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 Tasty, low on calories and still sweet This is a really easy recipe that I make whenever I want to prepare a dessert, have little time, and don’t want to haul out the sugar, butter, etc. Here we rarely consume sugar and finding satisfying after-dinner treats that are no-fat and no sugar is a fun challenge.
The apples I used were huge Cortland Apples from Apex Farm out in Western MA. The cranberries give the dessert a tart-tang and an overall pink touch that is lovely. You could add a handful of raisins, or a sprinkle of walnut if you want to up the calories or texture.
- 2 HUGE apples or 3 normal sized apples, cut in half, cored ( with a melon baller) then sliced .
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/3 cup apple cider or apple juice.
Put everything in a small pot, turn on the heat. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle very lightly with cinnamon.
Serve warm. 80 Calories perserving. Serves 4
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http://www.apexorchards.com,
 Cabbage pieces penetrate the rigatoni Every fall my family prepared “bagna calda,” a luscious Italian communal vegetable dip meal. We dipped slices of fall vegetables into a hot dip made from olive oil, butter, lots and lots of garlic and anchovies. Joke was none of the family teens could go out on a date after a “bagna calda” meal because their breath would haunt all non-Italians, particularly a non-Italian who hadn’t also eaten “Bagna Calda” taht same evening.
My favorite vegetable to dip into the bagna calda pot was cabbage. The fecund earthiness of the cabbage and its crisp round watery snap, the heaviness of oil, salty anchovies, and pungent , stinky garlic….just perfect.
So. Finding several newly harvested cabbage heads in my refrigerator; garlic, anchovies and gallon tank of high quality olive oil in my pantry, I thought: hmmm– bagna calda pasta. Why hadn’t I thought to make it years ago?
Here it is in all its glory. Totally delicious, garlicky and incestuously restrictive in its kissing aftereffects. Meaning: you’ll want to stay home and kiss who ever ate dinner with you. In my case, my husband.
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 T butter or ghee
- 4 cloves garlic diced
- 1 tin flat anchovies
- 1/2 large head of cabbage chopped into small squares
- 5 basil leaves ripped into small pieces
- 15 peppercorns crushed
- 1 lb. rigatoni
In a your largest skillet saute the garlic for a few minutes in the oil and ghee before adding the anchovies. Put lid over the skillet after adding the anchovies so you won’t have to clean your stove top. The anchovies cause splatter.
Add the cabbage. The reason it’s chopped into small squares is so that some of the cabbage will slip inside the rigatoni holes. If the cabbage is cut too large, or too long, this merging of cabbage with interior pasta space won’t happen.
Fold the oil over the cabbage and saute for a few minutes. Then put the lid over the skillet. Turn off the heat and let the cabbage cook for about 3-4 minutes. Check it. It should be soft but still crisp, green but not raw. Add the ripped pieces of basil. Then take the lid off the skillet or else the cabbage will continue to cook and be soggy and limp. NOt what we want.
When the rigatoni is cooked, reserve a half cup of the cooking water. Add the rigatoni to the skillet with the cabbage/garlic/anchovy mixture and fold the vegetables from the bottom of the skillet to the top. Don’t be too aggressive. Add the hot water from the pasta pot, crush the pepper corns and add to the skillet. Fold a a bit more.
Serve. ( NO cheese!!)
 so good RISO, PATATE E COZZE was the absolutely best food I prepared in 2010: no one seated around the dining room table could stop eating. We were in a collective taste trance, sated nonetheless, but unable to stop. The delicious savoriness of this dish, typical to the Puglia region of Italy, which is famous for its seafood, pulls you in like a long lost lover you fervently wish you had never lost.
Please note: I will wonder for days and months why I did not discover this taste combination sooner so I could savor it more days of my life.
Here it is. I have modified a bit, using a combo of brown rice and Arborio rice, rather than all white rice and the healthy dose of whole grain makes RISO, PATATE E COZZE extraordinary.
Assemble the ingredients in bowls, so that you can put the dish together, like an artist, with love, anticipating the delight of the end result.
RISO PATATE E COZZE
- 1 cup short grain brown rice, rinsed and soaked for 4 plus hours. Then par-boil the rice in a pot with a lid. Let the rice sit while you are slicing the onions and potatoes.
