It's All About...Me! "A Few of My Favorite Things" Pasta and a Link to "An Interview With"...Me!

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things..." Of course none of these items ended up in my "A Few of My Favorite Things Pasta" but many of my very favorite ingredients did. (sausage, garlic, red chili flakes, artichoke hearts, spinach, capers, lemon and a crunchy topping of toasted breadcrumbs and pine nuts). I happened across some whole wheat rigatoni the other day and I wanted to create a hearty yet healthy pasta dish that would work with it. This dish is easy, tastes great and uses mostly pantry items. Lots of ingredients, but it all works--a little tangy, a little spicy, some good texture and crunch, and a whole lotta yum.

"A Few of My Favorite Things" Pasta

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Serves 4)

1 package whole wheat pasta (I used Bella Terra Organic Whole Wheat Rigatoni)

olive oil

1 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)

1/3 cup pine nuts

4 cloves of garlic minced

1 package (I used Aidells Artichoke & Garlic Chicken/Turkey Sausage), sliced in 1/4" pieces

1 Tbsp anchovy paste

2 tsp dried red chili pepper flakes

2 Tbsp basil or parsley, chopped very fine

2 Tbsp capers

1 can quartered artichoke hearts

2 cups baby spinach

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot boil water and cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. As pasta cooks, heat a large pan over medium heat, add pine nuts and cook about 5 minutes until they begin to turn light brown, stirring or tossing frequently so they don't burn. Add about 1 Tbsp olive oil and stir in panko. Cook until panko browns and turns crispy then remove from pan and set aside on a plate. Wipe pan, heat over medium, add another tablespoon of oil and saute garlic about 1-2 minutes. Add sausage and cook until sausages are lightly browned. Add anchovy paste, chili pepper flakes, basil or parsley, capers and artichoke hearts and cook about 5 minutes so flavors start to blend. Add spinach and cover pan, cooking another 5 minutes until spinach is wilted. Add lemon juice and about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking liquid. Add cooked, drained pasta to the pan and mix gently but thoroughly, adding more of the pasta cooking liquid if necessary. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Place in individual serving bowls or plates, top each serving with about 1/4 cup of the toasted breadcrumbs /pine nut mixture and serve.

Notes/Results: What can I say?! I made it with my favorite ingredients, to suit my tastes and thought it was great. The ingredients work really well together and with all the flavor and the crispy-crunchy breadcrumbs and tasty pine nuts on top, it seems decadent even though it is pretty healthy. It's a nice change from a tomato or cream sauce. You could add some fresh grated Parmesan too, I am just trying to avoid dairy for awhile so I left it off, but again with the bread crumbs, (one of my favorite pasta toppings), I didn't miss it at all. Speaking of the bread crumbs, keep them separate until you serve the pasta so they remain nice and crisp and if you have leftovers, store the topping separately. I will make this again.

I am sending this dish to Presto Pasta Nights, being hosted this week by my good friend Reeni of Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. She'll be posting the round-up of all the different pasta dishes on her blog Friday so go check it out--you'll find some amazing recipes.

And since my pasta was all about me it seems like the perfect time to let you know that if you want to find out even more about me, the wonderful Debs from Deb Cooks was kind enough to feature me this month in her "An interview with" feature. I got to know Debs through her participation in Souper Sundays (what is it about Deb, Debs, Debby and Debbies and soup? We get them all at Souper Sundays!). She is, as her blog header states,"An English Girl, Living in Spain, Addicted to Cooking." Debs always has great and unique recipes on her blog so it's a fun place to visit even if you don''t want to know any more about me! ;-) But just in case you do, you can find my answers to her thought-provoking questions here.

