SamosaLove

Alternative Sweeteners

2010-10-05T08:57:00.004-04:00

Because I have diabetes in my family, I've resolved to completely eliminate refined sugars and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) from my regular diet. For those of you interested in doing the same thing for health reasons, one of the best ways to eliminate both of these sweeteners, particularly HFCS, is to avoid fast food altogether. Ice creams, cookies, pies, and even the hamburger buns from every fast food chain from A to Z contain high fructose corn syrup. Not only has the consumption been correlated to the rise in diabetes in the US, but also that of obesity. It is very much possible that you may lose some weight by simply eating "All Natural" breads, beverages, and desserts.

While Stevia is an excellent alternative sweetener for tea, coffee, and other drinks, it still does not serve as a reasonable substitute for baked goods. This is because sugar acts as more than just a sweetener in baked goods. Sugar plays roles in the volume, texture, tenderness, and preservation of the baking product. For example, creaming butter and sugar incorporates air into the final batter, resulting in a more "airy" baking product. The more you cream, the more air you are adding into your baked goods. Also, sugar attracts moisture thereby making your final baking product tender.

Both of these important characteristics of refined sugar in baked goods can be found in other natural sweeteners, but with the possibility of some cons in addition to pros. Most turbinado and raw sugars I have found in the markets contained large sugar granules compared to standard refined sugar. Advantages of this would be greater amount of air incorporated into the batter during the creaming process, but with the disadvantage of the granules not dissolving in the batter completely prior to baking. This gives the final product with a slight "crunchy" but airy texture instead of a "soft" texture, which may be preferable for some bakers. Sucanat, on the other hand, has an opposite effect. The baking results are usually a denser product due to poor air incorporation but not that much different from the use of refined sugar with a slightly richer taste due to the extra molasses found on Sucanat.

However, the sweetener of my preference when making baked goods has so far been Palm Sugar. Palm sugar is often difficult to find but is almost always available in Asian food stores since it is a staple ingredient for many Thai dishes. It has been known to give more depth of flavor to baked goods and is also low on the glycemic index. Palm sugar usually comes in a cake form rather than in granules and though difficult to measure out due to its density, I enjoy the fact that it provides added moisture to my baked goods and prevents me from feeling a sugar crash after eating desserts. Nonetheless, due to its liquid/solid form, the downfall of Palm sugar is that it does not incorporate as much air into the product, but I generally prefer a denser texture in my baked goods anyways. Palm sugar granules are also available in some health stores and once I get a hold on some, will love to see the difference in product between the two different physical states of sugar on the resulting baked goods and report back.

Ground Lamb Pastry Shells

2010-09-27T22:06:00.000-04:00

So you want an easy appetizer recipe that doesn't call out the same boring or readymade ideas and want to impress the guests, try this...

Ingredients:

2 boxes Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells

1 lb ground lamb

1 bunch parsley

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon whole pepper

1 medium red onion

2 green chilies

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

2 tablespoons oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Follow package directions to bake shells and remove tops

Heat oil in saucepan on medium heat and add cumin, ginger garlic paste, chilies and lamb and cook till done. Meanwhile dice the onions and parsley

Let the ground lamb cool and add the diced onions and parsley.

Scoop the meat mixture into the shells and serve warm. Hint: You can always keep the shells in the oven on 200-250 degrees covering with foil to ensure it stays warm but doesn't dry out.

30 Minute Quiche

2010-09-26T20:09:00.001-04:00

Have some last minute guests or want to just make something fun for the weekend? Try a quiche using leftovers around the house.

Ingredients:
1 readymade frozen pie shell
4-6 Large Eggs (depends on the amount of vegetables you add and the depth of your pie shell
1/8 cup milk
1 to 1 1/2 cup raw vegetables
3/4 cup grated cheese (optional - sharp cheddar is great)
1/4 cup sausage or other cooked meat (optional)
2 green chillies

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Get your vegetables ready. Today I had tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers at home so I just used those. I usually like adding mushrooms but I didn't have any. I also had some beef sausages in the freezer that I had cooked previously so I sauteed those as well.

Dice your vegetables into manageable pieces and add to a mixing bowl with the salt & pepper, chilies, and beaten eggs.

Pour into frozen pie crust and top with grated cheese

Bake for about 20 minutes or until done.
Hint: check if the egg is done by putting a fork in it and seeing if the egg is runny.

Quick and Easy Oven Baked Ribs

2010-09-26T19:57:00.001-04:00

So you want to try ribs, but don't want something too--- sweet or ready-made. Well this is the recipe for you. We'll start by making our own "BBQ Sauce" and then oven bake these bad boys.

Ingredients

BBQ Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

water as needed for consistency

Ribs:

1 cup BBQ Sauce (above)

2 lbs. Beef Ribs, cut into small racks

1 teaspoon crushed black pepper

Directions:

Place ribs in a pyrex dish or baking sheet and coat with BBQ sauce and marinate overnight in fridge

Next Day:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Place ribs on center rack and bake for 45 minutes on each side or until done.

Garnish with some napkins!

Bhaingan Burtha (Punjabi-style Eggplant Curry)

2010-09-24T20:07:00.004-04:00

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1/2 cup plain yogurt

3 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (ground)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (readymade or fresh)

1 diced tomato

1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)

a few fresh chilies (chopped)

curry powder or garam masala to taste

salt to taste

cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven on Broil at about 450 degrees (baking also works, but I find broiling makes the skin easier to peel off)

Wash eggplant and pat dry

Place eggplant on a pyrex dish or baking sheet.

Coat with 1 tablespoon of oil and use a fork to make some holes (this prevents terrorist activity in your oven)

Broil for about 15 minutes on each side or until tender. This really depends on how big the eggplant is. The eggplant should have "deflated" and become mushy.

Remove from the oven and let the eggplant cool, then peel

Heat the rest of the oil in a pot over medium heat and fry the onions with the cumin for a few minutes then add the tomato,

ginger garlic paste, other spices, chilies, and yogurt.

Now add the eggplant and use a wooden spoon to break it apart into a mash.

Cover the mixture and cook further on medium heat for 5-15 minutes or until its smooth.

Add salt to taste and use tomato paste to add color and consistency. Garnish with cilantro and serve.