Tara Tastes the World

A perfect picnic

2010-08-21T12:27:00.008-04:00

One of the best cheap things to do in the summer is picnic. Whether you are looking for an inexpensive way to get together with friends or you want a new take on date night. picnics are great. With a little preparation and planning you can turn boring old sandwiches and potato salad on a blanket into a sophisticated al fresco affair. The following menu is great for a picnic whether you are headed for the park, the beach or a rooftop garden.

MENU

Olive and Mozzarella Pasta Salad

Carrot and Raisin Salad

Truffle Deviled Eggs

Caponata Sandwiches

Chocolate Berry Pavlova

Olive and Mozzarella Pasta Salad

Ingredient

1 tbsp olive oil

2tbsp salt

1/2 lb bite sized pasta of your choice *I used bowtie pasta in honor of our sophisticated picnic theme

1/4 cup olive oil *Instead of tossing the pasta in the olive oil I tossed it in the oil and olive juice mixture that the olives were soaked in while packaged.

3/4 cup cubed mozzarella

3/4 cup mixed olives, halved and pitted

1 medium tomato seeded and diced

1 medium red onion diced

3 tbsp chopped oregano

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 pinches red chili flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Pinch basil on top *Can use shredded fresh basil

Directions

Bring 1 gallon salted water to a rolling boil in a large stock pot. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and pasta and cook until al dente (6-8 minutes). Drain and transfer immediately to an oiled cookie sheet ( I used cooking spray). When cool transfer to a bowl, toss with olive oil (or olive juice/oil mixture I used). Mix in all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Toss with pasta, season to taste and serve.

Nutrition Facts: makes 6-8 servings; per 1/8 serving

calories 226; grams 103; fat 11g; sfat 4g; protein 8g; carbs 25g; sodium 586 mg; fiber 1.5g; sugar 2g

Carrot Raisin Salad

Ingredients

2 cup shredded carrots

2/3 cup golden raisins

1tbsp poppy seeds

1 lemon juiced

2 oranges juiced

1/2 cup light brown sugar

pinch salt

Directions

Combine all ingredients well, using your fingers to toss and coat the carrots thoroughly. NOTE the longer the salad sits the stronger the citrus flavors and the more the raisins will plump with juice.

Nutrition Facts: Makes 4-6 servings; per 1/6 serving

calories 136; grams 104; fat 1g; saturated fat 0g; protein 1.5g; carbs 34g; sodium 14mg; fiber 1.5g; sugar 28g

Truffle Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

6 eggs plus 2 yolks

1 tbsp truffle oil

3 tbsp olive oil

2 dashes chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp dry English mustard

Chives for garnish

Directions

Boil eggs in a rapid boil (12 min). remove the eggs to a bowl of cold water and let cool for about 10-15 min. While eggs are cooling, prepare the truffle mayo by whisking the 2 egg yolks in a medium bowl until the yolks are stiff and increased in volume. Slowly whisk in truffle oil and olive oil, ensuring that all of the oil is being absorbed before more is added. Continue to add the oil until all of it has been added, then season with chili powder, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in parsley and mustard, set aside. Remove eggs from the water, peel, halve and remove the yolks to a medium bowl. Add truffle mayo and mix well with a fork. Arrange the cooked egg whites on a flat surface and fill the well with egg mixture, using either a spoon or a pastry bag and piping tip for a more decorative look. Garnish with chives.

Nutrition Facts: Makes a dozen halves; per half

cal 64; grams 31; fat 5g; saturated fat 1.5g; protein 3.5g; carbs .7g; sodium 38.5g; fiber 0g; sugar 0g

Chocolate Berry Pavlova

Ingredients

6 large egg whites

1 tsp cream of tartar

2 cups superfine sugar

3 tbsp cocoa powder; sifted

1 tbp balsamic vinegar

2 oz dark chocolate finely chopped

2 cups whipped topping

1 cup raspberries

1 cup chopped strawberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw with pencil, eight 2-inch circles using a cup or plate as a stencil. Flip parchment paper over making sure you can see the circles .

Make meringue: Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with a mixer until satin peaks form. Beat in sugar a spoonful at a time until meringue is stiff and shiny. Add chocolate: Sprinkle the cocoa, vinegar and chopped chocolate. Gently fold everything in with rubber spatula until mixed thoroughly.

Mound the meringue into each circle smoothing the top and sides with a spatula. Place in oven, then immediately turn temperature down to 300 degrees F and bake for 1 hr 5 min. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly. Let the meringue cool completely in the oven.

Placed whipped topping top of each cooled meringue top with berries and serve.

Nutrition Facts: Makes 8 Pavlovas; Per Pavlova

calories 142; grams 99.5; fat 1.5g; saturated fat 0.6g; protein 3.9g; carbs 29g; sodium 52mg; fiber 2g; sugar 21g

Caponata Sandwiches

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 medium eggplant, cut in to 1/2 inch pieces

dash salt

1 red bell pepper cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

3 tbsp golden raisins

1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

Dash freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tsp sugar

1 loaf ciabatta bread cut into 6 pieces *See Previous Ciabatta Bread Recipe

2 cloves garlic

6 slices mozzarella

Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and saute until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and saute until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Season with salt. Add the red pepper and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and saute until translucent (3 min). Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, raisins, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Simmer over medium-low heat until the flavors blend and the mixture thickens, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Add the vinegar, sugar and capers. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cut the bread pieces horizontally in half. Grill the bread cut-side down on a grill pan over medium-heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Rub the whole garlic cloves over the toasted side of the bread. Add a slice of mozzarella to bread bottom, spoon the caponata on top, cover with the other bread half and serve.

To take for a picnic: Wrap the sandwiches separately in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Chill until ready to serve, or keep at room temperature for up to 1 hour.

Nutrition Facts: Makes 6 servings; per serving

cal 295; grams 212; fat 14g; saturated fat 3.5g; protein 8g; carbs 34g; fiber 6.5g; sodium 486mg; sugar 11g

Homemade Ciabatta Bread

2010-08-18T21:03:00.005-04:00

I have to admit that this is my first time making bread without a bread maker or the help of my mother. In fact I'm not entirely sure that until this adventure that I had ever seen the bread making process through from start to finish. So this was truly an adventure to take on one of the harder types of breads with my bare bones kitchen tools and minimal baking skills.

I should warn that my Ciabatta came out a little closer to flat bread than an actual loaf. This is a very complicated and time consuming bread to make so I do not recommend attempting this as your first home made bread adventure unless you are capable of having a good laugh at yourself.

For the sponge base

Ingredients

1/8 tsp active dry yeast

2 tbsp warm water (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F)

1/3 cup room temp water

1 cup flour *It would be best to use bread flour for this. I used whole wheat all purpose flour. This is probably why my bread did not rise as much as it would have with bread flour.

Directions

Stir together warm water and yeast. Let stand for 5 min, until creamy. Transfer years mixture to another bowl and add the room temperature water and flour. Stir for 4 min (it will feel like gooey dough). Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand at cool room temp for at least 12 hrs to 1 day.

For the bread

Ingredient

1/2 tsp active dry yeast

2 tbsp warm milk (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F)

2/3 cup room temp water

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

Mix yeast and milk in a small bowl; let stand 5 min until creamy. In a large bowl using an electric mixer with a dough hook mix milk mixture and sponge, water, oil and flour at a low speed until flow is moistened. NOTE: I don't have dough hooks on my $20 electric mixer so I just used the normal mixing attachment but used one instead of two. Beat on medium for 3 min. Add salt and beat for another 4 min. Scrape dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic or a damp kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size (1.5 hrs or so). Dough will be very sticky with lots of bubbles.

Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper (12 in x 6 in each). Place on baking sheets and flour well. Turn dough out on well floured surface and cut in half. Transfer each half to paper and form into 9 in ovals. Dip fingers in flour and dimple loaves. Dust the tops with flour. Cover with dampened kitchen towel and let rise for 2 hrs.

At least 20 min before baking bread, preheat pizza pan (or pizza stone) on lowest oven rack at 425 degrees F. Transfer 1 loaf with parchment paper onto pan and bake for 20 min or until pale golden. Remove to cooling rack and repeat with second loaf.

Nutrition Facts: Makes 2 loaves

Per Loaf: calories 727; grams 207; fat 10g; saturated fat 1g; protein 24.5g; carbs 127g; sodium 1784mg; sugar 7g; fiber 24g

Per quarter loaf: calories 182; grams 51; fat 2.5g; saturated fat .25g; protein 6g; carbs 32g; sodium 439mg; sugar 2g; fiber 6g

Catalan Bean and Sausage Stew

2010-08-18T20:17:00.006-04:00

Since I am generally not cooking for a big group and I generally need to find ways to make me meals and ingredients stretch to get my dollars to go far, stews are a really great idea. Plus they are great for making in batches on the weekend for quick heat up meals during the busy week days. I got this recipe from my Healthy Jewish Home Cooking Cookbook.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion chopped

3 garlic cloves chopped

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

dash of salt

dash of black pepper

2 lb turkey or chicken sausage *I used 1 lb sweet italian turkey sausage and 1 lb feta and sundried tomato chicken sausage

1 can (15.5 oz) white kidney beans

1 can (15.5 oz) red kidney beans

Directions

Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Lightly cook sausage whole enough to toughen the casing and firm sausage filling to make slicing easier. Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Set aside on a plate. NOTE: DO NOT USE THAT PLATE FOR ANYTHING ELSE SINCE THE MEAT IN THE SAUSAGE IS STILL NOT FULLY COOKED.