Aloha,

Nigella's Salmon with Greens and Shiitake Mushrooms

It's "Potluck" time again over at I Heart Cooking Clubs, the chance to make anything we want. For me as we head into the busy and indulgent days before Christmas I was craving something easy and healthy to eat so Nigella's recipe for Salmon with Greens and Shiitake Mushrooms fits the bill nicely. I have had this one tagged to make for ages and based on how fast it is to prepare and how tasty it is, I wish I had made it long before now. It's from "Nigella Bites," in the "Templefood" section which Nigella describes as, "It's my term for the soothing, pure, would-be restorative food I make for myself after one binge or late night too many. "Temple" as in "my body is a..." Well mine's not but this is what I eat when I want to feel it is. And don't think--as if--I'm counseling deprivation or restraint, but rather the holy glow of self-indulgently virtuous pleasure...."

Nigella says, "My templefood days do not consist of fey picking: this is gratifyingly substantial. In order to enjoy it you don't have to know that salmon is rich in omega-3 oils, which are beneficial, indeed essential, to good health, and that shiitake mushrooms are believed, by the Japanese at least, to contain cancer-fighting properties, but it all helps in the aim of wallowing in virtuous well-being. But the most important thing I can tell you is that this is good."

Salmon with Greens and Shiitake Mushrooms
"Nigella Bites" by Nigella Lawson
(Serves 2)

2 skinned salmon fillets, preferably organic
1 clove garlic, finely minced or chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
generous 1/2 cup (125g) shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
14 ounces, (about 1 & 3/4 cups or 400g) bok choy or choi sum, roughly chopped with stalks separated from leaves
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
pepper to taste

Grill or fry the salmon fillets – preferably in a good non-stick pan or on the smooth side of a griddle – until just cooked through and remove them to warmed plates while you get on with or finish the vegetables (you can start them off as the salmon cooks).

In a heavy-based pan, fry the garlic in the oil until it is warm but not catching. Add the sliced mushrooms together with the choi sum stalks, stirring everything together for a bare minute or so. Cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, remove the lid and add the roughly chopped choi sum leaves, soy sauce and sesame oil, then let it cook for another 2–3 minutes until the leaves have wilted.

Pile the mushrooms and greens on the plates with the salmon and, pleasurably, eat. I sometimes make a little sauce to go with, by mixing Colman’s mustard powder into a smooth paste with a little cold water, adding a few drops of soy sauce and (a Microplane grater makes easy work of this) a scant, pulpy purée of fresh ginger.

Notes/Results: On the table in under 30 minutes, healthy and tastes great--not much more I could ask from this dish. A few changes/additions; my wild salmon had the skin on but it was less bother to cook it that way than to cut the skin off. Nigella seems to call for two pans here-one for the fish and one for the garlic and vegetables but I think it is silly to dirty two pans so I just used my large wok, cooking the fish on the flat bottom and then set the salmon aside and then threw the garlic, bok choy and shitakes in the same pan--easy peasy. I like lots of flavor, so I doubled the garlic and added about a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger and some red chili pepper flakes to the mixture as it cooked. I garnished the the dish with some roasted sesame seeds for some texture. This is a great dish and I did find myself "wallowing in virtuous well-being" while enjoying my dinner as Nigella would say. ;-)

You can check out what my fellow IHCC members chose as their potluck dishes by heading to the IHCC site and checking out the links for December's Potluck here.

BTW: I just noticed that this is my post #500! Yowza!

Things I Am Loving This Week

Up until yesterday afternoon I was thinking that I might have to skip a "Things I Am Loving This Week" post because I could think of only one thing I was loving and it was a little odd on its own. You see I can't force the love--it has to happen naturally! Fortunately, a batch of cookies and a visit from the mail-woman gave me two more things that I am enjoying and want to share this week so without further adieu, here they are!

