right?). I know-- a bit evil. But I only have his best health in mind (so I keep telling myself. It has nothing to do with the two tuperware-fulls of left over lentils from dinner the other night...).

Wannabe foodie

I'm much more of a wannabe foodie on Facebook than I am here on this blog; mostly because I love to cook and post photos of finished dishes, but not so much to blog about them. But I figured that since I spend much of my spare time cooking these days (so wonder I am not gaining weight) that I may as well combine both pastimes into one so as to 1) get some more mileage out of my painfully neglected blog and 2) well, I only really had one reason.

I have a standard repertoire of food that I pull from but will mix up once in a while (Thanksgiving in a meatball was one such mix-up that was also one big mistake), but for the most part I pull from my bible: The Barefoot Contessa. I love Ina and have all of her cookbooks (thanks to my wonderful Daves) and she's my go-to woman when planning a dinner party or when I have an itch to cook something new. But I also have some other cookbooks, one being William and Sonoma's Wine and Food book which doubled as a wedding guest book (thanks to my genius sister-- married in Napa=wine; bride who is a wannabe foodie=cookbook). This is a pretty genius cookbook, esp for those who don't know anything about wine (me) or what to serve at a party with specific food (me). Plus the recipes are delicious and relatively easy (that's one of my main caveats as a wannabe foodie / chef-- if it has loads of ingredients, takes a ton of time or requires gadgets and gizmos, it's a big skip.

I always say I'll try anything once, so I dabble in all sorts of meats and ingredients. I'll also throw in some vegetarian options (much to MRN's chagrin) just to keep it healthy and heart-conscious. This is a recipe compliments of Ina but I've changed slightly-- the big things are adding heat (I love spicy food; I actually use A LOT more cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper than I've indicated below, but so as not to burn everyone off this recipe I've toned it down) and swapping tahini for tomato paste (I'm not particularly fond of tomatoes and tahini has lots of good qualities that are good for you). This is a great alternative to salsa if you're not a tomato fan too (plus the pita is healthier than those yummy corn chips because you can control the salt).

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Spread (w/ homemade pita chips)

You'll need:

• 2 cookie sheets (with rims)
• Food processor (or potato masher)
• Large mixing bowl

Ingredients:

• 1 med eggplant (peeled & chopped)
• 2 red peppers (chopped)
• 2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 small red onion (chopped)
• 3 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for brushing on pita bread)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Whole grain, wheat or seeded pita bread (cut into narrow triangles)
• Flat leaf parsley for serving (rough chopped)
  

Directions:

Eggplant spread:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 F
• Chop eggplant, peppers and onion into 1-in cubes (don't worry about being precise; it's all going to get mushed in the food processor-- that's the technical term) and add to bowl
• Toss with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper
• Spread on roasting pan (cookie sheet) and cook for 40 minutes, tossing half-way through (the veggies should get brown, but careful not to burn)
• Remove from oven and cool slightly
• Add contents to food processor fitted with steel blade
• Add tahini and pulse 3-4 times until incorporated
• Taste for salt and pepper
  

Pita Chips:

• While veggies are in oven, prepare pita bread by cutting into narrow triangles, brushing with olive oil and sprinkling with salt; arrange on second cookie sheet
• Place in oven for 7-8 minutes
• Remove and serve with eggplant
  

The Art of Disguise

I'm not the first person to "hide" food within food. There's been many a cookbook written about how to get your kids to eat healthy food (perhaps the most recent by Jerry's wife Jessica Seinfeld).

Now, I don't have kids, but I do have a husband. No, he's not particularly finicky, and in his defense, he will try absolutely anything that I put in front of him. But there are certain things that he doesn't prefer, and veggies rank up at the top. Now, I love vegetables-- I have no problem eating them. But even I need a little inspiration once in a while.