Heat olive oil in the skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat, stirring often until light golden brown. Add garlic and saute for 1 min. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook gently uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick.

Add sausage and beans, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes over medium low heat. Stir occasionally to ensure that all the sausage gets cooked thoroughly through. Season again with salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition Facts: makes 6 servings; per serving

grams 402; calories 411; fat 17g; saturated fat 5g; protein 38g; carbs 29g; sodium 1415 mg; fiber 8g; sugar 6g

Chocolate Raspberry Angel Loafers

2010-08-06T14:52:00.005-04:00

This dessert is perfect for a summer treat. I got this recipe from Self.com. I also like to have this as a light and delicious dessert with a dollop of fat free cool whip or some vanilla frozen yogurt.If you are ever in the mood for a baked treat but don't want the heavy consequences of regular pastries and cakes, angel food cake is the way to go. I absolutely love it with fresh fruit and a light frosting or whipped topping.

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

8 large egg whites *I used 1.5 cups of egg white substitute which is equivalent to 8 egg whites

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup wheat flour; sifted

4 tbsp raspberry preserves

4 oz semi sweet chocolate squares

1 cup fat cream cheese *The original recipe called for sour cream but that seemed weird to me, in hindsight the fat free cream cheese was firmer than i expected so it was harder to blend the chocolate for the frosting

1 carton fresh raspberries (garnish)

Directions:

For the Angel Food Cake - Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat bottom of a muffin pan with cooking spray. PERSONAL NOTE: I thought it would be a little more fun if they came in a less conventional shape so I used a mini loaf pan.Beat egg whites, 1 tbsp water, cream of tartar and salt with an electric mixer on medium low speed until foamy. Continue to beat adding sugar a little at a time until fluffy. Add vanilla and beat 1 min. Sprinkle small amounts of flour and fold in. Keep going until all the flour is added. Pour batter in muffin pans and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake until cake is light golden in color and surface springs back gently to touch (25-30 min). Run a sharp knife around edges of the loaves to separate from pan. Cool on rack for 2 hrs.

For Filling - Heat berry preserves in a small saucepan until it reaches a gentle simmer. Remove from heat.

For Frosting - Melt chocolate in microwave at 10 sec intervals until it is almost fully melted. Stir in cream cheese.

Assembly - Remove angel food loaves from pan. Take a long cake knife and cut horizontally into the loafs to create two layers. Top the bottom layers with raspberry filling. Places second layer on top. Spread 1/4 cup frosting over top and sides. Top with fresh raspberries. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. Bring to room temp 1 hr before serving.

Nutrition facts: Makes 8 loaves; serving size is 1 loaf

calories 266; grams 131.5; fat 5g; saturated fat 2.5g; protein 9.5g; carbs 40g; sodium 220mg; sugar 32g; fiber 4g

Hearty Asparagus Soup

2010-08-06T14:09:00.005-04:00

This recipe came about because frankly because my law student budget was running a little tight and I had no idea what to with a big bunch of asparagus I had bought for cheap but were getting ready to go bad. For anyone how has ever been on some sort of diet, you know that roasted or steamed asparagus can be standard fare in the meal plan. You also know that steamed or roasted asparagus can get real boring REAL FAST. Now I will admit making a huge pot of soup in the middle of the hottest week of summer was not really my best thought out plans. But this soup was really amazing and the flavors are perfectly comforting and hearty no matter the season.

Ingredients:

1 bunch green asparagus stalks (roughly 23-30 stalks)

7 cups low sodium vegan chicken stock or vegetable stock *I had a little of both left over so I just did half of each. Be sure to get low sodium so you can control the salt content yourself. Also keep in mind celery when cooked becomes highly concentrated with salt

3 tbsp Olivio *Can use unsalted butter or nondairy butter substitute

1-2 stalks celery finely chopped (1 large or 2 medium)

3/4 cups minced shallots (roughly 2 large shallots)

1 cup minced leeks (white part only; well rinsed)

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 cup fat free sour cream (garnish)

1/4 cup grated parmesan (garnish)

Directions:

Trim tips from asparagus (1-1.5 inch in length). Cut the woody stem ends from each spear and reserve. Cut the remaining tender stalks into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a medium stockpot bring stock to a boil. Add the tough woody stems, lower the heat and simmer to infuse with asparagus flavor (20-30 min). Remove the woody stems and discard; reserving the stock.

Add the decorative asparagus tips to the stock and blanch until tender (1 min max). Remove with a strainer and refresh the tips in an ice water bath. Drain on paper towels and set aside for garnish. Reserve the stock.

In a medium pot melt Olivio over medium heat. When foamy add shallots, leeks and celery and cook until tender. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (1 min). Add chopped asparagus stalks and pepper and cook; stirring continually for 2 min. Add vegetable mixture to the stock and simmer until asparagus is tender. Remove from heat.

With a hand immersion mixer or in batches in a food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Season to taste with salt. If serving the soup right away, return to medium heat and add sour cream and decorative asparagus tips. Cook until soup is warmed through and serve.

If serving later, do not add sour cream and let cool at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving add 1 tbsp of sour cream and some asparagus tips. Warm gently over medium heat, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and enjoy.

Nutrition Facts: Makes 4-6 servings; calculated for 2 cup serving

calories 219; grams 654; fat 7.5g; saturated fat 2g; protein 8 g; carbs 25g; sodium 1206mg; fiber 3g; sugar 11g

Spring Berry Meringue Pie

2010-08-01T18:20:00.006-04:00

This recipe is adapted from Self.com's diet friendly desserts article. This is a great refreshing dessert when served chilled to help beat the scorching summer heat.

For the Crust

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/8 cup raw granulated sugar *Can use granulated sugar substitute

4 tbsp melted Olivio *Can use any nondairy margarine or low fat butter of your choosing

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl mix together graham cracker crumbs, olivio and sugar. Coat a 9" pie plate with cooking spray. Pour in graham cracker mix. Press against the walls and bottom to form an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes.

For the Filling:

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1 cup raw sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 packet unflavored gelatin *I found that this is not a really necessary ingredient so if you want to keep this pie kosher/vegan or you just don't want to have the gelatin, leave it out

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups fresh blueberries

Mash strawberries with sugar and salt in a medium pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir. Add gelatin (optional); stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add vanilla extract and blueberries. Spoon berry mixture into pie crust.

For the Meringue:

1/2 cup egg whites *You cannot use egg subsitutes for this part. You just have to tough it out and separate the whites and yolks the old fashioned way.

1/4 tsp of cream of tartar *This is an absolute essential for merigue. It helps the egg whites hold the stiff peaks and give it that airiness when it is dried.

2 tbsp of finely granulated sugar *It doesnt work if you use a sugar substitute

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar and vanilla extract, continuing to beat the egg whites. Beat until stiff. You will know it is ready when you can hold the bowl upside down over your head and still keep clean. Spoon meringue on top of the berry filling of pie. Bake in the over for 12 minutes and meringue top is golden. Cool and refrigerate for 3 hrs.