I found these Border Sugar Cookies originally by the Two Hot Tamales, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger by accident, but I am so glad I did. A FoodBuzz friend, Molly from I'm a Sleeper Baker left me a comment on my profile and I went to check out her blog and saw them there. Reading they were a shortbread style cookie with a secret ingredient of potato chips and drizzled with chocolate worked for me. As you probably know from reading this blog I love chocolate and I love chocolate combined with something salty. Obviously I don't need more cookies but I wanted to try them and lucky for me I have a lunch with my old office that includes a cookie & cupcake exchange today so in addition to some mini-carrot cupcakes I was testing for a cookbook review, I decided to make a batch of these. I think I may have found a new favorite cookie--LOVE them! Yes I ate 3---yikes! Lucky they leave the house tomorrow or I could easily lose all self-control and happily munch away on them. Easy to make and so good--butter, salt, chocolate, potato chips, need I say more? My chocolate was thick and not very "drizzly" so I just piped it on free-form. I also made them a touch smaller than the recipe stated and ended up with 32 cookies. This is a keeper recipe!

In addition to Molly's blog, you can find the recipe at the food Network here.

Border Sugar Cookies
M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger
(Makes 24 cookies)

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup crushed potato chips
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Sugar for dipping
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Then add the pecans and potato chips and mix well. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour just until it disappears.

Roll the batter into balls about the size of a large walnut and place on the parchment-lined cookie sheet, allowing plenty of room for spreading. Coat the bottom of a heavy glass with butter and then dip in sugar. Press and twist to flatten each ball into a 3-inch circle. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges turn lightly golden brown. Transfer to racks to cool.

For optional garnish, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Let cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, dip your fingertips, or the tines of a fork, in the chocolate and drizzle over the cookies. Refrigerate to set.

The next thing I am loving this week is neither sweet nor salty and may seem a bit odd--it is plain white vinegar! Why am I loving it? Some background: I live in a house with jalousie windows, (you can see and read about them here on Wikipedia if you are not familiar). But basically the bulk of my windows have glass louvers that open and close together. Works fine in Hawaii, lets in the breezes well, but since they don't close completely weather-tight, the occasional tiny "critter" can squeeze in. Primarily it is a gecko, (sport for Max), an occasional cockroach (quite traumatic for me), and sometimes it is ants. That means always being careful to clean things up, store things well and never leave food lying around but it still happens now and then. Saturday, I happened to look up at my living room wall and saw a couple of black smudges, upon a closer look, I found that the tops of my walls around the entire living and dining area had become the ant "superhighway". No clue why, it's never happened like that before and basically they were coming in one set of jalousies by one sliding glass door and working their way in a line all around the room and back out the other set of jalousies by the other sliding door. There was of course a fair amount of cursing that went on and I realized I didn't have enough of my supposedly "green" bug spray to handle a job of this magnitude, so I looked online and decided to try a home remedy of putting plain white vinegar in a spray bottle and spraying the ants and the trail with it and wiping the walls down.

BTW--it turned out to be a good exercise routine--up the step ladder, spray, wipe, down the step ladder, move the step ladder, up the step ladder spray, wipe...OK you get the picture. But it WORKED! It took a couple of repeat applications at the entry and exit points for a couple days and some follow up, but the superhighway is gone. It smelled a bit like the old days of decorating Easter eggs (but actually better than the spray I was using), and I didn't have to worry about any chemicals that would be bad for Max and me (or the paint), plus it is cheap. So this week I LOVE plain white vinegar and plan to keep my spray bottle handy. And that my friends is probably much more than you wanted to know about ants in Hawaii--remember, paradise isn't always glamorous! BTW--In case you can't tell those are supposed dead ants around my spray bottle-made it myself. Feel free to pat my head like you would a small child and tell me how cute it is. ;-)