It's no secret that I love my crock pot. I have two cookbooks (compliments of my friend M) that are all about slow cooking (remember the Italian Pot Roast recipe). But I also make stuff up when I'm in a hurry and need to whip something together fast. Beef stew is my go-to "hurry up" recipe. I don't follow a specific recipe-- I just dump in a little of this and a little of that-- basically anything that I have in my fridge or cupboard. It's a great cold weather comfort food and the perfect one pot / one dish meal. I made it for the first time this year (since it's so freaking cold here), but I decided I was tired of the same-old root veggies that I always use. Plus, I wanted to make it truly hearty without having to serve it with a carb-heavy side like rice or bread. A root through my fridge and pantry revealed kale and quinoa. Hmmm... I wonder if I could make it work? I prepped the stew as I usually do (well, at least I think it's how I usually do... it probably changes slightly every time). About an hour before serving I finely chopped the kale and added it to the stew. Then I stirred in about 3 cups of quinoa that I had prepared while the stew was cooking. Result? The kale gives you the all-important green leafy veggie not typically served with stew that is really good for you (powerful antioxidant, high in beta carotene, vitamin K, C and calcium. Not to mention it contains sulforaphane- a natural chemical thought to have anti-cancer properties). Plus, mixed into the stew, you can't really tell it's there, so MRN ate it without notice. And the quinoa made the stew really thick and hearty, plus gave it a slightly nutty taste which was delicious. Bonus? Also super good for you, high in protein and a good source of fiber and iron. And for those with gluten allergies-- entirely gluten-free (the quinoa, not the stew).

Two thumbs up from me (and the none-the-wiser guinea pig).

MB's Beef Stew

• 1.5 - 2 lbs lean diced beef (fat removed-- I buy the beef already diced at the butcher or grocery store, I'll usually cut the pieces a little smaller if they're too big)
• 2 8 oz cans of soup (your choice-- I usually use a tomato-based like beef broth w/ veggies, oxtail or plain veggie)
• 2 oz cans of chopped tomatoes
• 6-8 new potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 medium sized carrots, peeled and rough chopped
• 2-3 medium parsnips
• 2 small onions, cut into 1/8 chunks
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 leek, sliced
• fresh chopped parsley for serving
  
• 1/2 bunch of kale, finely chopped (you can chop in a food processor-- I didn't really measure the amount-- I just kept adding until I was happy with the amount)
• 2-3 cups of quinoa
  
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• olive oil
• flour
  

Instructions

• Add all fresh vegetables except kale into the crock pot
• Spread diced beef across a layer of paper towels and dab dry with another set of paper towels
• Sprinkle kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on both sides of the beef
• Sprinkle flour over the beef
• Brown beef in hot pan with olive oil in batches (do not cook thoroughly-- brown all sides, about 30 seconds each side)-- You don't have to do this step; you can just add the beef to the pot without browning; but I find that the beef gets more tender if you brown the meat first)
  
• Add beef to crock pot
• Pour canned soup and tomatoes over veggies and beef
• Set crock put to high and cook for 7 hours
• About an hour before serving, prepare quinoa
• Stir in quinoa and chopped kale
• Taste for salt and pepper (I'll usually add more pepper at this point because I love pepper; I'll also usually stir in some sort of Hawaiian salt mixture that contains additional herbs like ginger and thyme and oregano, maybe some chili powder; basically this is pretty fool-proof, anything goes recipe)
• Spoon into bowls and sprinkle fresh chopped parsley

This will last a couple of days (for 2)-- or serve probably 6. If you do have left-overs, on day two I'll usually add another can of chopped tomatoes and about 1/2 c water because the quinoa will soak up a lot of the liquid.

Beans Glorious Beans

We eat a lot of veggies in this house (much to MRN's chagrin although he's a good sport about it). Most of the time I'll include some sort of potato to appease my English husband's soul, but mash is seriously getting boring. I've made it a million different ways-- plain, chive and cheddar, sour cream and bacon, sour cream and parsley, cream and butter, parmesan and thyme... times that by about 5,000, you get my point. B-O-R-I-N-G.

