Chicken and pineapple…ooh lala… July 9, 2007

Today was grill day, and I fixed up all kinds of wonderful things…

First was two different kinds of chicken. Though the usual fare is to marinate in Italian dressing (which I also did), this time I took some advice from a local bar and grill. So, in place of italian I used Catalina dressing….

This isn’t the best photo, but I wanted to show an example. This beautiful red-orange glow is, in fact, the fully cooked chicken. When I saw chicken fixed this way for the first time, my reaction was..’is it raw?’ Nope..I assure you it isn’t. Its flavor is simply amazing: a mix of charcoal smokiness and candy sweetness….

Next on the grill was pineapple, at the peak of ripeness. Recipe is included below…

Grilled Pineapple

 

Recipe from The Mayo Clinic…

 

Ingredients

For the marinade:

2 tablespoons dark honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

 

1 firm yet ripe pineapple

8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes, or metal skewers

1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)

 

1 tablespoon grated lime zest

 

Directions

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler (grill). Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

To make the marinade, in a small bowl, combine the honey, olive oil, lime juice, cinnamon and cloves and whisk to blend. Set aside.

Cut off the crown of leaves and the base of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple upright and, using a large, sharp knife, pare off the skin, cutting downward just below the surface in long, vertical strips and leaving the small brown “eyes” on the fruit. Lay the pineapple on its side. Aligning the knife blade with the diagonal rows of eyes, cut a shallow furrow, following a spiral pattern around the pineapple, to remove all the eyes. Stand the peeled pineapple upright and cut it in half lengthwise. Place each pineapple half cut-side down and cut it lengthwise into four long wedges; slice away the core. Cut each wedge crosswise into three pieces. Thread the three pineapple pieces onto each skewer.

Lightly brush the pineapple with the marinade. Grill or broil, turning once and basting once or twice with the remaining marinade, until tender and golden, about 5 minutes on each side.

Remove the pineapple from the skewers and place on a platter or individual serving plates. Brush with the rum, if using, and sprinkle with the lime zest. Serve hot or warm.

Bon Appetit!

Artificial Sweeteners: A sweet deal? July 7, 2007

Years ago, I remember sitting in science class while my science teacher warned the class about the dangers of developing cancer from artificial sweeteners .Since that time I’ve been very cautious about the amount of chemical alternatives I consume. In spite of this claim, however, chemical sweeteners are still very popular on the shelves of American markets. Is the notion that a chemical sweetener causes cancer just an urban myth? If these products really ARE harmful, why should these companies continue to be allowed to endorse them?
According to the Food and Drug Administration, there are currently five approved artificial sweeteners on the market: aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, neotame, and sucralose. Aspartame (Equal) and saccharin (Sweet’n’Low) are probably the most common as they are usually found in soft drinks. These two alternatives are followed closely by the increasingly popular sucralose (Splenda). Acesulfame-K is usually found in sugar free types of breath mints and gum. Neotame has only recently been added to the list as it was approved by the FDA in 2002.Now that we have identified the suspects, time to answer the lingering question: just how safe are these products to humans?
Repeated studies by the National Cancer Institute have found that while there may be links between certain sweeteners and bladder cancer in lab rats, there is no clear evidence to suggest this occurrence in humans.
The Mayo Clinic, however, appears to acknowledge that the chemicals may possibly pose health hazards. They recommend the following safety guidelines, or ADIs (acceptable daily intake) for artificial sweeteners
 

:

Artificial sweetener	ADI*	Estimated ADI equivalent**	OK for cooking?
Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal)	50 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg)	18 to 19 cans of diet cola	No
Saccharin (Sweet’N Low, SugarTwin)	5 mg per kg	9 to 12 packets of sweetener	Yes
Acesulfame K (Sunett, Sweet One)	15 mg per kg	30 to 32 cans of diet lemon-lime soda***	Yes
Sucralose (Splenda)	5 mg per kg	6 cans of diet cola***	Yes
Neotame	18 mg a day	No consumer products available yet in the U.S.	Yes