Last but certainly not least--in fact saving the very best for last, my post-woman / mail-woman / mail-person (is there a technical term?), dropped off a box from Brussels, Belgium which made my day. I signed up for another round of Blogging By Mail an event hosted once or twice a year by my good friend Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness. (you can see my other posts about previous BBMs here and here). For this event you are assigned another blogger to pack up and mail a small box of goodies to--a care package of sorts, usually around a theme and then your name is given to a different blogger who packs up a care package for you. This round the theme was "favorite indulgences" the 5 things you might turn to when you want to relax or de-stress during the busy holiday season. I sent my box off a couple weeks ago to a destination somewhere in Europe (has to remain a secret until they get their box), and today had the fun of opening the wonderful box sent to me by Eva from Books That Travel. Eva describes herself on her blog as "a slightly confused Swede in her forties who lives abroad, passionate about life, books, food, flowers and travel!!" Judging from her description and what was in the box, it seems like we have a lot in common! Eva sent a card, explaining the 5 items she chose and she also threw in some extras too--since I did the same in my box--5 items is so hard, I could appreciate her "rule breaking."

I was a bit worried when I first saw the box as the end of it was quite smashed--the second box like that I have received from the post office lately--I think the holiday stress is getting to them! I was hoping there was nothing breakable in there and was relieved to find that although there was a small beautiful blue bottle of prosecco in the box, it was skillfully wrapped safely in big "bubbles" of air and was perfectly fine.


In addition to the bubbly, there was a box of a Sweet Chili Mexican Spice Tea that Eva says is a favorite of hers, a "Total Energy" essential oil for the bath or an oil lamp (lemon, ginger and bergamot are all favorites scents of mine and this smells incredible), some "Green Tara" incense sticks I am looking forward to burning, and chocolate! (More on that in a minute!). The bonuses are a a book which I have not read and is the perfect size for my plane trip to Portland for Christmas, a cute little snowman candle and a little box of Eva's favorite throat lozenges that are flavored with smoked liquorice. What a fun collection of goodies--I am going to enjoy all of it. I thought Max was going to try and enjoy some of it too, since he jumped up on the table where I was taking the pictures but he just sniffed it and planted himself right in my way. Apparently not enough attention was being paid to him. ;-)

Can you guess what I had to examine and try first?! Yep, Belgium Chocolate! I just tried one of the cute little squares so far (remember the three cookies earlier!), but it was dark, creamy and really delicious--it just melted in my mouth. My plan is to run a bath with the essential oil, light some incense and have a little glass of the prosecco, eat a couple of pieces of the chocolate and enjoy and de-stress. Ahh...

Thank you Eva, your box was truly wonderful and appreciated, and of course mahalo to Stephanie who puts so much work in on the match-ups, prodding people to send their boxes, following up, etc. Not sure when the next BBM will be but keep an eye out. It is a fun event. I usually love picking out the items and sending my box even more than receiving one but with all these goodies and that glorious chocolate, I think receiving wins! ;-)

Wow! That was a longer than usual "Things I Am Loving This Week" post--a whole lot of love going on after all.

Hope your week is going well.

Greek Avgolemono Soup: Lemony Goodness for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I used to make Greek Avgolemono Soup frequently in my pre-blogging days, loving the lemony broth, thickened by egg and the orzo or rice (depending on which I had in the pantry). It is a soup that is good for almost any season because although it is hearty and comforting, the lemon juice gives it a certain light, fresh taste. When I saw a version of it in Vegetarian Times, I decided I had to make it. I will confess to cheating a bit with the vegetarian aspect of the recipe as it calls for "no-chicken" broth and I used a container of my homemade organic chicken stock mixed with a carton of low-sodium veggie stock to make use of what I had.

Vegetarian Times says, "Avgolemono (avgo: egg; lemono: lemon) soup is what a Greek mother or grandmother makes for a sick family member. When reheating this soup, warm it over low heat without bringing it to a boil, to prevent the eggs from curdling."

Greek Avgolemono Soup

Vegetarian Times, January 2008 & Healing Foods Cookbook

(Serves 8)

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 medium leeks, white parts finely chopped (4 cups)
1 small onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 small carrots, peeled and diced (3/4 cup)
6 cups no-chicken broth
1/2 cup orzo pasta
2 large eggs
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Directions

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks, onion, carrots, and pinch of salt; cover and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until vegetables are softened, stirring often. Stir in broth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes. Add orzo, and cook 11 minutes more, or until orzo is tender. Remove from heat.