Nutritional Facts: Makes 8 servings; serving size 1/8 slice of pie

calories 275; grams 150; fat 5.5g; saturated fat 1g; protein 4g; carbs 53g; sodium 462 mg; fiber 2g; sugar 41g

Bolognese "Nosagna" with Spring Vegetables

2010-08-01T16:54:00.006-04:00

Pasta for me is like crack. Just one hit and I take a very treacherous tumble into carb addiction relapse. Trust me its not pretty. So I've trained myself to stay far far far away from Lasagna of any time. But one thing I can't get away from is the Italian meat sauce called Bolognese Sauce. Ragu all Bolognese in Italian is a meat-based sauce for pasta originating in Bologna, Italy. Bolognese sauce is sometimes taken to be a tomato sauce, but authentic recipes have only a small amount of tomato concentrate. Given my self imposed 12 step program to stay away from pasta, I am always trying to other ways to enjoy Bolognese without just sitting around eating a bowl of meat sauce (cuz let's face it that either sounds dirty or just plain sad). This "NoSagna" (just so we are clear there is no pasta to be found) sort of just happened after a series of random events including a spur of the moment trip to the natural food market to get some spring time vegetables and a random late night craving for Bolognese. As a disclaimer, I will in no way profess that this recipe is anything more than good. I happen to be friends with a very particular meat sauce snob and I am sure there are zillions more out there so I would not even dare claim that this meat sauce is in any way great, amazing or authentic. Ok now that that is out of the way let's get down to business.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 lb ground beef sirloin 90/10 *For a richer tasting meat sauce use ground beef and ground pork or use a beef with a little more fat content

4 minced garlic cloves

2 tsp dried oregano

Dash of red chili flakes

1/2 oz of dried porcini mushrooms

1/2 medium white onion finely chopped

1 celery stalk finely chopped

6 baby carrots finely chopped

Dash of crushed dried bay leaf *Can use a whole bay leaf instead but remember to take it out before serving otherwise the flavor will be overpowering

1 tsp dried rosemary

2 cups unsweetened original almond milk *Can use non fat milk or nondairy milk of your choice but remember to make sure its unsweetened and original flavor PERSONAL NOTE: This time I accidentally used sweetened original flavor almond milk...It wasn’t a total failure, the sweetness added an interesting and tasty dimension to the sauce

1 can (28 oz) peeled whole tomatoes

2 cups dry red wine

½ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

2 Green Zucchini

1 Italian Eggplant

1 cup fat free Mozzerella

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a skillet on high heat. Add the ground meat and sauté breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Add in minced garlic, oregano, and red chili flakes.

While that cooks reconstitute the porcini mushrooms in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Drain and coarsely chop the mushrooms. Puree the mushrooms, onion, celery and carrots in a food processor.

Add in the vegetable puree to the meat and add bay leaf and rosemary. Add in the almond milk and simmer until the liquid evaporates.

Carefully pour in the tomatoes and red wine.

Stir until completely blended and simmer until some of the liquid evaporates. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil.

Spray a baking or casserole dish with cooking spray. Dust surface with the grated parmesan.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel half a zucchini (so it looks like thin strips of the pasta) and line the bottom of the dish as you would lasagna. Sprinkle ½ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Cube the rest of the zucchini and eggplant and place in the dish. Pour sauce over the vegetables. Spread a second layer of mozzarella (using the second half cup). Bake in the oven for 45 min until cheese is melted and slightly golden.

Serve with shaved Romano on top and a pinch of nutmeg.

Nutritional Facts: Makes 6 Servings. Per serving:

Calories 313; grams 435; fat 12g; saturated fat 3g; protein 25g; carbs 20.5g; fiber 7; sugar 13g; sodium 343 mg

Not the Old Country's Beef Stroganoff

2010-06-20T21:58:00.016-04:00

Beef Stroganoff is one of those dishes that I sadly often forget I LOVE and thus it is sorely neglected. It almost never occurs to me to make it even though I almost always have the necessary ingredients in my fridge (and I would bet most of you foodies do too).

When you order this in restaurants it is generally a heavily cream based dish with a type of pasta or egg noodle. This recipe I tweeked to make it a little less fattening and significantly low carb. Instead of a pasta or noodle I opted to use Spaghetti Squash as the starch. I am obsessed with spaghetti squash and all you can do with it (It really is an amazing substitute for pasta or potatoes but more on that later). Generally beef stroganoff is served over the noodles. When using the spaghetti squash I opted to just put it on the side so the seasoning on the squash had a chance to stand on its own instead of just playing a supporting role in this cast.

Background: Beef Stroganoff or Beef Stroganov is a Russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce with sour cream. The first known recipe for Govjadina po-strogonovski, s gorchitseju "Beef à la Stroganov, with mustard" involves lightly floured beef cubes (not strips) sautéed, sauced with prepared mustard and bouillon, and finished with a small amount of sour cream: no onions, no mushrooms. A 1912 recipe adds onions and tomato paste and serves it with crisp potato straws, which are considered the traditional side dish in Russia. The version given in the 1938 Larousse Gastronomique includes beef strips, and onions, with either mustard or tomato paste optional. In the version often prepared in the USA today in restaurants and hotels it consists of strips of beef filet with a mushroom, onion, and sour cream sauce and served over rice or noodles.

Spaghetti Squash, also called vegetable spaghetti, or noodle squash is an oblong variety of winter squash. The fruit can range from ivory to yellow or orange in color or even green with white streaks. Its center contains many large seeds like a pumpkin. Its flesh is bright yellow like margarine or orange or white for the latter varieties. When raw, the flesh is solid, similar to other raw squash; but when cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in strands like spaghetti. The fruit can be baked, boiled, steamed or microwaved and can be served with or without sauce as a substitute for pasta and noodles. When it is steamed, and lightly salted, it has a sweet and buttery taste to it similar to buttery mashed sweet potatoes. The seeds can be roasted, in the same way as pumpkin seeds.

Herbed Spaghetti Squash

I got this recipe idea from an Emeril Lagasse Recipe. For the most part I kept it the same but I got lazy and instead of cooking the squash with all the ingredients at the end, I just let them cook in the heat of the squash straight from the oven.

Ingredients:

1 Small Spaghetti Squash

Olivio *Recipe calls for regular butter, but you could use olive oil or any nondairy butter substitute you like

2 1/2 tablespoon Herb mix: equal parts basil, chives, chervil, parsley and sage *If you don't have the necessary herbs or don't feel like making your own herb mix, you can just use Herbs de Provence

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Using a sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise. Place cut side down in a baking dish with raised edges. Add enough water to the dish to come about half way up the sides of the dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes until the squash is easily pierced with a paring knife. Turn squash over, recover with foil and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Remove the seeds using a spoon and discard. Using a fork, gently pull the strands of squash away from the peel, place the squash in a mixing bowl. Add the Olivio, salt, pepper and herb mix and combine thoroughly.

Nutrition Facts: Makes 4 servings, calculations per serving

grams: 164.5; calories: 64; fat: 2g; saturated fat: .5g; protein: 1g; carbs: 10.5g; sodium: 345 mg; fiber: 2g; sugar 4g

Beef Stroganoff Ingredients:

1 lb Beef Eye round steak (cut into 2 inch long and 1/4 inch wide strips with the fat trimmed off)

2 tbs Olivio *May use butter or any nondairy butter substitute

1 small onion * I used 1/4 white onion and 1/4 red onion because that is what happened to be left in my fridge

8-10 baby portobello mushroom(caps only)

1/2 cup vegetable broth *Generally most stroganoff recipes call for Beef stock

1 tbs dijon mustard

1/2 cup soy creamer *Can use any sort of heavy cream or nondairy creamer NOTE: make sure if you are using a nondairy creamer that it is plain and unsweetened (vanilla is a terrible taste to add to this dish)

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt *If you are making this kosher, use a soy sour cream or yogurt

2 teaspoons whole wheat flour

Dash of Sea Salt

Dash of Black Pepper

2 tbsp parsley

2 tbsp dill

Directions:

Heat large stainless steel skillet over high heat and sear meat on all sides for 1 min. Do this in small batches so you can turn the pieces of meat quickly without the meat giving off any liquid. Remove to plate. PERSONAL NOTE: Generally when a recipe asks me to brown or sear the beef and remove to a plate before the juices escape I never listen. I have learned my lesson because this time I followed the rules and I have never created a beef dish that was so tender and juicy AND full of amazing flavor. So word to the wise...if you have to follow just one part of the recipe, make sure its the part that involves preparing the meat.

In a clean, wide skillet heat the Olivio. Finely chop the onions and add to the skillet. Sweat the onions (cook them just until they start to wilt and turn clear). Thinly slice the mushroom caps and add to the skillet. Saute until deep golden (about 20 min).

While the onions and mushrooms cook, blend the vegetable broth, dijon mustard, soy creamer and greek yogurt over medium heat in a skillet. Lower heat, and whisk in the whole wheat flour. Continue whisking and add in juices from the seared beef plate. Add sauce to onions and mushrooms. Simmer (without boiling) until thick. Return meat to sauce and heat without boiling until beef is warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add parsley and dill.

Serve over spaghetti squash or with squash as a side dish.

Nutrition Facts: Makes 4 servings. Calculations per serving (Stroganoff only)

grams: 273; calories: 244.5; fat: 9g; saturated fat: 2g; protein: 29.5g; carbs: 8g; sodium: 250.6 mg; fiber: 1g; sugar: 5g

Healthier Chicken Pot Pie

2010-06-18T09:56:00.009-04:00

Lets face it, no matter how committed to a diet or eating plan you may be, there are just some days when you need that indulgent comfort meal to get you through the day. We've all been there. And I'm not talking about the little bit of chocolate or decadent dessert. My previous posts have already shown that you can have those things without the guilt. I'm talking about that full on comfort meal that takes you to that special comfy place in your mind where you can really recharge your batteries. For me that food is chicken pot pie.