The amounts presented here are fairly conservative. Clearly, the data suggests that one must be a heavy consumer of these products in order to be concerned.
So what’s the verdict?
For now, it’s clearly the case of buyer’s choice: are natural sweeteners such as brown sugar, honey, and stevia extract preferable to chemical alternatives? 
One other thing to consider using soft drinks as an example: the amount of sugar found in popular soft drinks is an average of 30 grams per serving (8 fluid oz.). That’s roughly 9% of your total daily sugar intake based on a 2,000 calorie diet. That doesn’t sound so bad until you consider that the average bottled drink contains 20 fluid oz. or more. If you consume 2 20 oz. bottles a day, that’s a whopping 54% of your total daily value! Obviously, eliminating those types of drinks from your diet would drastically decrease the amount of your total sugar intake.
Chemically doctored products do not sound like the best options for cutting sugar and calories from your diet. If consumed in moderation, however, they certainly provide a better alternative for hardcore soft drink consumers.If instead you want to bust them from your diet all together, I would suggest doing what I did: start with diet drinks and avoid the original versions containing sugar. Then find alternatives, such as water, tea, seltzers, and fruit juice. The more you start to choose these, the less you will crave the soft drinks. Eventually, you won’t even miss them. Of course, not unlike an alcoholic, if you start drinking soft drinks of any kind again, it’s difficult to stop.

Bittersweet Obsessions.. July 4, 2007

 I’ve been trying to find out a little more about studies like these since they began. Today I saw this in the local online newspaper and got excited all over again..

If you’re a dark chocolate fan, this may brighten your day a little:

Evidence that chocolate is good for you

From 14.wfie.com…

If you’re worried about high blood pressure,

you may want to add dark chocolate to your diet.

According to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, eating a daily piece of dark chocolate, about a quarter of an ounce, could help to lower your systolic blood pressure, the upper number, by almost three units, and the diastolic blood pressure, or bottom number by almost two units.

Dirk Taubert, M.D., Ph.D./University Hospital of Cologne says, “We were indeed surprised that such a low amount of chocolate could efficiently reduce the blood pressure.”  

Forty four otherwise healthy people with high blood pressure were studied for 18 weeks. Half the people got daily dark chocolate, the other half got daily white chocolate. No one gained weight, but only the dark chocolate eaters saw their blood pressure come down a bit.

Sunday is Strawberries… July 2, 2007

….in all of their glory…

In the summer when fruit’s sweetness is at its peak, it seems a beautiful bowl like this makes more sense for dessert than cakes, pies, cookies, or any of that stuff.. wouldn’t you agree?

Robin Miller’s ‘Quick Fix Meals’ June 29, 2007

 Overview:

A few weeks ago I picked up a copy of ‘Quick Fix Meals’ by Robin Miller. Being unfamiliar with Miller’s program on Food Network, I was nevertheless interested in her approach to quick, healthy meals from the moment I leafed through the pages of the book. It is comparable to Rachael Ray’s 30 minute meals, only a little more detailed with better ideas for saving money. It also boasts over 200 recipes including a section for revamping leftover meals.

In a nutshell, here’s the rundown:

Pros:

1.) She gives you recipes to transform leftovers (usually about 3 or 4 different modified meals per each leftover batch), so there is little to no waste. This also cuts the amount of groceries one would have to purchase.

2.) This book is designed for busy people with very little time to spend in the kitchen. This can work for both single people and families. She suggests taking one hour out of the weekend to do all of your prepwork (chopping, boiling, marinades, etc..) so that it’s already done when you get home from work during the week. This ensures as little time in the kitchen as possible on short evenings that you want to spend catching up on projects or with your family.

3.) The recipes are simple and usually designed to cook in 30 minutes or less.

4.) As Miller says in her book, she is a nutritionist. Therefore, she makes a conscious effort to make sure meals include lowfat alternatives. Most of the meals are made with lean meats such as chicken, fish, and pork, and tons of fresh vegetables.

5.) You don’t have to be a chef or a top notch cook to benefit from this book. In fact, it’s made for normal, everday people looking for simple meal ideas. You just need to know a few basic steps, which are outlined very clearly in the book.

