You've Got To Taste This

 Move over Lara, Luna, and Clif, there’s a new health and wellness snack in town and it isn’t in the shape of a rectangle.

Mariel’s Kitchen has created Blisscuits, an all-natural, gluten-free snack crossing the lines between a biscuit and a cookie. This newfangled health snack is designed to give balanced health and energy while satisfying hunger and cravings for sweets. Like many nutrition bars on the market, they have a hint of that common chalky, dense consistency, but are much more moist and fluffy than most bars. They best compare to the texture of a tea cake.

 Beyond “all-natural” and “gluten-free,” Blisscuits contain cage-free egg whites, omega-3 fatty acids and more than 40 percent organic ingredients with no refined sugar or hydrogenated oils. The generously proportioned cookies have around 120 calories per cookie, 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber.  Although they have a subtle tinge of additives, they are made with almond meal, coconut milk and blue agave nectar which act as natural sweeteners instead of artificial flavoring. My favorite flavor is Classic Cinnamon, but they also come in Orange, Chocolate, and Lemon.

 I’ll be honest, they are not going to fill the shoes of homemade cookies or breakfast biscuits, but they are a great alternative to the traditional protein or wellness bar or to curb that mid-day craving for something sugary. I recommend giving them a try!

For more healthy snack ideas click here:

Low-Sugar Snacks

100-Calories Snacks

10 Chocolate Treats Under 100 Calories

First the Super Bowl and now gatherings in front of the TV to watch the Olympics, so there's always a need for some quick and easy appetizers.  Anything for a party, right?   My go-to appetizer lately is bruschetta, which is easy enough anyway, but now it's even easier with a jar of bruschetta topping from Vino de Milo. 

I discovered these products last year at the Fancy Foods Show in New York and have become a big fan.  The Vino de Milo bruschetta toppings are all-natural, wine-based toppings with no-added  sugars.  The wine flavors are very subtle and add a real richness to the tomatoes, olives and other ingredients in each topping. They have three different variations:  Artichoke Garlic with Pinot Grigio, Black Olive & Currant with Malbec, and Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato with Chianti.  Last night we had the one with pinot grigio, but they're all quite tasty. 

So, all I did was drizzle a very small amount of olive oil on some baguette slices and toast. I warmed the bruschetta topping in the microwave for just a minute, then spooned the topping onto the toasted bread.  So quick, so easy, and, I think, sort of impressive for an impromtu appetizer.    I highly recommend keeping some jars of the topping on hand at all times.  You never know when you'll need to throw a party.

Let me know about your favorite last-minute appetizers and check our our collection of appetizer recipes for more ideas.

Ever since a friend taught me how to do it easily, I've been making my own yogurt at home. The procedure is simple.

Ingredients

1/2 gallon milk (2% or whole is best)

2 tablespoons plain yogurt with live cultures

Supplies

2 quart-sized canning jars (or 4 pints)

heavy pot big enough for 1/2 gallon of milk

candy thermometer

Procedure

1. Heat milk over medium heat until it reaches 170 degrees F.   For the first 5 minutes or so, you can basically ignore it.  But as it begins to heat up, keep an eye on the temperature and stir it frequently.  (This is the most complicated part of the whole recipe, but don't worry, it only takes 15 minutes or so!)  You don't want the milk so hot it boils-- all you want is for it to start to simmer around the edges and be heated through.

2. Once temperature has reached 170 degrees, remove from heat and let cool to 110-120 degrees F.  This part takes 20-40 minutes or so, depending on the temperature in the room.

3.  When milk has cooled to the right temperature, it is time to add the yogurt.  Whisk in 2 tablespoons of plain or vanilla flavored yogurt until well combined.  You can use any store-bought yogurt, as long as the container says, 'contains live cultures'.

4. Turn on oven and preheat to 200 degrees for 5 minutes or so. Pour the milk into the quart jars and tighten on rings and lids. (It is perfectly fine to use other glass jars, as long as they are clean and have metal lids.)

5.  Turn off oven and place jars in warm oven to sit for 6-10 hours, or until milk is set and looks like yogurt.  (I like to do this at bedtime and let it sit in the oven overnight.) Once yogurt has set, place it in the  refrigerator to cool and thicken a bit more.

6.  It is perfectly fine to sweeten as desired and eat the yogurt at this stage.  However, if you like your yogurt very thick and creamy, you may want to take one additional step.

7.  I discovered that this bag lets me really step my yogurt up a notch.  The bag is a plain muslin bag with a draw string.  Scoop the yogurt into the bag, close the bag with the drawstring, and hang it up over a bowl.  (I hooked my bag over the handle of my microwave.)  Let the bag hang up for half an hour or so, allowing the watery whey will drip out into the bowl.  What remains is ultra-rich, ultra-thick Greek-style yogurt. 

I made a batch today using 1% milk, and was amazed at how rich and creamy the yogurt tasted. And since I made it myself, I know my family's not getting preservatives or artificial thickening agents, just pure delicious yogurt. Sweeten your yogurt with honey and fresh fruit.  Or-- easiest yet-- just add a spoonful of jam to each serving.  Yum!!

I'm in Sonoma, California, this week and olive oil is everywhere. Olive trees fill the hillsides and front yards, and the deep yellow oil appears on restaurant tables as a dipping sauce, in main courses, and even ice cream. One of my favorite spots is The Olive Press, an olive oil company with two tasting rooms in wine country (one in Sonoma, one in Napa). Founders Ed Stolman and Deborah Rodgers were the first to open an olive mill in Sonoma County in 1995, and they produce a wide variety of olive oils using 12 to 15 different types of olives: three types of pure extra-virgin oil (delicate, medium, and robust) as well as citrus oils like Meyer Lemon, Blood Orange, Clementine, and Lime that have the essence of citrus (and are amazing drizzled over fish or over steamed vegetables). If you're visiting wine country, don't miss a visit to one of their tasting rooms - the Sonoma tasting room offers a view of the olive pressing facility - but in the meantime try this moist, delicate Citrus Olive Oil Cake (I like to serve it with a dollop of fresh whipped cream). See the recipe.

