I like using toasted sesame oil and reduced sodium tamari as I think they taste so good.  This is what I used for this recipe.

This recipe calls for baby bok choy too, which looks like this–>

I like the baby bok choy best-it’s tender and mildly delicious! Bok choy is rich in calcium, potassium, and Vitamin A with just 20 calories a cup. It cooks quickly so always add toward the end of your cooking time.

Many Asian recipes call for a bit of ginger and green onion and this recipe is no different.

Ginger is known in Ayurvedic {Indian} medicine to be the “universal remedy.” It improves circulation, curbs nausea, and fights infections.

Canned water chestnuts add the necessary crunch to this recipe and  are often found in the Asian section of your grocery market. Drain and rinse and remember to purchased diced or sliced water chestnuts to save a bit on time.

I hope you enjoy my Asian Chicken Lettuce Wrap recipe….

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken breast (I LOVVVVVE Whole Foods-worth the extra price, really)

2 TB toasted sesame oil (in Asian Section of grocery store)

1 TB peanut oil or olive oil

1 red pepper, diced

1, 8 oz. can sliced or diced water chestnuts, rinsed

2 TB. fresh ginger, grated finely

1-2 minced garlic-per preference {for my FODMAPs followers-use garlic infused oil}

2 baby bok choy washed and thinly sliced

2 TB reduced sodium tamari (soy sauce)

2 green onion (scallion/spring), sliced finely {FODMAPs followers use green part only}

2 TB cilantro, chopped -optional

1 head Iceberg lettuce or Boston lettuce-washed, cut iceberg head in half to form cups or tear leaves off Boston lettuce.  Wrap lettuce loosely in paper towel or clean dish towel and refrigerate to keep cool and crisp.

Directions:

1)   In medium to large skillet add 1 TB. sesame oil and 1 TB peanut oil and ground chicken breast and cook over medium heat.

2)   Stirring frequently, cook chicken for about 3-5 minutes until almost cooked through.

3)   Add red pepper and water chestnuts and cook for about an additional minute.

4)   Add ginger, garlic, bok choy, and tamari, and remaining sesame oil and cook for another minute, stirring gently.  Turn off stove and add green onion (and cilantro if using)

5)   Using slotted spoon, remove chicken mixture into serving bowl.

6)   Serve with chilled lettuce cups and perhaps a side of brown rice or Forbidden rice salad.

7)   Spoon chicken mixture into lettuce ‘cups’ and enjoy!

Quote for you!  “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” ~Lou Holtz

How IS your attitude holding up?  Don’t sweat the small stuff and remember to be thankful for all the good in your life.  ….like a roof over your head, a loved one, a sunny day, fall foliage, silly kids, or perhaps a crazy but lovable dog { I have that one covered!}

 This very easy to read book covers healthy food options for a variety of health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, allergies, migraines and even sleep conditions.  And we all know that food is medicine, so this book is a great resource to help you connect the dots between health and the role of food.

So this morning I decided to try one of the recipes in the book and of course the Berry Oat Bake caught my eye.  I just can’t help that sweet tooth of mine.  Since this was a last minute decision, I needed to modify the recipe a bit to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand.

Vicki has so many enticing recipes in this book such as Nutty Couscous, Watermelon and Spinach Salad, Savory Roasted Root Vegetables, and even Kale Fritters…yum!

If you would like to WIN a copy of Vicki’s fab book, just write a comment after this post and I will pick a random winner.  Well, actually, my son Brennan will pick a number and whoever’s comment is in that spot, they win. YEAH!

Check out this healthy dessert…

Berry Oak Bake anyone?

I started to make the crumble.  The recipe called for flaxseed and I, of course, had some on hand.  Flaxseed has a mild nutty flavor and is a source of soluble fiber and omega-3’s– both great for heart health! Flaxseed should be ground to provide the most health benefit.  Keep this seed in your refrigerator so that it will stay its freshest.