Normally Chicken Pot Pie is one of the unhealthy dishes out there, with the cream, buttery pastry, potatoes and dark meat chicken. Now I should point out right off the bat that this is still an indulgent meal that probably shouldn't be made into a daily selection. However this recipe significantly cuts down on the fat, calories and carbs so that you can have your indulgence and save yourself some of the guilt. I like to make the pot pies as individual pies so that some can be enjoyed immediately and others can be frozen for another indulgence down the road, but this can easily be made into one large pie for all to share.

To make individual pot pies, make sure you have good porcelain ramekins (mine are from Crate and Barrel and are fabulous). This recipe makes 4 individual pot pies

Ingredients:

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts *You can also use bone in chicken and peel the chicken from the bones yourself. NOTE: Bone in chicken will help give a lot of flavor to the chicken stock but will be a little fattier

1/4 tsp dried Thyme

1/4 tsp dried Rosemary

1/4 tsp dried Sage

1 dried Bay Leaf

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

5 slices of dried garlic *May use dried garlic flakes or garlic powder

2 sheets of premade puff pastry crust *Pepperidge Farms is pareve for those keeping kosher PERSONAL NOTE: I only had one sheet and ended up using Phyllo dough for the top. To cut down on the fat use Phyllo dough for the bottom and top

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

8 baby carrots, chopped

3/4 cup green beans, frozen *Can use fresh or frozen green beans or peas instead

1/4 cup all purpose flour *May use whole wheat or oat flour, whatever you have in your kitchen

3 tbsp soy creamer, plain *May use any type of low fat or nondairy creamer. NOTE: Make sure to use PLAIN creamer and not sweetened creamer

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To prepare the ramekins spray the insides lightly with some cooking spray (I use Pam). This will give the pot pie crust a buttery taste without the fat.

Thaw out the pastry sheets/phyllo dough according to the package instructions. If you want to make the pastry from scratch, here is a good healthy pastry recipe, just substitute the butter with a nondairy butter like Olivio or low fat cottage cheese. Once the pastry is at room temperature, cut into large squares that exceed the size of the ramekins (I cut them into squares into between 1/3 and 1/2 a sheet). Mold the square into the ramekin creating a small crust border on the top. Be sure to cut away excess pastry that falls over the edge because that will burn in the oven. Once all the ramekins are prepped, cover with a damp paper towel to keep the dough moist while you prepare the filling.

In a large saucepan boil 4 cups of water with the thyme, rosemary, sage, sea salt, black pepper, bay leaf, garlic, and chicken. Boil the chicken for 15-20 minutes until outside of chicken looks cooked. Remove chicken and shred roughly or cube. Personal NOTE: I like to use a fork to shred the chicken roughly leaving some chunks larger. Set chicken aside and save the stock (seasoned boiling water) for later. Remember to remove the Bay leaf or the flavor will become to strong and overpowering.

Spray a large skillet with Pam. Saute the celery, onion, shallot until celery begins to turn clear, about 2 min. Add 2 cup of the saved chicken stock and simmer. Add the carrots and green beans. Cook until liquid reduces down by half.

In a separate small sauce pan add the about half of the remaining chicken stock over medium-low heat. Combine the flour, whisking until thick and smooth. Slowly add the remaining chicken stock and continue whisking to maintain the thickness of the roux (pronounce ROO). Add in the creamer and worcestershire sauce and continue whisking until the roux has a peanut butter color to it. NOTE: Make sure there are no flour clumps otherwise it will creating a floury taste and the texture of sand in your filling.

Add the chicken to the cooked vegetables. Slowly mix in the roux making sure to thoroughly stir it in to maintain the gravy consistency. If the gravy is too thick alternate between adding small amounts of water and creamer.

Divide the filling into four and pour into the preppared ramekins.

DISCLAIMER: Working with Phyllo dough can be very frustrating and difficult if you don't follow the proper process. The dough MUST be thawed in the refrigerator first then left outside to come to room temperature. Make sure that you have plenty of counter space to work in. Lay down a silpat sheet on a large space of counter or lightly flour a flat surface. Lay the first thin sheet of phyllo. Lightly spray the top with Pam (can use a brush and melted butter) and sprinkle some flour or very fine bread crumbs over the Pam. Gently place another sheet on top being careful not to break the dough or let it get folded or wrinkled. Continue the Pam and flour process and laying the sheets until you have one thick sheet about 8 sheets thick. NOTE: The flour is necessary to help placing the layered sheets without the dough sticking and making it impossible to slide into place. Try to smooth out any air bubbles in between the sheets. Cut the sheet into squares large enough to make a top for the pot pies.

Place the dough on top of the filled pies. Press the edges into the pastry (using Pam if necessary to create an adhesive to make sure the seam seals) creating a seam to seal the pot pie. Leave some edges unsealed to allow steam to escape during baking. You brush the top with an egg wash to help give the phyllo dough a golden glazed look. Place the pot pies on a baking sheet and bake in the oven on the bottom rack for 25-30 minutes. Let cool slightly and then enjoy!

Nutrition Facts: Makes 4 pies, Serving Size is 1 individual pie

grams: 329; calories: 750; fat: 30 g; sfat: 15g; protein: 30g; carbs: 78g; sodium: 1400 mg; fiber: 5g; sugar: 9g

NY Restaurant Review: Favela Cubana

2010-06-06T15:07:00.005-04:00

Cuisine: Brazilian and Cuban

Neighborhood: Greenwich Village/NYU

Price range: $15-20 main course

Website: www.favelacubana.com

Address: 543 LaGuardia Place (between Bleecker and West 3rd St)

Pros: Laid back Atmosphere, Good Food, Nice Music (Live Music , Reasonably Priced

Cons: NO CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED, Don't come late if you want to try the Pao de Queijo

Other reviews:

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/favela-cubana/

http://www.yelp.com/biz/favela-cubana-new-york

My Take on Things:

I have to admit that fairly early on I had developed a sort of complex about Cuban food. I didn't quite understand it (probably because my only idea of Latin food was some form of Tex-Mex, Spano- Mex, or Mexican food). Then when I was probably in my pre-teens we went to a family friends house where I had "authentic" Cuban food for the first time. Unfortunately our hostess was not a fan of spice or intense flavor and had a very sensitive pallete/stomach. So what we were left eating was very bland, and maybe just a little too alien for my 12 year old brain to process. Since then I have steered clear of Cuban food thinking that its going to be bland and made up only of pork or seafood dishes (I have a bit of an allergy to seafood and for me pork is probably the last of the meats I go to if given a choice). Needless to say I was sort of skeptical going into this place.

My boyfriend and I have probably been walking by this place every weekend for a year. Finally we decided to branch away from our usual go to eating out places and give this place a shot. I had some glimmer of hope seeing that it was really a Brazilian Cuban restaurant. I have recently been trying out Brazilian food and from what I have had so far, I'm in love.

We decided to sit inside since the NY summer humidity was just a bit too much for us. The atmosphere inside was very laid back and nice. I sort of felt transported to a beach side eatery in Mexico or Florida. The decor is probably a little kitschy but the laid back vibe of the wait staff and the soothing Bossa Nova music playing in the background make up for it. The place is small and looks like it is definitely staffed by friends or family of the owner which sort of adds to the charm.

The place was relatively empty when we went (mostly because everyone was out eating on the patio), but the wait staff was just the right balance between attentive and standoffish (I honestly hate when it feels like the waiter is going to hover over me and chew my food for me but I also don't like feeling like I'm gonna have to go tend the bar myself).

We had planned on ordering the Pao de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread) but sadly we had come too late and they had already run out. It seems you generally have to be in for an early dinner or just come for lunch if you want to be able to get in on that action on the weekends. I am sort of obsessed with this bread so I recommend making the effort if you can to try it. The waitress seemed to feel bad about being out of the bread and instead recommended trying one of the Empanadas. The mpanada fillings change daily they day we happened to go the specials were chicken or maiz empanada. I saw a plate go to another table and they sure did look appetizing but I'll admit I had my heart set on the Pao de Queijo and was in no mood to be deterred by a Maiz Empanada.

Instead we went for an order of Maduros (Fried Sweet Plantains $3.50 a plate). I have in the past had plantains in more of a Jamaican cuisine setting so I was interested in seeing if there was any difference here. First of all, at $3.50 a plate they sure did give us ALOT of plantains. Its listed as a side dish but it sure did make for a perfect appetizer. I found these plantains to be less sweet than the Jamaican ones I've had before and they were not so much fried as they were sauteed. Not being a stickler for authenticity in this case (mainly since I'm not even close to an expert in the matter) I have to say I really liked them. They where too intensely greasy or crispy and they had a little saltiness to them that I liked with the natural sweetness of the plantains. I think we would have honestly ordered more sides and made it more of a tapas style meal (not too bad an idea since the side dishes are huge and range from $3-$4) but I was in a serious mood for some Brazilian beef. Deciding to try something different than my standby favorite of Picanha na Chapa (Grilled Black Angus sirloin steak) I ordered the Ropa Vieja (Braised beef with olives, onions and peppers). It came with Cuban black beans and white rice. I didn't have the rice but the beef and the black beans were AMAZING. I'm sort of finicky about beans but these were very good. I think I would have finished the whole bowl if I hadn't had the Maduros earlier. My boyfriend ordered the Salmao (grilled salmon in port sauce). Not being the type to be very verbal about his eating experience I can only imagine he liked what he got since he cleaned the entire plate.