As a traveler, an avid reader, and a self-proclaimed foodie, I'd like to consider myself pretty open-minded, and I have always prided myself on my "I'll try anything once!" attitude - especially when it came to anything culinary.  That approach had to shift a bit when I decided to cut meat from my diet; now I have more of an "I'll try anything that doesn't walk" approach to food.  But, believe it or not, being meat-free hasn't hindered my culinary adventures and sometimes it even leads me further off what some may consider the "conventional" food path and I end up discovering something truly delicious.

Just this weekend I was flipping through some extremely tasty vegetarian recipes and was inspired to explore the world of non-dairy milk.  What I discovered was something completely unique and foreign to me - and did I mention delicious?! - almond milk.

With a creamy consistency, smooth unobtrusive flavor, and mildly nutty aftertaste, almond milk was a wonderfully delicious surprise that went perfectly over my morning cereal.  There was none of the chalkiness or bean-y aftertaste prone to soy and rice milks, and it even has fewer calories and less sugar per serving than regular milk!

After a little bit of research I found that almond milk can be used in many recipes as a vegan milk substitute and, although I'm not yet ready to replace the milk in my morning tea, with its delicious flavor and impressive nutritional benefits almond milk may have found itself a new home - my morning cereal bowl!

 Must say no.

 
 And choose this instead.

 

I'm going vegetarian for Lent this year. Typically, I only don't eat meat on Fridays, but this year I thought I'd try to give up meat for the entire forty days. Think I can do it? I think I can and I'm letting all of you know -- now I'm accountable to someone. I'm betting that I'm going to miss my chicken salad lunches the most and maybe a cheeseburger on Saturday.

That said, I'm trying to be be healthy about this -- not subbing chips, guacamole, and excessive amounts of cheese in the spot of meat. Being healthy means, I've got to actually plan this out. Since the three times I've cooked fish in my apartment I couldn't get the smell out for weeks, I'm ruling fish out of my home-cooked meal planning. I'd love some non-fish, non-meat recipes and advice if you've got some. In the meantime, I've found some of my own on, MyRecipes. 

 I'm thinking about this recipe from Sunset for Curried Red Kidney Beans and Cauliflower. I'm also thinking about pretty much anything from any of these galleries, because they all promise to be easy. Which is key for me. So, any recommendations for being meat-free? Giving up anything that you may need help with? Let me know, I'm curious.

When dealing  with leftovers, I find myself trapped between two desires.  I never want to waste food on which I've spent our hard-earned cash. But I want our food to be varied and interesting.

Awhile back we had spaghetti in the fridge that needed to be eaten. I didn’t want it to go to waste, but I wasn't thrilled about serving it again.  This frittata was the perfect solution.  It turned my leftover spaghetti into something that seemed new.

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 40 minutes

4 tablespoons butter
1 medium white or yellow onion, sliced into long slivers
2-3 cups of leftover spaghetti with meat sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon fresh basil
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup grated mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice onion and peel garlic. Put butter and slivered onions into a large skillet on medium high heat. A cast iron skillet is best, because then you’ll be able to bake it right in the skillet. Cook, stirring every 2 or 3 minutes, until onions are soft and are getting some nice browned bits. If onions start to blacken before they are soft, turn the heat down a little.

While the onions are cooking, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, minced garlic, salt and fresh basil (or substitute 2 teaspoons dried basil.) Zap leftover spaghetti in the microwave until hot. This step is not essential but it will cut 5 or 10 minutes off the baking time. You can use any leftover spaghetti.   Mine had ground beef and traditional tomato sauce.

When the onions have some nice browned bits, remove skillet from heat.  At this point, you can transfer the onions to an oven safe 8 inch casserole dish (round if you want pie-shaped servings). Or if you are using a cast iron skillet, just leave the onions right there in the skillet.

Spread the onions out evenly.  Add the warmed spaghetti right on top of the onion mixture, again spreading it out evenly. Pour egg mixture evenly over all. Sprinkle cheese on top. Last of all, add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until egg in the center is set and cheese is nicely browned.

Garnish with additional fresh basil, if desired.

  Yesterday in the digital studio, we had the pleasure of filming Chadwick Boyd, of Lovely & Delicious making a corn pudding in a cast-iron skillet.  It's a recipe he learned from his southern grandmother, and the well-loved and much-used skillet is one that he was given by his grandfather.  The pudding was lovely as well as delicious, and something you could serve alongside a pan-roasted chicken in place of mashed potatoes.   I think mashed potatoes will have a hard time competing against this cheesy, rustic, fresh corn pudding. 

I'm now inspired to get out my skillet and use it more regularly.  Typically I use it for making cornbread (photo at left), although I know that it's much more versatile and can be used on the stovetop and in the oven for everything from eggs and sausage to roasted chicken and desserts.  I married into my cast-iron skillet as my husband had one that his mother had given him.  It's well loved and well-seasoned.  If you have one, get it out and give it some love. Watch our video on seasoning a cast-iron skillet if yours needs a little TLC, and let me know about your favorite cast-iron skillet recipes. 

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, I can’t help but think pink. Whether you’re toasting your sweetie or your singlehood, a bottle of Champagne is always appropriate. And pink Champagne – aka Rosé Champagne or sparkling wine – is even better.