The recipe also called for canola oil and I did not have any available, so being a coconut loving person, I added some coconut oil to the recipe instead.  OOOOOhhhhhh…that coconut oil infuses such a nice aroma!

I like that the recipe calls for maple syrup too-an easy to digest natural form of sweetness.

Since I didn’t have any walnuts handy, I deleted from the book’s recipe, but I bet they would have added a nice touch.  Plus nuts are SO good for you.  Nut intake is inversely related to heart disease, the more nuts you consume-your risk for heart disease lowers. Did you know that?  Go Nuts!

Just don’t go overboard–they have lots of calories too.

My recipe adaption for the yummy Berry Oat Bake

Yield: 3 servings

1 ½ cups frozen berries

1 cup old-fashioned oats

3 TB. coconut oil

1 TB flaxseed meal

1 ½ tsp. maple syrup

½ cup whole wheat pastry flour

1)   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2)   In medium mixing bowl, mix oats, oil, flax, maple syrup and flour.

3)   Place berries in small casserole dish or use 3. 4 ½ in diameter tart pans and top with even amounts of crumble.

4)   Bake 25 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes to cool a bit.  Eat up!

Want to win this GREAT book?   What’s your favorite healthy food?  Leave a comment.

The people of Melbourne take food and coffee very seriously! That works for me!  Our first stop was a bustling coffee shop.  The staff at our hotel suggested we try coffee @ Brother Baba Budan saying, “You won’t miss it, it’s the one with chairs hanging from the ceiling!” So off we went.

We enjoy a wonderfully rich and artistically dressed cappuccino.  YUM! Yes, there really were chairs on the ceiling…

Melbourne is famous for it’s laneways and arcades, which weave throughout the city filled with unique cafes, boutiques, and bars- all off the beaten track.

So fun to poke around at the shops and enjoy some tasty treats!

The food in Aussie was wonderful!   A fellow dietitian and Melbourne native, Emma Stirling recommended Cumulus, a trendy new spot for small plate dining.  Russ and I bellied up to the bar and enjoyed this wonderful  cracked wheat, freekeh, preserved lemon with barberries salad.  Freekeh is a cereal made from green wheat that goes through a roasting process in it’s production. Very nutty and delish!

This salad was somewhat reminiscent of tabouli BUT better.  We also enjoyed some amazing Sicilian salami and olives too! Great nosh for a late lunch on vacation.

Walking around the city ,we stumbled upon Smith Street, which hosts an eclectic array of shops and cafes.  One of the shop owners recommended we stop for lunch at Gluttony.  Great name, huh? Lunch specials offered at just 10 Australian dollars were a steal and included many appealing options.  Russ and I tried the Veggie Lasagna and a Pumpkin Feta phyllo dough roll with a carrot slaw and green salad side dish. Here’s my roll…

Amazing!

The carrot cake looked way too good to pass up, my personal favorite, so we treated ourselves to a slice to share.

Check this out:  Here it is…

Here it isn’t…

The Great Ocean Road located about 1 ½ hours outside of Melbourne is a must see.  Said to be one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the world.

This coastal drive reminded me very much of the Big Sur in California.  Driving for hours, of course, made us hungry and the options we came across were few.  We did find a small café serving up meat pies to go, so we opted for 2 small warm pies: one peppered beef and another chicken mushroom. Very filling, delicious, but not the ideal food to enjoy in a rental car!  I almost took a picture of Russ’ crumb-filled shirt –too funny!

I love a farmer’s market any day and Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne has it all! This market sells just about everything from boomerangs, coats and leather goods, to fresh produce, cheese, and food to go.  Russ and I enjoyed this market place twice while visiting; it was such a fun place to walk around.

Great fruits!

And great veggies…

And more goodies…

Cold beer on the Yarra?  Okay! Let’s go! We opted to get a quick beverage while walking about town.  Ponyfish Island is a watering hole right on the river.  Even though it’s the beginning of springtime in Australia (with a cool briskness in the air) the sun poured down on this little cafe and sitting outside was perfect. A great place to kick back and enjoy a cold one!