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and left for 4 hours in 5 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup Arborio (or Canaroli or Vialone nano) rice rinsed and soaked for 4 hours
- A bag of mussels ( about 3-4 lbs) Rinsed. Remove any “beard” from the shell–though in these days of mussel farming we rarely see beard.Discard mussels with open or broken shells. Cook mussels in a bit of boiling water to open them. Get rid of any mussels that do not open. Reserve the liquid, straining ti through a fine sieve to get rid of any sand or shell pieces. Set aside. ( If you are using straight from the sea mussels you can open them as if they are oysters and do not bother to boil them.)
- 2 medium red onions sliced very thin
- 4 waxy yellow potatoes sliced very thin
- I can ( 14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, seasoned with sea salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
- 4 T extra virgin olive oil
Once everything is assembled, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain the rice, reserving the rice liquid. Mix the brown and white rices together. Mix the rice soaking water with the mussel water.
So you have assembled bowls containing: 1) tomato, 2) potato, 3) onion, 4) cheese, 5) wet rice, 6) seasoned parsley, 7) rice soaking water combined with mussel cooking liquid,  olive oil tinged with garlic, 9) olive oil, 10) mussels ( on the counter, no need for a bowl). NOw you’re ready to layer everything in the ovenproof casserole.
Put 2T of olive oil into a large ovenproof casserole. I use my Le Crueset 4.5 quart Dutch Oven. A clay pot works nicely. You need a heavy pan that you can both put on the stove top and bake. Arrange a thin layer of onion covered by a thin layer of potato over the bottom of the casserole dish. Place 6-10 pieces of diced tomato on top. Sprinkle with seasoned parsley. Arrange a few mussels in their half shell ( or whole shell, if you want to save time), followed by a handful of wet rice and a sprinkling of pecorino. Drizzle some of the garlic seasoned olive oil on top. Continue to build up the layers finishing with potato, tomato and pecorino.
Drizzle on remaining 2 T olive oil. Carefully pour the rice/mussel water down the sides of the prepared dish until the liquid reaches up to the potato layer. (Push the contents down to see the water level.) Put the oven proof dish, with a lid or without a lid ( I use a lid), on a heat diffuser on top of the stove, and heat until the water comes to a boil. Remove from top of stove and put the casserole in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes. Check after 30 minutes to make sure it is not too dry, which might be the case if you do not have a lid for your ovenproof casserole.
Remove from oven after 40 minutes and let sit for at least an hour before serving
What to serve with RISO PATATE E COZZE?
Today I steamed bok choy with a garlic and tahini sauce ( I used the leftover garlic cloves from above recipe); a sweet and sour steamed zucchini side dish; sliced turnip pickle. For dessert: I baked apples to take advantage of the oven being hot.
I’ve been two places: Dominican Republic and on my back on the sofa.
 Dominicans eat bananas with every meal The first place was definitely better: Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata, Santiago and best of all Casa de Campo near El Romano. The food …mmm.
I ate ’the dominican flag” ( a simple rice and red bean dish) every day. All the food was tasty. Lots of plantain and banana. By far my favorite food was the magnificent soup that I couldn’t get enough of: Sancocho, DR’s culinary treasure. It’s thick and concentrated. Takes lots of time to prepare and it isn’t vegetarian and certainly not macrobiotic. I couldn’t resist and sidestepped my vegetarian regime. I did avoid the big chunks of meat.
Second place I’ve been: on the sofa, because I had my meniscus repaired by Dr. Patel.
Dominican Sancocho
- 1 (10-ounce) package Dominican longaniza sausage (optional)
- 3 quarts plus 1 1/2 cups water, divided
- 1/4 pound bacon (4 slices), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 (1-pound) beef shank (1 1/2 inches thick)
- 1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 chicken thighs with skin and bone Continue reading Where Have I Been?
 Arame draws toxins out of the body Dark, nearly black seaweed side dishes are particularly attractive on a plate next to orange carrots or bright green broccoli. In the photo here you see it in a pocket of spring green lettuce and purple raddiccio. It’s a virtuous food; when prepared and presented with grace, seaweeds can be quite tasty. ( If you would like to read more about how Japanese girls use seaweed to lose weight, here’s a link: http://wp.me/pmQ7L-5j)
A little goes a long way–in terms of flavor and nutrients. In our house we prefer arame to its stronger tasting cousin hijiki.
Sea vegetables are loaded minerals and possess scientifically proven nutritional benefits that span the range from weight loss aids to stress reduction to dissolving tumors. (I won’t get into citing all the sources here.)The Japanese restaurants up the street from our house, in Porter Exchange, promote their arame/hijiki dishes as natural remedies for sinitus and seasonal allergies.