All in all I liked this restaurant. The menu seemed to have a variety of dishes all of which sounded delicious. If anything I want to come back to try out some of the other sides, main course and their Pao de Queijo. As a side note I will point out that the menu was very evenly balanced between pork, seafood, chicken, beef and even vegetarian dishes so anyone who had the apprehensions about Cuban food that I had can rest assured that there is something for everyone on the menu.

Homemade Frozen Yogurt (Without a Machine)

2010-06-05T10:55:00.013-04:00

Its that time of year! Time to put away the puffy coats and sweaters and bring out the ice cream scoop. However for those of us trying to maintain an appropriate figure to rock our summer swim wear, the usual creamy rich ice cream packed with toppings just isn't going to fly. Even most commercial frozen yogurt substitutes out there are equally as unhealthy. Because of the way most commercial frozen yogurts are processed they lack any of the nutritional value of actual yogurt (mainly all the healthy bacteria in the yogurt gets killed before it is frozen) thus it really only is marginally healthier than commercial ice cream.

Rather than let waist line take a nose dive and subject myself to moo-moos and cover ups on the beach this summer, I decided to try my hand at making my own healthy frozen yogurt. Also since I don't have the ready cash to be purchasing an ice cream maker, I decided to give it a go the old fashioned way. Also by making frozen yogurt at home, you basically have carte blanche (essentially a blank slate) to work with and can create your very own flavor pairings.

The key to making sure the frozen yogurt stays healthy and maintains all the healthy bacteria and nutrients is to make sure that you never let the yogurt get below room temperature (that kills the bacteria), and also try not to blend the yogurt in the mixer too much because it breaks up the yogurt making it into a soupy mess.

Below are three recipes I tried out this weekend, feel free to use these or make your own and enjoy!

Coconut Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups almond milk *You can use any type of milk you want for this

1/3 cup evaporated milk

2 tbsp agave nectar *You can use any sort of sugar or artificial sweetener you want, honey also works well

1 1/2 tsp coconut extract

2 egg whites

2 cups strained, plain or vanilla greek yogurt *I used 2 individual sized tubs of Chobani plain, non fat Greek yogurt with pomegranate seeds at the bottom.

Coconut Shavings (optional)

In a medium sauce pan heat milk over medium high heat. Stir in the rest of the ingredients (except for the egg whites and greek yogurt) until smooth. Heat on medium heat for about 10 minutes constantly stirring to ensure that a filmy residue does not form on top. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature

In a separate bowl beat (with an egg beater or electric blender) the egg whites until frothy and cream like in color and consistency. Combine the egg whites with the room temperature milk mixture (Be sure the milk mixture is sufficiently cool otherwise the eggs will get cooked). This will make up the base custard mixture necessary for creamy frozen yogurt.

In a blender, or with an electric mixer, blend together the Greek yogurt and the room temperature custard mixture. Mix in with a spatula fresh pomegranate seeds (optional) and coconut shavings (optional). Taste for flavor or sweetness and add sugar/splenda or coconut extract if need be.

Pour the yogurt mixture into a pre-chilled shallow glass baking dish (If you have an ice cream machine this is the point you would put it in there and follow the machine instructions). Every 20-25 min blend the yogurt mixture with a whisk or electric mixer (on slowest mode) to break up the ice crystals (this ensures a creamier frozen yogurt). Continue doing this for about 2.5 hours until the frozen yogurt is a thick creamy consistency.

Nutrition Facts: Recipe makes about 4 cups. Serving size is 1/2 cup

grams: 107; calories: 75; fat: 1g; saturated fat: .5g; protein: 5g; carbs: 11g; sodium: 75 mg; fiber: 0g; sugar: 10g

Hazelnut Raspberry with Chocolate Chips Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk

1/4 cup evaporated milk

2 tbsp Agave nectar

2 tsp Hazelnut extract

Pinch of cocoa powder (for color and to enhance the hazelnut flavor)

2 egg whites

1 cup frozen raspberries

1 cup dark chocolate chips *I used Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups plain or vanilla, strained, non fat Greek Yogurt

To create the custard base, combine almond milk, evaporated milk, agave nectar, hazelnut extract and cocoa powder and heat over medium-high heat in a saucepan until smooth and creamy. Continually stir with a whisk to prevent filmy coat from forming on the top. Remove from heat and let cool until room temperature.

In a separate bowl, beat with an electric mixer the egg whites until frothy and light with the color and consistency of milk. Add the egg whites to the room temperature milk mixture.

In the blender, blend the frozen raspberries and chocolate chips.

Add the Greek yogurt and blend in the custard mixture until smooth. Transfer to a chilled glass baking dish (or place into ice cream machine and follow machine instructions). Place in the freezer, removing it every 20-25 min to blend the mixture and break up the ice crystals forming. Continue the process for about 2.5 hours until it is a thick and creamy consistency.

Nutrition Facts: Makes about 4 cups. Serving size is 1/2 cup

grams: 131; calories: 129; fat: 4g; saturated fat: 2g; protein: 6g; carbs: 19g; sodium: 59.5 mg; fiber: 2g; sugar: 16g

Vanilla Mint with blueberries Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk

1/4 cup evaporated milk

2 tbsp Agave nectar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp peppermint extract

2 egg whites

1 cup frozen blueberries

A few sprigs of fresh mint leaves (optional)

1 1/4 cup plain or vanilla, strained non fat Greek yogurt

Create the custard mixture as directed above using the milks, nectar, and vanilla and peppermint extracts.

In a separate bowl beat the egg whites as described about and add to the milk mixture once it has cooled to room temperature.

In the blender, blend slightly the frozen blueberries and the mine leaves. Add in the yogurt and blend in the custard mixture. Pour into a chilled glass baking dish (or ice cream machine) and follow the freezing process described above.

Nutrition Facts: Makes about 4 cups. Serving size is 1/2 cup

grams: 116; calories: 66; fat: 1g; saturated fat: 0g; protein: 5g; carbs: 9g; sodium: 48 mg; fiber: .5g; sugar: 8g

There literally hundreds of flavors you can make when you make frozen yogurt at home. I personally love the three flavors I created above (the Coconut Pomegranate is my favorite though). Here is what the end result looked like. Enjoy!

Fiesta Friday goes Greek

2010-06-03T21:01:00.013-04:00

Ok, ok...first a little disclaimer: The only thing Greek about me are my sorority letters. So I will not even pretend to be any sort of expert on Greek cuisine and flavors. I do however LOVE LOVE LOVE Greek food (as I know it).

With Summer here and in full swing, my culinary biological clock is telling me its Fiesta Friday time! I know, I know, its only Thursday...but I won't be cooking tomorrow so I had to jump the gun a bit. One memory growing up that I will always love was Friday night dinners which were special because it was the day my mom took a break from cooking and we would order in from somewhere. Almost always we would settle on Macayo's, our favorite Mexican Restaurant. To this day EVERYONE in my family is obsessed with the salsa from that place. So of course as the smell of Summer lingered in the air, I felt the sudden urge for my usual Friday Mexican food fix. But considering how terribly unhealthy traditional Mexican food is and given the total lack of necessary ingredients in my refrigerator, I decided to do a little spin. Taco's are a really great dish because they are very easy to make and you can pretty much prepare all the components in advance (especially for party situations) and truly there are thousands of ways to do them. So here is my attempt at Greek tacos.

Meat Filling: A Greek take on the usual ground beef taco filling

Ingredients:

1 lb ground lean beef, lamb or both *I used 90/10 lean beef (10% fat) for this recipe

PERSONAL NOTE: I really suggest for an "authentic" greek flavor, using lamb. The beef is equally delicious but the lamb gives it an extra umph

1/4 tsp Greek Seasoning (dried garlic flakes, oregano, cinnamon, peppermint, dill, nutmeg, cayenne, chives) *You can buy this pre-made seasoning in the Spice section of your grocery store or make the mixture from scratch using equal parts of all components

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp oregano leaves *This is in addition to the oregano used in the Greek Seasoning

1/4 tsp black pepper

NOTE ON SEASONINGS: The great thing about cooking is that recipes really serve as guidelines. Always season to taste. This is your chance to experiment and make the dish your own. If you like more or less of some seasoning or flavor adjust accordingly. I personally added extra mint, cumin and nutmeg as I browned the meat because I felt (from the smells) that these seasonings were lacking

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 white onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)

2 tbsp water *This water is optional. Add it in the pan when browning the meat if you are using a really lean meat that is drying out too quickly.