Whisk together eggs and lemon juice in bowl. Add 3 ladles soup broth to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk egg mixture back into soup, and cook over low heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until soup is thickened, but without letting it come to a boil. Serve sprinkled with parsley, mint, and oregano, and garnished with lemon wedges.

Nutritional Information per serving (about a cup): Calories: 144, Protein: 5g, Total fat: 5g, Saturated fat: 1g, Carbs: 21g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 528mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugars: 5g

Notes/Results: Thick, hearty and delicious! I can't figure out why I haven't made it before for Souper Sundays. In addition to my half chicken / half veggie stock change (mentioned above), I changed the plain orzo to my favorite whole wheat orzo for the extra fiber, added a couple of cloves of minced garlic and used the juice of two lemons. If you want some protein and don't need it to be vegetarian, small pieces of diced chicken are nice in it too. One note on mixing the eggs into the broth--you want to be very careful so they don't end up in little egg chunks or pieces. I find it best to wait 15-20 minutes after removing the soup from the heat before introducing the broth into the lemon-egg mixture and usually end up whisking 4-5 cups of the warm broth into it before I whisk it back into the soup. Works like a charm and no "eggy" lumps or chunks as long as you heat it back up slowly. I won't wait so long this time to make Avgolemono again.

Let's check in at the Souper Sundays kitchen and see what wonderful soups, salads and sandwiches showed up.

Danielle of Cooking for My Peace of Mind is here with one of her favorite comfort foods, Simply Beef Stew. Danielle says, "This is a basic recipe. One that I found some 20+ years ago in my Betty Crocker Cookbook (I really use this cookbook a whooooole heck of a lot). I don't do anything fancy schmancy with it. Just beef and veggies. I start off with same the basic ingredients. Sometimes the veggies vary, but not by much. One thing that I do is add more beef than the recipe calls for. I like it thick and I like it beefy."

Another bowl of beefy goodness is this Wintery Vegetable Beef Soup that Heather at girlichef, made to combat the snow, ice and freezing temps in her area. girlichef says, "But, imagine if you will a day where you're tucked inside the house and only know it's snot-freezing outdoors by the icicles you can see hanging from the barren trees through your window. Nobody has to leave...music is playing...blankets are strewn from every available chair, table and shelf to form a massive fort...and of course, the kitchen is beckoning! This is when I don't mind it so much. A big pot of soup...bubbling on the stove...that's the stuff baby. That's the stuff."

So nice to have Ulrike from Küchenlatein back again this week with her 30th soup for Souper Sundays. She's here with a creamy Spiced Parsnip Soup from Good Food magazine to share. It's full of parsnips, spices and heavy cream and beautifully garnished with olive oil, toasted cumin seeds and slices of red chili. Ulrike says, "We liked the parsnip's sweetness in combination with ginger and chili."

Vanillastrawberryspringfields joins us this week for her first time with a very colorful and creative combination of salads, her Shrimpy Cocktails Go Russian, chock full of a variety of tasty ingredients. She says, "This is delicious, a cocktail & russian salad in one-we all loved 'em. (psst psst got a few streaks of waldrof too in here-yup the apple, pineapple, et all)." Thanks coming to Souper Sundays Vanillastrawberryspringfields!

Looking for a hearty sandwich? Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies has one for you, these Chipotle Mango Pulled Pork Sammies. She says, "The other day I had a craving. I really wanted a pulled pork sammie. With chipotle peppers. I had a little boneless pork shoulder roast and didn't want to have to go out and pick up any extra ingredients. I tweeted my desires and was instantly provided the perfect recipe for my cravings. Piccante Dolce sent me a link to her signature crock pot dish and I couldn't be happier. It was easy and totally delicious. My kind of meal! Hubby was so very happy with this dish, I am sure I could make it every week for him for the rest of his life."