We eat it to “pull out” excess dairy…meaning whenever we have a cheese day or a day when we’ve consumed too much fat, the next day we eat arame.
Arame and Onions with Peanut Sauce
- large handful of arame ( or about a third of a 2.1 oz package )
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1 t shoyu
- 2 t safflower or peanut oil
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic, sliced thin ( optional)
- 2 T peanut butter
- 3T sauerkraut
- Rinse arame and then soak it in a bowl of cold water for five minutes. Drain (use the water on houseplants, if you like). Put arame in a small saucepan with about 3/4 cup water, cover with a lid and simmer for five minutes.
- Meanwhile….Cut a baseball sized onion in half. Slice the onion halves into thin half-moons. Heat oil in a skillet, add the onion and saute for a few minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute until onions are transparent.
- If there’s any water left in the arame after ten minutes drain. Add 1/2 cup apple juice. Continue cooking arame without a lid for 3-5 minutes. Add 2 T of peanut butter and the shoyu. Gently stir until peanut butter has melted. Add sautéed onion and garlic to the arame and peanut butter mixture.
- Let cool to room temperature. Before serving, add sauerkraut.
Sprinkle leftover arame over green salad the next day for lunch.
 pasta:main line to a man's heart My husband jokes (or maybe not!) that he decided to marry me one summer day when we were driving around in my MG Midget with the top down. “We were on Soldier’s Field Road, about to turn off the ramp towards Harvard Square. With total confidence, you turned to me and announced, ‘I know 1,000 ways to make pasta’.”
You must understand: Not only am I a good cook who has travelled and lived in Italy, but also that I spent my childhood eating, studying and helping out in our family’s Italian restaurant.
Much to my husband’s pleasure, I’ve served him more than 1,000 different pasta dishes during our 22 years of marriage. And whenever I want to charm a fellow–make him feel good and special–I make him pasta.
Vinicius, a young man from Sao Paola Brazil, stayed with us for a month. For his farewell dinner, I made him this simple and tasty pasta, which is also one of my hubby’s favorite’s.
- 1 lb. spaghettini (spaghetti or linguine will also work)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil or brine, drained
- Salt and pepper
- 1 T finely chopped parsley
- Bring a large pan of water to boil. Add salt and the spaghettini and cook until al dente.
- Meanwhile. heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic; cook a few minutes. Add the anchovies; cook and mash. Add the breadcrumbs and stir until the breadcrumbs start to change color.
- Drain the spaghettini and add to the pan with a little of the cooking water.
- Toss over high heat for a few minutes. Check for salt. In most cases you will not need to add salt. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.
- Transfer to a warmed serving platter–unless your frying pan is a good looking one like mine. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately, very hot.
Serves 4, 175 calories a serving
 kewpie, miso and ume add Japanese touch My husband and I met practicing aikido, a Japanese martial art based on sword moves. Consequently, anything Japanese is golden around our house:guests, film, food.
We use Kewpie, a Japanese mayonnaise, instead of Hellman’s or other popular brands.
Kewpie mayonnaise, sold in a squeeze bottle, is made with rice vinegar rather than distilled vinegar. The rice vinegar doesn’t necessarily makes it healthier than American brands: all mayo contains fat. Kewpie is creamier, sweeter, saltier and thinner than the Americans. Thinner is what is important to me.
A small thin squeeze is simply delicious on a pile soba or udon noodles (add a dash of shoyu…yum). I use Kewpie to make this Japanese influenced Waldorf Salad, which also uses miso and a dash of ume vinegar.
Ingredients (chop and put in a large bowl)
- 3 apples (I use 2 macoun and 1 granny smith) cubed
- 3 stalks of celery sliced
- 3-4 leaves of Chinese cabbage, sliced very thinly
- 1/4-1/2 cup gently chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup raisins ( or raisins and dried cranberries)
Dressing (blend together and pour over the ingredients. Stir well. Serve immediately or put into fridge until time to eat.)
- 3-4 T Kewpie mayo
- juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
- 1/2 t miso
- 1/2 t cinnamon
- 1 T brown rice syrup
- dash of ume vinegar
- Optional additions: 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup yoghurt, if you do dairy; 1/3 cup amazake
6 servings, 146 calories a serving
 "fun guy" soup We never figured out why our young daughter called Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup “Crown of Mushroom.” Perhaps in a dream she had seen her mother wearing a Warhol-esque headress of red &white soup cans; or a brown mushroom ear warmer. Maybe princesses ate Crown of Mushroom and she opted to dine in their company.Or maybe Campbell’s once had a flavor called “Golden Mushroom Soup.”