Directions: In a medium bowl, hand mix thoroughly all the ingredients (except for the water). When the seasoning, onion, and garlic look evenly blended into the meat, transfer to a skillet that is heated on medium-high heat and coated with a small amount of Pam (if not using a non-stick skillet). Cook on medium heat until meat is completely browned.

Nutrition Facts: about 3 oz serving of meat filling (fills 1 taco)

grams: 94; calories: 180; fat: 8g; saturated fat: 3g; protein: 22g; carbs: 2g; sodium: 281 mg; fiber: .5g; sugar: og

Cucumber-Mint Yogurt (Tzatziki): A sweet and salty replacement for sour cream or guacamole

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strained Greek Yogurt *Low or no fat Greek yogurt will not need to strain as long. To make this kosher friendly, use soy yogurt (plain, NOT VANILLA...seriously)

2 tbsp minced fresh Mint leaves *The amount of mint used may vary based on taste but don't let the mint over power the entire sauce. Some traditional Tzatziki recipes call for fresh or dried dill instead. Either one works.

1/2 peeled, pared and chopped cucumber

1/2 tbsp sea salt (for salting cucumber)

Dash of sea salt

Dash of sugar *May use a sugar substitute. I used 1 splenda packet

Directions:

To strain the yogurt, place a mesh strainer over a measuring cup or small bowl. Line the strainer with two layered pieces of cheese cloth. Place the yogurt in the strainer and let sit for anywhere between 30 min to 2 hrs (depends on the fat content and type of yogurt). Once strained the yogurt will have a firmer (somewhat like cream cheese) consistency.

To pare the cucumbers, first peel the 1/2 cucumber and cut in half (so as to make 2 canoe like shapes). With a melon baller or sharp spoon, scoop out the center seeds and watery insides. Chop the cucumber into large chunks. Place in a colander/strainer over a bowl and salt the cucumbers throughly. Leave the salted cucumber for about 20 min. The salt will release the excess water from the cucumbers. The salt will wash off as the water is released but if you are trying to keep a low salt diet, just rinse the cucumbers quickly before chopping them into smaller chunks and add them to the yogurt.

Add the minced mint leaves, salt and sugar and mix completely. NOTE: If you want it smooth like "authentic" tzatziki, blend the cucumber and mint in a food processor first then add to the yogurt. PERSONAL NOTE: I prefer to keep the cucumber and mint chunky because it gives a refreshing crisp bite to the dish.

Nutrition Facts: 2 tbsp serving (per taco)

grams: 31; calories: 10; fat: 0g; saturated fat: 0g; protein: 1g: carbs: 1g; sodium: 37 mg; fiber: 0g; sugar: 1g

Toppings: (These are just suggestions to Greekify the typical Mexican components)

Shredded spinach or iceberg lettuce (roughly1/2 cup per taco) *I used baby spinach

Chopped tomato and olive salsa (roughly 2 tbsp per taco) *I used heirloom tomatoes, black and pitted kalamata olives. If you want to cut out some of the fat, use less or no olives. Rinse the olives to get rid of the excess oil and juices used to preserve them.

Reduced Fat Feta Cheese (roughly 1 tbsp per taco) *To make this kosher friendly use soy goat cheese. NOTE: Feta is a great lower fat alternative to the traditional Mexican crumbled cheese traditionally used.

Hummus - any flavor store bought or homemade (about 1 tbsp per taco) *This is really great alternative to refried beans which are often used to bind everything to the walls of the taco shell/tortilla. I used store bought Sabra Black Olive flavored hummus (because honestly I was too hungry to wait to make it from scratch).

Whole Wheat Pita - Warm in the toaster/conventional oven for a few min. to soften the pita. Slice in half, open pocket and fill with taco deliciousness (1/2 pita per taco) *I used some local brand that was low fat as well. NOTE: When using whole wheat flat breads, the breads tend to be very fragile and break easily, so be careful when assembling and enjoying your tacos.

Nutrition Facts: Per 1 Taco serving

grams: 226.5; calories: 327; fat: 12g; saturated fat: 3.5g; protein: 29g; carbs: 22g; sodium: 582 mg; fiber: 2g; sugar: 1g

Guilt Free Sorta Red Velvet Cupcakes

2010-05-30T10:54:00.019-04:00

I promised I would show another use for those roasted beets. Well here it is...Sorta Red Velvet Cupcakes!

I absolute love Red Velvet Cupcakes when I want to splurge. But I was terribly disappointed to discover that there was no magical secret to RVC. Its just a regular cake with red food dye. A little background on my personal feud with food dye...growing up I was IN LOVE with basically any sort of food that came in an electric or ungodly bright color. From electric blue ice cream with those bubble gum pieces in it, to radioactive orange KRAFT macaroni and cheese. I think I felt that something with such an unnatural color to it had to have some sort of special or magical ingredient that made it awesome. When I discovered that in general it was something as boring as food coloring, and the only thing special about it was the unpronounceable chemicals that created it, I was MAD. This was basically the equivalent of being told Santa was basically a misguided and probably mentally unstable burglar with an overeating disorder (Big thanks to my older brother for clearing up that misrepresentation). So now here I am trying to recreate one of my favorite treats without giving into the evil food dye.

BACKGROUND: I did ALOT of research to figure out what I could do to bypass the food dye situation, it seemed the general consensus was beets (others included pomegranate juice but that made the cake too bitter, cranberry juice which had the same result, and raspberry puree which really changed the whole flavor of the cake). Having found a way to side step the food dye situation, I was on a mission to find away to make this dish more guilt free so I could enjoy my new triumph without the guilt of having to wear leggings and oversize shirts for a week to cover up my transgression. So the recipe that follow and the variations in the notes is really a frankenstein of recipes. I tried to take the general gist of all the recipes I found out there and created options to fit an array of dietary needs.

NUTRITION FACTS: 1 Cupcake with a "dollop" of frosting (Recipe makes 12 large or 24 small cupcakes NOTE: For these nutrition facts I made 12 large cupcakes)

grams: 88; calories: 253; fat: 12g; saturated fat: 1.5g; carbs: 30g; protein: 7g; fiber: .2g; sodium: 458mg; sugars: 10.5g

Frosting (Recipe makes enough to frost anywhere between 20-24 cupcakes with 1 "dollop" NOTE: I saved the extra frosting to have with cut fruits, nutrition below is for roughly one "dollop")

grams: 27g; calories: 65; fat: 2g; saturated fat: .5g; carbs: 8.5g; protein: 2g; fiber: 0g; sodium: 130mg; sugar: 8g

Cupcake Ingredients:

1/2 cup canola oil *Can use olive oil or vegetable oil instead

1 cup fat free greek yogurt * Can use low fat buttermilk, low fat or fat free plain yogurt or if you keep kosher and want this to be pareve, use nondairy milk and add a dash of lemon juice and white vinegar. The key really is the sourness and acidity in whichever variation you use.

2.5 cups all purpose flour *Can use whole wheat flour or oat flour

1.5 cup granulated Splenda * Can use raw sugar or any other sugar substitute suitable for baking

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sea salt * Can use kosher or table salt, whichever you prefer/have around the house

2 tsp good cocoa powder NOTE: I found that my cupcakes didn't really have the cocoa taste that comes with red velvet cake so I would recommend upping the amount of cocoa powder used, experiment to see how much works for you

1 large egg *Most recipes call for 2 eggs, if using 2 eggs then only use 3 tablespoons beet juice from canned beets, DON'T use beet puree. However beet puree gets a deeper red color so if using 1 pureed beet (yields about 1/2-3/4 cup) use only 1 egg. If you want to make this vegan friendly use 1 cup beet puree and not eggs

1 beet pureed *See above for variations

1 tsp white vinegar *Even if you used vinegar with the nondairy milk, you still need this 1 tsp

1 tsp vanilla extract

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a muffin tin spray with Pam and coat with a little flour or place cupcake liners/parchment paper.

In a large bowl sift together the dry ingredients (flour, splenda, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder) until fully blended together.

In another bowl whisk together the wet ingredients (vanilla extract, white vinegar, beet puree, egg, oil and yogurt) until completely smooth.

Combine wet ingredients into the flour mixture using an electric mixer, blending until completely smooth.

Using a 3 ounce ice -cream scoop or large spoon, distribute the batter in the cupcake tins. If you don't have enough tins to make the 24 or 12 cupcakes at once, do this in batches and save the batter in the fridge until ready to use.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes (since I made 12 large cupcakes I baked mine for about 20 minutes, turned the oven off and then let them sit in the warm oven for another 2 minutes).

Take them out of the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. (As you can see from the photos below, they come out more fuschia than red, but I think if more cocoa powder had been added they would have been a deeper maroon.