We had heard about Phillip Island and the Penguin Parade prior to leaving for Melbourne and there was no way I would have missed a visit with the penguins.  Seriously…they are too cute for words.  The sanctuary was very strict about their photography policy—so no pictures here, but check out this site to see these cute little penguins!

But, my heart was won over by these little Koalas.  Phillip Island has a Koala Sanctuary too, which is home to several koalas.  Koalas sleep about 20 hours a day and can be found up high in the trees, you guessed it, sleeping. We were very lucky to find one awake!

Wallabies-small kangaroos also jumped around the sanctuary.  Check this guy out!

On one of our last nights in Melbourne, we attended a Footie Game.  Fellow twitter user and tweep, Emma Stirling and her husband Tony provided tix for this local favorite game.   Emma and I had never met before but had “conversed” via twitter.  Just one way technology has made the world even smaller.   We had such a great time at the game with Emma and her husband! This is Australia’s national game and is often a spirited match.  We sat amongst 85, 000 spectators in the huge stadium. Wasn’t sure I could bring in my big camera, so no pics, but trust me, very cool.

 On our last day, we toured the wine country of Yarra Valley, home to some award-winning wines.  We enjoyed visiting 4 wineries for tasting and a 5^th one, GIANT STEPS: innocent bystander in Healesville for another heavenly lunch. Russ opted for the prosciutto, San Marzano tomatoes, Parmesan and parsley pizza.   YUM!

Of course, I would be remiss not to mention my educational seminar on FODMAPs! That will be another whole post!  I learned so much and enjoyed a tour of the laboratory where much of the research is done!  I met many of the great researchers who I have read about and all their novel research. I can’t wait to share all that I learned with many of my clients who suffer from digestive health issues!

But now we are back in the US!

As always, there’s no place like home.  We’re glad to be back!

You may say, what the heck  are FODMAPs?  And I would tell you ALL about FODMAPs, in fact, I would tell you more than you may want to hear.  You see, FODMAPs are a group of carbohydrates and fibers found in many common healthy foods such as watermelon, onions, garlic, wheat, apples and pears to name a few foods and FODMAPs are not tolerated by many people with a sensitive gastrointestinal tract.  FODMAPs is an acronym for fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols. (Is that too much information?)

I am fascinated with FODMAPs.  I have learned so much about these troublesome sugars and fibers but always want to learn more.  Why you may ask?  Seventeen years ago, while pregnant, I had a healthcare complication that required two-thirds of my small intestine to be removed to save my life and the life of my growing baby boy.  As you can imagine, my life and my gastrointestinal tract has never been the same!  The silver lining of this horrendous surgery was that I am a registered dietitian and I was fortunate to know what, when and how much to eat to make my body heal and feel its best.

After my surgery, my interest in digestive health grew and  I stumbled upon some very compelling research out of Australia.  A group of researchers from Monash University near Melbourne, Australia, had developed a novel diet which they coined the  “FODMAPs” approach.  They determined that certain sugars and fibers cause uncomfortable symptoms such as gas, bloating, diarrhea for many individuals who have a very common condition called irritable bowel syndrome. (IBS).  Since I have learned about this diet approach to help manage IBS, I have in turn helped countless clients feel so much better!  It’s been truly amazing.

Next month, in just about a week, on September 2, the Monash University researchers are presenting a conference for dietitians. I am beyond thrilled because I will be one of the dietitians in the audience! Yes, I am heading to Australia to learn the LATEST research!  Because the diet is a bit complex and the research and food analysis is tedious and ongoing, I am sure the researchers will presents some new and exciting information.  For more info on FODMAPs-check out my FODMAPs tab on this blog which contains grocery shopping lists, check lists, menu planning, digestive health articles and more! My book ,The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Well with IBS provides an introduction to FODMAPs and many FODMAP-friendly recipes.

So Mates, I am off to Australia!   Catch up soon.