Whatever: This soup is so good it will wipe out your memory of Campbell’s. It’s completely cream free, yet very, very rich.
Bonus points: only 170 calories.
Crown of Mushroom Soup
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 14-16 oz mushrooms, chopped (the crown: a mixutre of crimini, white, oyster, shitake,etc. ) * Reserve the most beautiful cap for garnish
- 1/2 t shoyu ( soy sauce or tamari is OK)
- pinch sea salt
- 4 cup water
- 1 cup cooked oatmeal, brown rice, or barley
- 1/4 t tarragon
- 1 T white miso disolved in 1/2 cup water
- Heat olive oil in a heavy soup pot ( I use a 4.5 quart Creuset ). Add onions and saute until nearly transparent. Add chopped muschooms. Stir. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
- When mushrooms have gone limp and released their juice, add the shoyu. stir and cover the pot. Cook on low for about five minutes.
- Add the queart of water and cooked grain. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Check often and stir. Add the tarragon during the last ten minutes. Add the miso, dissolved in 1/2 cup water during the final three minutes.
- Pour everything into a Vita-Mix, blender, or food processor. Blend. Pour back into the pot and let the soup rest.
- To serve: Reheat. Season with fresh cracked pepper, if desired. Garnish with a sprig of parsel, or *reserved mushroom cap sliced thinly.
4 servings. 170 calories.
Optional: Add 1 T sherry or cognac.
 quinoa, a south american "grain" For dinner we’re building our own tacos. For filling I’ll section a big tray with chopped avocado, black beans, steamed carrot, and chopped purple onion, cilantro, and tomato. The non-vegans will find shredded cheese on the tray. I’ll put a big bowl of plain quinoa on the table as well as a jar of store-bought salsa and my own Mexican tahini dressing.
Quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain, but most whole food cookers consider it a whole grain. It goes with just about every cuisine and time of day: eat a bowl of quinoa with a dash of syrup and a handful of nuts for breakfast, toss it into a salad for lunch, or concoct a dinner pilaf by adding onions and peas.
Since it originates in South America, I like to use quinoa with black beans and corn. I add south-of-the border spices to food when I cook with quinoa & am providing a recipe for tahini dressing using those spices. Use the dressing on the taco, as a salad dressing, or over warm carrots as a side dish.
HOW TO MAKE QUINOA
- 1 cup quinoa, washed and drained
- 2 cups water
Wash the “kween-wa” and drain it in a fine-meshed drainer. While quinoa is drip-drying, heat up a cast iron skillet. When skillet is hot, pour the quinoa onto the hot skillet and roast it for a few minutes. Stir so it doesn’t burn. Heating the grain brings out a nutty flavor.
While quinoa is roasting in the skillet, fill a pot with 2 cup of water, turn on the heat. Add the roasted quinoa to the water. Add a pinch of sea salt. Heat to boiling. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes–until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffed up.
Mexican Tahini Dressing
- 1 garlic clove smashed
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup lemon ( or lime) juice
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 T hot water
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 T ready-made Mexican seasoning ( or mix together your own ratio of the 5 Cs–cumin, cayenne, coriander, cocoa, and chili powder)
Whisk together the garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add the hot water to thin the dressing, add salt and spices.
1/2 cup serving of quinoa is 150 calories, 2.6 grams of fat.
1/4 cup dressing is about 85 calories
When I make baguettes this quote comes to mind: Every evening in Paris, as the sun sets and offices close for the day, the sidewalks become crowded with men returning home, bearing warm baguettes or bouquets.
 twin baguette I don’t know who wrote it (if you do please let me know), or if I have quoted it exactly but an appealing image, n’est pas? Men in berets, men in suits, men in work caps, men with grey hair, men on bicycles…men helping out their mothers, wives, lovers; helping to get the dinner ready and to make it complete. Men doing nothing out of the ordinary. Men doing their part.
Surely plenty of Parisian women are also walking home with baguettes tucked under their arms, but I prefer to let my mind wander on the images of men. My father –God Bless him–would come home in the evening with loaves of fresh Italian bread nestled inside bags of thin white paper. We lived in rural Pennsylvania Continue reading Easy Baguette
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