There was still a lingering beet smell after they had baked and there was a faint earthy taste to the cupcakes (but it seems I am the only person who noticed the smell and taste). Mainly the cake tasted like sweet zucchini bread or a sweet muffin. The inside is not really as red as the outside, instead it has more of an orange tinge, again I think adding more cocoa or dark cocoa powder (mine was quite light) would get the cocoa flavor and darker color.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients: (NOTE: If you don't want any extra frosting after frosting the cupcakes, then only make half of the recipe)

8 ounces fat free cream cheese *Recipe calls for low - fat cream cheese which is a little softer and moister than fat free cream cheese which required a little more work with the electric mixer. To keep the frosting pareve or vegan friendly, use non diary cream cheese, I really like Tofutti brand faux cream cheese

1/4 cup nondairy butter substitute *I used Olivio again (remember the frosting from a few posts ago), but any nondairy butter substitute will do

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup confectioner's sugar *Some claimed that this frosting was not sweet enough and asked for more sugar, its really a matter of preference I think.

Mix together all ingredients (except for the sugar) in a bowl with the electric mixer. Then slowly, gradually add the confectioner's sugar into the frosting until smooth. If the frosting is too thin or liquidy, refrigerate for 30 minutes before frosting the cupcakes. Refrigerate or freeze the leftover frosting for later.

Once the cupcakes are frosted, you can put some in the refrigerator for now and the near future, and freeze the rest for a later sweet treat craving.

Fennel for yourself

2010-05-29T13:45:00.018-04:00

Salad for lunch every day can get very boring and can very quickly derail even the best attempts to diet. I myself have been getting very tired of the usual iceberg/romaine lettuce with onion tomato and cucumber. I saw this recipe for a variation on salads on Giada DiLaurentis' Show on the Food Network. The episode was focusing on light and fresh meals. The salad definitely had an interesting twist I had never tried before so I decided to give it a shot. Giada's recipe can be found on the Food Network website.

The most important and most expensive part of this salad was by far the Fennel bulb. Oh boy was that an ordeal. It never occurred to me that fennel bulbs would not be standard fare for every grocery store (a testament to how spoiled I was in terms of my grocery expectations as a child). After walking (gotta love NY) to 3 local produce markets and 2 grocery store chains, I finally found fennel bulbs at Key Foods. My quest of course came at a hefty price (by student budget standards).

The fennel bulbs were $2.65 per lb. and since I bought two that brought me to a whopping $4. I suppose I can't complain too much since my pallate refused to go another day on iceberg lettuce with onions and tomatoes, and a good salad from the local delis run me about $6-9 a bowl. These fennel bulbs will surely last me much longer than one salad bowl.

Down to the salad. The first thing I did was caramelize the onions. I am only making this recipe for one person since its just me and my lonesome self eating lunch today (In all fairness my boyfriend is being a very good med student and studying the day away). So I sliced up one large white onion. NOTE: If you are just making this for yourself, still use a whole large onion because the onion will reduce down significantly once caramelized. HELPFUL HINT: If the onions is starting to make you cry, quickly rinse the onion under some water to reduce the burning.

In a large stainless steel skillet, heat 1-1.5 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 2 pinches of kosher salt and 1 pinch of ground black pepper. PERSONAL NOTE: Inhaling the cooking balsamic vinegar will burn the insides of your nostrils...trust me). Cook the onions, stirring occasionally until they are a deep golden brown (for me this took a little over 20 minutes). FUN VARIATION: Instead of just using white onions, throw in a few slices of shallot to caramelize with it. The added flavor dimension is AMAZING. Once the onions are a deep brown color set the onions aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Giada's recipe includes a recipe for dressing. But if you read my previous blog on the beet salad, you already have made pretty much the exact same dressing, I make a bunch of it and save it for all my salads because it is muted enough to allow the salad's flavor's to shine without overpowering it.

For the salad, Peel and trim the ends of a grapefruit (I only used half for this salad and saved the other half for a snack latter with some splenda sprinkled on top yummm). When you peel the grapefruit be sure to get all of the white rind off because that is intensely bitter and will ruin the salad. Use a paring knife along the membrane on both sides of each segment, free the segments and add them to the salad bowl. NOTE: Cut the segments over the bowl you are going to use for the salad bowl so the excess juices drop into the bowl adding more flavor to the salad.

Next trim and rinse the fennel bulb, cut it in half. Save one half for a later salad or dish. Thinly slice the other half and add it to the salad bowl. NOTE: I happen to be a huge fan of black licorice and old fashioned root beer so I LOVE LOVE LOVE fennel. I realize however that most of the rest of the world does not like those flavors.If you really can't stand the taste of black licorice, consider skipping the fennel.

Peel and thinly slice the cucumber. The cucumber I bought was quite large so I only used half of it and saved the other half for some other time. Finely slice one scallion (mostly the green part if you don't want the strong oniony flavor of the white part). Add these to the bowl. Add any type of lettuce or leafy green you want to the salad. Giada used romaine lettuce, I however used a really nice pre-packeaged mixed herb salad. Toss it all together with the dressing (I used about 1 tablespoon). Then add on top, the caramelized onion and enjoy!!

MOMENT OF TRUTH: Ok, Ok, I know I said that if you are cooking for one to still use a whole white onion. Well I ended up feeling a little overwhelmed by the amount of onions so I just used half and saved the other half for tomorrow's salad.

Nutrition Facts: (without dressing)

grams:468; calories: 187; fat: 7g; saturated fat: 1g; sodium: 101.5mg; fiber: 6.5g; sugar: 5g; carbs: 28.5g; protein: 4.5g

Beet It

2010-05-28T13:05:00.009-04:00

I've recently decided to become a crusader for beets. I know, I know, NOBODY likes beets. I used to be one of those beet haters up until a few months ago. My boyfriend's mother likes to make me (maybe she doesn't make it for me but it always manages to come my way whenever my boyfriend is over) this wonderful beet salad with apples, walnuts, shredded cilantro, and apple cider vinegar. I'm pretty sure there is other stuff in it too but that is the general gist of it. So I decided I would give beets a chance. And boy oh boy did I open a can of worms.

I noticed that on Fresh Direct (where I generally like to get all my staple groceries at a fairly decent price. If you're in the NYC area you can get Fresh Direct at www.freshdirect.com), beets were in season and on sale so I figured what the heck I'll go for it. I ordered a bunch which arrived looking much like the ones you see above. In this form the beets are HARD AS A ROCK. I had no idea how to get it from that to the soft gelatinous blood red gems I was used to. After extensive research I found the best method is either to roast or boil them. I love most things roasted so I opted for that route.

NOTE: From here on out is my experience roasting beets. I am sure there has to be an easier way out there.

Not knowing really what to do I decided it was best to start with washing off all the excess dirt and getting rid of the leaves I was sure I wouldn't be using (to be honest they looked wilty and completely unappetizing so even if there is a use for them, I was in no mood to explore that). I left about an inch of the stems on the beets after I washed them. I then rubbed them with a little bit of olive oil, threw in a little sprig of rosemary and wrapped each beet separately in aluminum foil (make sure the packet is sealed all the way to ensure good roasting). I figured that roasting beets would be like roasting most other things and the peel would slide right off. In hindsight, I really should have peeled the beets before rubbing in olive oil and roasting them because once they were roasted it was literally impossible to cleanly peel the beets (I couldn't tell where the beet started and the peel ended!). I roasted the beets (the more beets you are roasting the longer it will take) for about 70 minutes at 375 degrees F. After they were roasted, I left them to cool until they were cool enough to hold, I peeled (aka hacked away) the beets and removed the stems.

This is the end product after laboring away to peel the beets. MAJOR NOTE: DO NOT WEAR ANYTHING YOU WANT TO KEEP NICE AND DON'T WEAR WHITE! This stuff stains real bad.

At this point you can either use the beets, save the beets for later or turn them into a puree. I had three beets so I decide to eat one now in the salad that will follow, save one for later and puree the last one to use for a red velvet cake recipe I plan to make this weekend.

For this particular beet here, his fate was to become part of a delicious roasted pear and beet salad with goat cheese. I absolutely love goat cheese in a salad and I had seen a salad similar to this in a restaurant and decided to try to recreate it.

I had two Comice pears I got free from Fresh Direct as part of their peak produce campaign. So I figured now was my chance. To roast the pears I quartered and pitted them. Then in a 10" stainless steel skillet I heated 2 tablespoons of olivio (you can use any other sort of butter substitute or just regular butter, but I don't recommend olive or vegetable oil because it gives the pears an odd taste and hides the sweet pear flavor. I put the pears in flat side down and cooked them on all sides for about 2-3 minutes each. Really just wanted the Olivio to brown the pears and for the pears to get warm all the way through. One pear (4 Pieces) I put aside to use for salad another day.