Some great soups, a creative salad and a yummy sandwich--we have it all this week. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich you would like to share, click on the logo on the side bar for all of the details.

Have a great week!

Green Tea with Pomegranate Juice--A Healing "Simple Saturday Sipper"

I recently purchased a copy of the "Vegetarian Times Presents: Healing Foods Cookbook" a special issue of the magazine with "150 Ways to Enjoy 25 Foods You Need." All the big superfood players are in this one; from acai to cinnamon, flaxseed to kale and of course green tea in the form of this super-antioxidant blend with pomegranate juice, orange juice and honey making it a perfect healing "Simple Saturday Sipper."

The magazine says "The world's second-most consumed beverage after water, green tea has vast health-giving potential thanks to a substance in it called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Studies show that EGCG lessens the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and certain cancers. It reduces the digestive tract's absorption of cholesterol, lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and interferes with cancer cell growth rates, decreasing the risk of adult leukemia and the spread of breast cancer cells. EGCG also impedes bone-eroding molecules that cause the joint inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis."

About the drink: "This health-giving beverage is packed with antioxidants from both green tea and pomegranate juice"

Green Tea with Pomegranate Juice

"Vegetarian Times Presents The Healing Foods Cookbook"

(Serves 6 /Gluten-Free)

7 green tea bags

3 cups pomegranate juice

1/2 cup orange juice

2 Tbsp honey

1 medium orange, thinly sliced, optional

Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Remove from heat, add the tea bags, cover, and steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, and stir in pomegranate juice, orange juice and honey. Transfer to teapot and serve immediately, pouring into cups with floating orange slices if using.

Per serving 102 calories, 1g protein, 0g total fat, (0g sat fat), 25g carbs, 0mg cholesterol, 15mg sodium, 0g fiber, 24g sugars.

Delicious, warm and comforting with a sweet-tangy fruity taste--you taste the fruit more than the tea so even if you are not a fan of the taste of green tea, you would probably still like this blend. I did make a couple of changes after forgetting to buy oranges, I subbed some apple cider in and used lemon slices to garnish. The magazine notes that although steeping green tea longer and at a hotter temperature adds a little bitterness, it ups the level of antioxidants. I also recommend that you make sure to squeeze your tea bag into the tea before you discard it to get every bit of the antioxidants and flavor. This drink tastes equally good warm or iced. I will make it again.

Happy Saturday!

Cookbook Review: "The Diabetes DTOUR Diet Cookbook"--Not Just for Dieting, Just Good Food That is Good for You

After my review of "The Diabetes Seafood Cookbook" last month, the terrific Lauren at Jane Wesman Public Relations thought I might like to try out another cookbook and sent me a free copy of "The Diabetes DTOUR Diet Cookbook" by Barbara Quinn, MS, RDE, CDE and the Editors of Prevention. This book is a follow-up to "The Diabetes DETOUR Diet", an eating plan created by Prevention magazine in order to help people eat right, balance their blood sugar and avoid diabetes. Currently 54 million people (that's almost 20% of all Americans!) have pre-diabetes (where their blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes), and don't know they have it. As well, the rate of diabetes in the U.S. has nearly doubled over the past 10 years and if this trend continues, it means that 1 in 3 Americans will develop diabetes sometime in their lifetime. As I have mentioned before, I lost both my Dad and older brother to complications from diabetes and because of that I work hard at making the right food choices so I was happy to take a look at the book and "road test" some of the recipes.