Today, it was my girlfriend, Joan’s 40^th birthday so I really wanted to present her with some of the gorgeous flowers I had been eyeing the past couple of weeks.  So I set out to pick the flowers and in the distance I could see the dark clouds rolling in.  But, when I set my mind to something, I get it done.  So sheers in hand, I cut flowers like a crazy lady trying to miss the rain….but I didn’t.  I got soaked.  But, in the end, it was all worth it because I got some crazy beautiful flowers for my friend….and that made me very happy.

When I first arrived at the farm, the sky was somewhat blue.  So I took a few pictures of the beauty surrounding me.  Like this big orange blossom…

And this old big sunflower…

And fields of gorgeousness…

I love fresh flowers. (Fortunately my husband got the memo on that one and is SO good about bringing me home flowers…of course only when I am on my best behavior! Ha!)

I created a quick tag for her bouquet and brought it to her home!  Happy Birthday Joan!

Of course, I also played in the kitchen today too.  I decided to make some French Meringues.  My husband Russ gave me a serious KitchenAid mixer for my birthday and I have not had a chance to use it yet.  I feel like a professional chef using this big machine!  Meringues are easy to whip up and I love them.

So with my new gadget, I whipped up the eggwhites…

Added the sugar and of course,  good quality vanilla extract…

And bake the meringues!

  YUM.  Easy to make, low calorie, fat free…what more could you want?

French Meringues 

3 egg whites, at room temperature

¼ tsp. cream of tartar

¾ cup superfine sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup mini chocolate chips  (optional)

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
• In medium bowl, blend egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on medium high speed for about 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. (The mixture will be able to curl when you pull up the beater.)
• Slowly add sugar to egg white mixture about ¼ cup at a time until blended.
• Fold in chocolate chips-if using-and drop meringues by tablespoon on to greased cookie sheet or one lined with parchment paper,  about 2 inches apart.
• Place in oven for 3 hours until crisp.  Enjoy when cooled, ideally the first day of baking but may be stored in airtight container for a week or so , if they last that long.

Anyone that has used fresh herbs in cooking knows that the flavor of your food POPS and makes almost any dish more special.  The same can be said when you get creative with dried herbs and spices.

I love perusing magazines and online for interesting recipes.  Lately I have been drawn to recipes made with saffron, cardamom, and garam masala…all spices that I really don’t know much about BUT want to know more!  I think everyone should step outside their usual spice box, right?

Last week, while vacationing on Nantucket, I stumbled upon a new spice store in Nantucket called Ambrosia in town on Centre Street. The store had a bit of an old apothecary feel to it with a nice fresh scent of spices permeating the air.  Ambrosia has a whole wall dedicated to special spice drawers. Check them out!

Each drawer was labeled a different spice and inside were samples to smell-clearly labeled with a gold seal with additional jars available for sale. The little drawers screamed, “Open me up!.”  How fun…I smelled lots of spices. And bought some garam masala.

Spices not only add wonderful flavors to your favorite dishes but many have medicinal qualities too. Here’s a few of my latest spice interests and their many health benefits:

Tumeric is a bright yellow spice that is often used in Indian dishes.  My colleague Ann, introduced me to a wonderful corn dish that incorporates sautéed corn, olive oil, turmeric, cumin and cilantro and it has become one of our family favorites.  Tumeric has been used in cooking since 600 B.C.and it’s medicinal qualities come from curcuminoids which are also responsible for giving turmeric it’s yellow color. Tumeric is believed to function as an anti-inflammatory and may also have an anti-tumor/cancer effects. If you have ever enjoyed a curry dish, then you too, have had a bit of healthy turmeric.

Cardamom has a wonderful aroma to it, so… enticing! Cardamom can be purchased ground or in pods. Ground cardamom is not as full flavored as the pods. It’s best to use small amounts of this spice, in general, as a little bit adds a big punch of flavor. Believed to be a powerful digestive aid, cardamom is a key ingredient in Chai tea.  Cardamom is featured in my first photo, it’s the bigger green larger pod- size spice in the dish.