For the base of the salad I used organic baby arugula from Fresh Direct (it comes in a sealed plastic container with enough to last me about 4 salads, a pretty great deal at $3.49 a package)

I tossed the arugula with a home made dressing of red wine vinegar, local honey (I bought my honey when I was home in AZ visiting my parents and since it's local the bees get pollen from the local flora and flavor the honey that way, mine happens to have a lovely orange hint to it), I add just a touch of olive oil, ground seasalt, fresh ground black pepper and a dash of lemon juice. I'm not giving measurements because its really a matter of taste and I like to make my dressing a little heavy on the vinegar size and very light on the oil. I also make a large batch and keep it to use on salads or marinades or whatever else I feel like. I highly recommend taking the extra time to make your own dressing rather than buying it from the store, its way cheaper and opens doors to a whole new world of flavors outside of Kraft and Hidden Valley's world. Drizzle about 1 -1.5 tablespoons on the arugula and toss it so all the leaves are coated.

Next slice, dice or chop the beet however you want and layer it on top of the arugula. TIP: If using canned beets, drain them of all the juice otherwise it will overpower all the other flavors, stain your dish and the entire salad and will just make it all soggy. Crumble or simply just place 1-2 tablespoons worth of good plain goat cheese over the beets. The contrast between the red, white and green really looks beautiful . Last place the (now warm) pear slices on top of the beets and cheese and enjoy! When you cut into the pear pieces, you''ll be able to get a fork full of beet, goat cheese and arugula all at once.

NOTE: If you aren't a fan of the earthy flavor/taste of things like spinach, you probably won't like the taste of beets. To make sure the beet flavor doesn't overpower or ruin the salad for you, use half a beet instead of a whole one and add more honey to the dressing or just drizzle some honey over the top once you've placed the warm pears on top. Also note, if you are trying to eat healthy and want to avoid snacking or junk food, this salad is a great choice because the beets fill you up quickly and keep you full for a long time.

Nutrition Facts:

grams: 294; calories: 333; fat: 21g; saturated fat: 10g; carbs: 22.5g; protein: 13g; fiber: 6g; sodium: 570.5mg; sugar: 20g

Skinnygirl Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

2010-05-27T19:41:00.003-04:00

So lets start this off with something sweet. I actually made these 2 days ago but honestly they are so moist and just the right amount of sweet and a little salty (I'll explain later) that I would give up Crumbs, Magnolias or any other commercial cupcake for these anytime.

Background: I got this recipe from "The Skinnygirl DISH" by Bethenny Frankel. Some of you guys might recognize the brand or the name, its Bethenny from Bravo's Real Housewives of New York. Personal note: I LOVE LOVE LOVE her and now I LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. If you want to find out more about her book, or her Skinnygirl brand go to www.bethenny.com. In the book these are called "Joyful Heart Chocolate Chip Cupcakes" with Chocolate frosting. These are low-fat, and dairy-free (great if you keep kosher and are eating meat for the meal and still want dessert) and if you use oat flour instead of regular flour, it can even be wheat-free. These also make great muffins without the frosting.

Nutrition Facts: Serving size one cupcake (recipe makes 8 cupcakes) *These are calculated by yours truly and not by the book or any other official nutritionist so I can only promise accuracy enough to satisfy my discerning standards

grams: 117; calories: 262 (with 1 tbsp frosting); fat: 10g; saturated fat: 2.5g; carbs: 38.5g; protein: 2g; fiber: 1g; sodium: 458.5 mg; sugars: 27 g

Now for the good stuff...

Cupcake Recipe:

1 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup raw sugar *I used granulated splenda so the nutrition facts reflect that

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon canola oil

3/4 cup oat flour *I only had regular all purpose flour around so I used that instead

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspon baking soda

Pinch of cinnamon

2/3 cup mini-chocolate chips *I used large Ghirardhelli 60% cocao bittersweet chocolate chips instead

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a muffin or cupcake tin with cooking spray or put liners into a muffin of cupcake tin to make 8 cupcakes

2. In a small bowl, combine the applesauce, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and canola oil. Stir and set aside to allow the sugar crystals to dissolve (if you use the splenda, you might notice a fizzing sound as it dissolves. Never fear it happened to me too and I'm still alive so I'm sure its nothing terrible)

3. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the applesauce mixture and stir until everything is combined. Fold in the chocolate chips

4. Using a 3-ounce ice cream scoop or large spoon, portion the batter into the tin to make 8 cupcakes. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are firm to the touch (I have a gas oven and it took 18 min on the timer to cook)

5. Cool completely, remove from the tin, and frost with Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

Frosting Recipe:

1 cup nondairy butter *I used Olivio which is olive oil based. I mistakenly got butter that was salted to the frosting I made turned out a little salty. My boyfriend and I actually like it this way since we aren't too big on rich sweets and the mix of salty and sweet is actually a nice blend

4 cups confectioner's sugar *I used only 2.5 cups to curb the calorie and sugar count. In hindsight it might have been good to add the extra sugar to counteract the saltiness of the butter, but in the end all concerned parties were happy with the result so its really a matter of personal preference

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

4 tablespoons soy milk *I used Almond milk because it is lower in fat and calories and I have been told my by doctor that I should try to cut down on all the soy. NOTE: If you get vanilla flavored soy or almond milk instead of original, cut back on the vanilla extract otherwise the flavor will overpower the chocolate flavor

1/2 cup cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until very smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add a little more soy milk. If it is too thin, refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. Frost cupcakes or any cake. Store leftover frosting in the refrigerator

*When I made this frosting, I mixed everything together and added the confectioner's suger in last, gradually. The almond milk was a little watery so I ended up needing to put the frosting in the fridge for an hour. Also because of the Olivio, if you leave the frosting out too long, the olive oil begins to separate and you have to whisk the frosting some more.

Hello World, I'm Hungry

2010-05-27T18:04:00.002-04:00

Hello all, (considering I have no followers yet I'm really just talking to myself but thats nothing new)

So I figure in my first post I should probably just give some background on why I decided to do this blog and what are my ultimate goals for it.

First about me, I was born and raised in Arizona but for the past 5 years I have made New York my home. I came here for school and just forgot to leave. Now I have just finished my first year of law school (WOOHOO) and still don't actually have an idea of what I want to do when I grow up. Oh well, as long as there's food in the future I'm not too concerned. I've currently settled down in Forest Hills, Queens and am loving the mix of culture all around the neighborhood. But enough about my location and more about my food history. To sum it all up the best way to describe my food relationship is that its been the longest and most dramatic relationship I have ever had. If you can think of a diet, I've been on it. I love food, I hate food, food makes me happy and it surely makes me want to cry. But through thick and thin (literally) food and I have stuck together. Having given up on any form of dieting, I have come to the conclusion that the only way for food and I to be truly happy is for me to love and respect it as I want it to love and respect my waistline.

And thus, here we have my blog. I decided that the best way for me to have a good relationship for food was for me to document it the way we do any other relationship. There will be happy and sad diary entries, there will be entries where I just need to vent, and there will be lots and lots of pictures (though I can't always guarantee that they will be pretty) and TONS of memorable milestones. To be clear though, this blog isn't just about me trying to eat healthy and telling you how much i hate myself for eating 10 cookies at 2 am (good lord I hope that it doesn't get to that point!). This blog is also about how to cook delicious (wishful thinking much??), exciting and fun dishes on a law student's budget while staying far far away from the ramen noodles and frozen pizzas. I also want this blog to be a place for others, maybe in similar or my EXACT same position, to give advice, comment and share their own experiences so we can all grow as foodies just trying to juggle it all.

There is just one last goal/reason for this blog that I feel I should put out there so later on people aren't confused or put off. My boyfriend and I have been together for several years now, and as he nears the half way point of his medical education and I get distressingly closer to taking the bar, he decided to pop the question. NO NOT THAT QUESTION, he asked me if I would seriously consider converting to Judaism (Some might argue that this is basically the same thing). My boyfriend is pretty orthodox jewish, I, however, am of South Asian origin and was raised by the religion of say please and thank you and don't talk back if you don't want a tight slap to the buttocks. Trust me I have had plenty of friends, family, strangers, etc give me their input on what I should and shouldn't do in this situation. I don't really want the blog to turn into a debate on that. Just know that I told my boyfriend yes, I would consider it, I am happy with my decision and I am doing it for my own reasons that no one else will ever really understand and thats fine. But what does this have to do with a food blog you ask? Well, if I convert and should my boyfriend and I get to that point, that would mean keeping kosher (dun dun dun, jk). This is not to entirely foreign a concept to me since I do go to a jewish law school and plenty of my friends are all different forms of jewish. However the practice is not as easy as it seems and for someone who pretty much lived a year on pepperoni pizza and chicken fettucini alfredo, there are definitely going to be challenges. I am sure I'm not the only person going through something similar to this so I hope my trials and tribulations will help all of you out, and by all means please help me out. Part of my blog I want to dedicate to trying to find ways to make my usual favorites or maybe classics from other cultures kosher friendly. This may also be helpful for any of you out there who are becoming vegan, living with a vegan or just want less milk and dairy in your meals for health reasons.

So anyways, thats my blog, thats me and thats the plan for the journey we are going to take. I really hope you'll join me! Lets taste the world!