Since we've been back from the US, I haven't had a chance to do a "proper shop" (as the English would say). So I've been digging through the pantry and refrigerator, trying to be creative with the bits and bobs (another Englishism) that I have left over. One night I found an onion, half of a yellow pepper (that wasn't moldy-- score!) and some chesnut mushrooms (we keep our fridge at a ridiculously low temp, so veggies tend to last a bit longer...). Saute that up with some fresh garlic, tomato sauce and toss in some brown rice penne and voila! Instant meal. The next night came roasted brussel sprouts and some diced turkey bacon that I found in the freezer (MRN clearly didn't eat this-- he was working late that night and would have probably rather gone hungry than eat it even if he were home). The frozen turkey bacon discovery also yielded another gold mine-- ground lamb (organic, low fat) which I turned into mediterranean meatballs the next night by adding in some garlic, red onion and chopped sundried tomatoes that I found in the pantry. But what to serve as a vegetable with the meatballs? Another scavenger hunt through the pantry uncovered one small new potato. Hmmm... whatever possessed me to leave one teeny potato I'll never know. That certainly wouldn't work. I then spied a can of cannellini beans and thought, "hmmm-- wonder if I can make this work?" I peeled and quartered the potato and tossed it into a pot with the beans, a couple of cloves of smashed garlic and some extra water and brought the whole shebang to a simmer until the potato was soft. Then I drained it, returned it to the pot, added a dab of butter, salt and pepper and mashed as you would mashed potatoes. It was looking pretty dry so in went some plain yogurt (Greek 2% of course!) to make it a bit creamier, along with a slip of low fat milk. I finished by adding in some dried tarragon (my go to spice after garlic). And guess what? My experiment worked! I thought it was quite tasty.

But the true test came when I put it in front of MRN. He ate the meatballs and beans with gusto and when I asked if he liked it, he answered, "It's gorgeous!" (Of course he's so sweet, he would say that even if it were horrible.) When I asked specifically about the "potatoes" he answered in much the same. And when I pointed out that they weren't potatoes he responded:

'They're not?"

Maikib: 1; MRN: 0

I'm in training for when I have children.

Holy Yogurt Batman

I'm a big fan of Greek yogurt. It's creamy and lacks the sometimes tart flavor found in a typical plain yogurt. I used to eat it for breakfast only-- the way you would any yogurt: with honey stirred in or sliced berries and grapenuts sprinkled on top. Then I started stirring it into eggs which made them super fluffy and light. And I had an "ah-ha" moment. Yogurt is just as good in savory foods as sweet.

I love sour cream in mashed potatoes, but obviously high in fat and cholesterol, it's not ideal for an every occasion potato. So I started substituting 2% greek yogurt (or 0%, but you lose some of the texture) instead of sour cream, butter and cream or milk. You still get the creaminess without the high fat content. I tried the same with salsa-- mixing yogurt with my favorite spicy salsa for a dip and it was delicious. I've also added it to make a creamy tomato sauce (last night's experiment was sauteed onions, peppers, cremini mushrooms and garlic with plain jarred spaghetti sauce and two spoonfuls of yogurt stirred in), which makes the sauce rich and thick (and gives you the creamy goodness without any of the guilt-- and for the record, I hate creamy, cheesy sauces, so the fact that I liked this is a big deal in itself). I also added it to mashed beans which helped give it more of a creamy mashed potato consistency-- and MRN ate it without a second glance, thinking it WAS potatoes! Whoop-whoop.

A super versatile ingredient that can be used for sweet or savory? It's not just for breakfast anymore!

Preeee-teeee

I like pretty food. Yes, it must taste good-- that's a given; but I also like to serve a pretty plate and that usually means a variety of colorful vegetables to brighten up whatever meat or starch is being served (much to MRN's chagrin). Even if I've made a classic meat and potatoes dish, I'll chop up some fresh parsley and toss it on top so I'm not serving some bland, grey-ish something. It's amazing what a little parsley will do.

Despite the absolutely abysmal weather that we've had this summer (have I complained about it enough?), I think we've managed to BBQ at least three times. This past weekend we had a rare day of partial sunshine, so out the BBQ came from the shed and MRN fired it up. I'd marinated pork tenderloin overnight (throwing caution to the wind that the weather report would hold...) and had mandolined my potatoes and chopped my fennel and onions for the potato fennel gratin and made homemade guacamole. But my favorite? The pretty plate you see here, all ready for grilling. Admittedly I was the only one excited for this puppy. But as I argued, everything tastes better BBQ-ed, right? And this looked even better once it came off of the grill. My carnivorous guests humored me and tried a little of everything (my favorites? The asparagus-- of course, the eggplant and the red onion, which gets deliciously sweet when charcoal grilled), but I pretty much ate the entirety on my own. I have to say though, I'm okay with that.