Garam Masala is a spice blend created with up to 12 spices including: black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, cardamom, dried chilies, fennel, mace, nutmeg and more. This mixture provides a variety of health benefits. Cinnamon is helpful for managing blood sugar levels and may help ward off pain in the joints as it has some anti-inflammtory compounds too. Cloves and cinnamon contain eugenol which has been know to help kill unhealthy viruses and bacteria. Cloves are also a source of manganese and import nutrient for bone health. Cumin is considered a natural remedy for allergies.

In all their aromatic glory, spices not only make your food a whole lot tastier, they likely will make it a whole lot healthier too!

So I bought my little bottle of Garam Masala and really wasn’t sure what to do with it.  But shortly after I purchased it I noticed a “recipe tweet” on my twitter feed from @chowandchatter  “eggplant chips with garam masala”  Now that sounded right up my ally…so when I got home, I picked up some eggplant (they are fresh and in season)…

and whipped up some chips.  And they were tasty!  And my house smelled really good.

Check out the original post and recipe here.

Do you have a new favorite spice to share? Any fun spicy recipes?

Every August we head to the Island of Nantucket off the coast of Cape Cod.  It’s become one of our favorite spots and a great place where we have shared many wonderful family memories.

There are so many reasons we love this quaint little island but here is a list of what we love most.

Biking

We leave our car on the mainland, rent bikes and bike to the beach almost daily.  I love that we all get a bit of exercise and really the bike paths are such a great way to enjoy this very picturesque island.  Biking daily allows us to indulge a bit more in some of our favorite treats too!  It’s all about balance, right?

On the bike trail to Madaket we make a stop to feed the turtles!  There are HUGE snapping turtles and many spectators waiting to feed them with some raw chicken legs.

The Juice Bar

The Juice Bar has just about the best ice cream we have ever tasted.  The best part is  the warm, freshly made hand rolled waffle cones and cups.  My personal favorite is chocolate peanut butter cookie dough.  Oh, yeah!  Rich and indulgent: a perfect vacation treat!

Cisco Brewery

After a day of biking and beachin’ it, a cold beer tastes pretty great.  We love the  Whales Tail at Cisco Brewery.  The atmosphere here is relaxing and they host live music at night.

Sea Scallops

I love sea scallops and Slip 14, one of our favorite Nantucket restaurants makes a fabulous Cobb style salad topped with seasoned and seared scallops.  This was my favorite meal on the island this summer.  Delicious! Searing scallops is easy and makes a great entrée or topping to a salad.  {See recipe below for this simple scallop recipe}

Force Five Candy Store

My brother Mike shared this hidden gem with us.  Located in the back of this water sports store, the candy store is jammed with sugary treats.  I know I am a nutritionist but the kid in me just has to make a visit here once during our visit!

Bartlett’s Farm

We venture to Bartlett’s on our way to Ladies Beach. We stop here and grab some yummy sandwiches and enjoy lunch on one of their outdoor picnic benches. Bartlett’s Farm also has a cart in town which sells it’s fresh, local produce.  Which I can vouch, is also, very tasty.

Right down the road, from Bartlett’s farm off a dirt road is Ladies Beach. Biking on the sandy road can be a bit slippery, but the wonderful beach at the end of the road is worth a bit of skidding around.  Here we are arriving…

And diving in…

This is my favorite beach on Nantucket.

Hydrangeas

Against the picket fences, adorning window boxes and even sold on the roadside, the hydrangeas are so beautiful on the island.  On Main St, this sweet looking jeep is decked out with flowers galore-all for sale! Beautiful!

Beachside Drinks and Food

Jetties Beach is close to where we stay on island and is a nice calm beach with a large sand bar.  A great place to toss the ball and get cool at the same time.  After relaxing a bit, we head over to grab a light dinner at the Jetties beachside cafe and enjoy a  pre-dinner beer.  Love sitting in these beach chairs waiting a bit for a table to free up for us for dinner.