Cons:

1.) Miller consistently advocates that the freezer should be your best friend. In fact, many of her recipes and prepwork are designed for this. This is a good idea but could be inconvenient if you live in a small house or apartment with limited freezer space.

2.) Prepwork is a good idea but the food quality may suffer when it finally hits the table. Since there are several things she prepares in advance, some of the meals or ingredients must be microwaved. In some cases, the flavors could be consistent with leftovers.

3.) Prepwork still takes a good deal of time. This plan sort of assumes that you have an hour or two to spare each weekend towards cooking and prepping.

4.) Some of the ingredients may not necessarily be things you would keep in the kitchen. They would be special purchases towards making certain meals only.

Overall, I would consider this a fantastic collection of recipes and an incredibly strong approach to quick easy meals. It’s not really a gourmet cookbook — more like a much more well-balanced fast food alternative. If you are looking to bust fast food from you diet but don’t have a strong culinary aptitude or a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, this book is definitely a must-have.

An Alternative for Ranch Fiends.. June 25, 2007

This is a recipe I plan to try and post photos of next week. I love ranch dressing on anything, but it is so high in fat and calories. This sounds like a great alternative. Recipe is courtesy of selfdishes.com..

LOWFAT CREAMY ARTICHOKE RANCH DRESSING
Makes 2 cups

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1 scallion, trimmed, cut into quarters
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

A Day in the Life of a Chocolate Pepper.. June 25, 2007

As the daughter of a florist and gardener, one of the first things you learn about food is this: the cheapest, healthiest, and tastiest way to obtain food is to grow it yourself. Absolutely nothing beats a tomato picked fresh from a vine, apple pies made with hand picked apples, and ripe corn on the cob straight from the stalk. Unfortunately, this isn’t always feasible. Gardening requires a few special skills, patience, and a little real estate. Since my apartment has no balcony, porch, or yard, I am resigned to keeping a few potted plants at my parents house. Right now I have some basil sprouts, eggplants, and something a little intriguing…chocolate peppers.
I discovered this plant at a local Earth Day festival I attended a few months ago. A stand full of free garden starters was situated right in the middle of the festivities. At the time, the only information the girl at the stand could tell me was that chocolate peppers are named for their color — a rich, deep brown not unlike chocolate. I was immediately hooked. Anything with ‘chocolate’ in the title is guaranteed to have my full attention. It doesn’t hurt that the chocolate pepper is also one of the sweetest hybrid peppers available. Now, I realize that the fruits will not taste anything like the velvety, silky sinfulness that haunts my dreams. They might, however, with a few other ingredients, produce a darn good salsa.

 

 

 

 

Right now the pepper plant, as you can see, is a medium sized sprout.It still needs a little growing time before any peppers can be produced. (I will post pics once they are ready to be eaten.) These peppers will first make their appearance as green; with time they will darken to the ripe brownish color.
What happens next? This is very simple: grilling, stuffing, mashing for sauce — any little thing my heart desires.
A fantastic thing about peppers is they freeze well, especially if kept whole. If you are unable to use them all at once, store them in an airtight freezer bag and keep them for the winter. If eating them right away, though, wash very well and try not to keep them in the refridgerator for more than a week. TIp for the budget conscious: freezing home grown foods helps cut the grocery bill. It may not have the same summer-fresh quality, but it’s still very tasty. Plus, the more you freeze now, the more you will have for later. More for later, of course, means less groceries to buy! This can definitely also apply to canning your own foods. My advice? Get a hold of the biggest freezer you can find!
What makes peppers such a good thing? The following is a list of nutrition facts on sweet peppers obtained from Watch Your Garden Grow. Serving size is one small raw sweet pepper….Calories 19.98
Protein 0.66 grams
Carbohydrates 4.76 grams
Dietary fiber 1.48 grams
Calcium 6.66 mg
Potassium 130.98 mg
Vitamin C
Green 66.08 mg
Red 140.60 mg
Folate 16.28 mcg
Vitamin A
Green 468 IU
Red 4218 IU

Low in fat…high in Vitamins A and C and antioxidants. I will be enjoying many benefits from my new discovery!