‘Sconset and the Sankaty Light

The Sconset bike trail is the longest about 7 miles outside of town.  But we think it’s worth the trip.  A bit quieter on this side of town and the Sankaty Lighthouse is worth a peek.

 This trip had a great bonus celebrity sighting!

It’s not unusual to spot a few celebrities on the island of Nantucket, this trip while waiting for our ferry we spotted Lance Armstrong and Senator John Kerry, both had just finished up the first leg of the Pan Mass Challenge.  My son, Brennan sat with Lance for a quick pic. Don’t they look like they are just hanging out together?

Here is Lance’s bike on the ferry.  Very cool.

On another exciting note…

In just two weeks, I am off to Australia for a conference on the FODMAPs approach, a diet approach that has been very helpful for my patients with digestive disorders. Seeing this sign in Nantucket showing the distance to Melbourne made me realize just how far  Russ and I will be traveling! Yikes!

Try this tasty recipe when you get a chance! YUM!

Seared Sea Scallops

4 servings

Serving size: 4 scallops

1 to 1,1/4 lb. (16) sea scallops

1 TB. olive oil

1 TB. butter

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. thyme, ground or 1 TB. Fresh thyme leaves, optional

1.   Rinse scallops with water, and pat dry with paper towels. Trim muscle on side of scallop.

2.   In a medium skillet over medium heat, combine olive oil and butter.

3.   In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and thyme. Sprinkle [1/2] of herb mixture over one side of scallops.

4.   Place scallops herb-side down in the skillet. Season the other side of scallops with remaining salt mixture.

5.   Cook scallops for about 1 and ½ minutes. Flip over scallops, and cook for 1 and 1/2 more minutes. Be sure scallops are no longer pink and fully opaque.

Just a quick post today.  Busy gearing up for vacation! Looking forward to a break from working and spending quality time with my three kids and husband! Yeah! But I did want to share this really yummy burger recipe before I head out to the beach!

I never really have enjoyed ground beef.  Even as a kid, I really disliked it.  So when it’s BBQ season, I make yummy ground chicken burgers.  I like to experiment with different ingredients and this recipe was inspired by another one of my favorites, Greek Chicken Kabobs.

I purchased about 3/4 pound of all white ground chicken breast from Whole Foods markets.  I love the flavor of their ground chicken and I am happy that the chickens were not fed antibiotics, less junk for me and my family.   Federal law prohibits use of hormones in poultry and pork products BUT does allow the use of hormones in cattle.  So chicken NEVER has added hormones.  Perdue chicken labels their chicken, “no Hormones” which often makes the consumer think they are buying a healthier product.  Don’t be fooled.  But I digress…

So I mixed in some fresh mint, oregano, feta, lemon juice and voila–formed up 3 patties that looked like this…

Then popped them on the grill with a bean and corn salad and dinner was served.

YUM!

Herbed Chicken Burgers with Feta

Makes 3 burgers

3/4 lb. ground chicken breast

1-2 TB. chopped fresh mint

1/3 cup feta cheese

1 TB. fresh lemon juice

1 TB. oregano

dash salt and pepper

Mix to incorporate ingredients.  Form into 3 patties.  Grill about 3-4 minutes on each side and until meat in the middle in no longer pink. Enjoy!

My Aunt Ele has a farm in Rhode Island and growing up I always enjoyed visiting her and her sprawling property.  We would get lost in the woods or roll down the hills, it didn’t take much to make us happy on the farm.  This year being a CSA member and blogger, I have spent more time on farms than I have since I was a little kid, and I have to say, I am liking it!

This week’s share included fresh tomatoes, U-pick basil and sweet corn amongst lots more locally grown organic goodies.

Since I had already had purchased some marinated olives and feta (available at Whole Foods Market in the cheese section and even some smaller grocery markets too) I thought I would make an easy summer salad!  So I  chopped tomatoes and basil…

and toss in my olive mixture.  So simple, and so very tasty!

Tomato, Olive and Feta Salad

¾ cup mixture of feta chunks, pitted kalamata olives, green olives and olive oil dressing

3 medium tomatoes, chopped in chunks

½ cup chopped fresh basil

Toss ingredients together including dressing in olive mixture.  Serve immediately.

Just a few words about tomatoes. Tomatoes are a source of an anti-cancer ingredient called lycopene.  Lycopene is especially beneficial when consumed with healthy fat filled foods such as avocado, olive oil, and nuts.  Tomatoes also are a source of  lutein.  Lutein in tomatoes helps decrease our risk of macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.   Did you know that tomatoes are a rich source of Vitamin C which is most concentrated in the jellylike substance around the seeds? And we all know, there is nothing quiet as tasty as a vine-ripened tomato.  So go visit a local farmer’s market or farm stand and enjoy all the goodness tomatoes can provide your body and soul!

And we were in for a big surprise… Bennet Farm was magical.  The musical artists were amazing!  The farm was beautiful.

Loved this beautiful big red barn.

There were many horses grazing.  And of course, wonderful music!

We are BIG fans of  Kate Klim! It was so great to see her perform again!

One of the  headliners for this event…Rebecca Correia…

Bennet Farm is where she grew up.  Lucky Rebecca!

And Matt Cusson… who was amazing too. This event happens yearly and is very family friendly.  We will definitely check it out next summer because…Music under the stars works for me.

But for those who would like to learn more about our  fabulous pizza lunch…here you go…

If you’d like to try the whole grain pizza dough for either crackers or pizza, here’s the recipe and a few pics of our Saturday lunch.  We grill pizza in the summer so we don’t heat up the house and they always come out so tasty.  I am not traditional pizza fan, so tend to create fruit and veggie combo’s with assorted cheeses and nuts.  Maybe, you too, can step outside your pizza box…

Whole Grain Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Bob’s Red Organic 6 Grain hot cereal

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-cup whole-wheat flour

1 envelope yeast

1 tsp. salt

1 TB honey

3 TB extra-virgin olive oil

1. Place cereal in bowl and cover with 1 ½ cup boiling water-let sit to absorb most of the water-about 20 minutes-drain any excess water.
2. Place the flours, yeast, salt and honey in medium bowl.  Add in cereal mixture-should be lukewarm and mix adding in oil.
3. Turn dough onto floured work area and knead ball of pizza dough until smooth.
4. Place dough in oiled bowl in warm area to rise-about 1 hour.
5. Divide dough into 2 balls-can freeze if not using.
6. Roll out on floured work surface with rolling pin until thin and in desired shape—I rolled one onto a round pizza metal pan and a rectangle for a cookie sheet.
7. Add toppings—and grill until crusty.  Watch closely.  If the pan does not fit inside the grill, top a brick onto grill which will prevent the grill top from completely closing and allow a large pan to grill.  Turn pan as necessary to allow for evening cooking.

Pizza topping:  This is where you get can get creative!

Kate’s combos of the day:

Apple, Cheddar and Walnut Pizza

Brush crust with olive oil and top with:

Mixture of sliced and grated high quality cheddar

1 Sliced Granny Smith apple

Handful of chopped walnuts

Drizzle of good quality honey

Summer Squash, Vidalia onion, Pine Nuts and Ham

Brush crust with olive oil and top with:

1 medium summer squash, sautéed in olive oil

½ medium Vidalia onion, sliced and sautéed in olive oil

½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese, dolloped over crust

½ cup grated part-skim mozzarella

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

4 Slices of Ham (thinly sliced-Prosciutto preferable)

½ cup chopped fresh basil—added after pizza has been cooked.

To make crackers, roll out dough extra thin and place on parchment paper on cookie sheet. Brush crust with a bit of olive oil, a dash of salt and pepper,  seeds and your favorite chopped nuts. (I used chia seeds, pine nuts and pumpkin seeds) Bake at 450 degrees for about 12-15 minutes–watch to avoid over-browning and break into whole grain cracker pieces.

What makes your weekend great? For me, its good food, great exercise and listening to amazing music with family and friends.