"The Diabetes DTOUR Diet" is based on the premise that avoiding diabetes is not about depriving yourself, it is about using delicious and satisfying food to lose weight and keep blood sugar balanced. The cookbook has 200 recipes that include one or more of the diet's "Fat-Fighting 4"--calcium, fiber, vitamin D and Omega 3s, which they consider "supernutrients" that help melt away weight, improve insulin sensitivity and can detour the path to diabetes. The first 3 chapters explain the diet, meal planning and staying on track and the "DTOUR Dozen" the 12 superfoods featured heavily in the book: beans, dairy foods, salmon, tuna, barley, oats, berries, dates, greens, lentils, flaxseed and walnuts. The recipes are divided by Appetizers, Breakfasts, Soups and Sandwiches, Salads & Sides, Meats & Poultry, Seafood, Vegetarian, Sweets and Treats and Sippables. There are color photos sprinkled throughout the book and many of the recipes are tagged with "Make it Fast"--meals that can go from refrigerator to table in 30 minutes or less and "Make it Again"--showing how to use leftovers from one dish into another. There are lots of healthy takes on classics such as Spaghetti Carbonara, Baked French Toast, Chipotle Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Old Fashioned Creamed Spinach and Chocolate-Pecan Cheesecake which means that even during the holiday season there are great-sounding recipes that don't make you feel as though you are depriving yourself of anything. There was no shortage of great sounding recipes to try so I ended up making six different recipes and the publishers are allowing me to share the recipes for a couple of my favorites.

I know for many, asparagus is out of season, but the lack of seasonality in Hawaii means we can get fresh, local asparagus pretty much year round so I decided to try the Roasted Asparagus Spears with Mustard Sauce. The asparagus is roasted with a little canola oil and then served with a sauce of fat-free ricotta, whole grain mustard, horseradish, grated Parmesan and non-fay dried milk. I like the sauce which is thick and has good flavor from the mustard and horseradish. Great with the asparagus and I think the sauce would also be delicious on a baked potato or other veggies.

Of course I had to try the Banana-Peanut Bread because it sounded delicious and had no added processed sugar--instead getting its sweetness from the bananas and honey. (So remember the more ripe your bananas, the sweeter your bread will be). The recipe calls for golden raisins but I swapped them out for unsweetened dried cherries--thinking it would be more like a PB & J. I made 6 mini loaves--easier to freeze and pull out one at a time. The bread has great flavor, is nice and dense and it is perfect for breakfast or a snack either plain or with a bit of jam on top.

Banana-Peanut Bread

"The Diabetes DTOUR Diet Cookbook"

(Makes 12 Servings)

Prep Time: 15 minutes / Total Time 1 Hour + Cooling Time

3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup omega-3 enriched peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

2 omega-3 enriched eggs

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 "x 5" loaf pan with cooking spray.

Combine the bananas, peanut butter, honey, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and raisins in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the banana mixture. Stir just until moistened. Place in the prepared pan.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely.

Per Serving: 220 calories, 5g protein, 34g carbohydrates, 7g fat, (1g sat. fat), 30mg cholesterol, 354mg sodium. Fat-Fighting 4: 4g fiber, 50mg calcium, 3 IU vitamin D, 250mg omega-3s

My leftover Thanksgiving turkey went into these simple Enchiladas Suiza which were really good and hit the spot for dinner and lunches for a few days. Red bell pepper, zucchini, scallions, and garlic are sauteed and shredded chicken or turkey breast is added along with low-fat cheese. The mixture is wrapped up into corn tortillas, a jar of salsa verde is poured over and more cheese sprinkled on the top before baking. The enchiladas are served with a scoop of fat-free Greek yogurt. Easy and each serving of two enchiladas is only about 350 calories and quite filling. Yum! (That's them on the plate at the top of this post)

The Seared Snapper on Herbed, Mashed Edamame caught my eye right away although my trip to Whole Foods yielded no fresh local snapper so I subbed with local opah (moonfish) fillets. The fish is seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked in a pan with a bit of cooking spray. The edamame are cooked with shallots and dried tarragon and then mashed (I used my immersion blender) with some fresh lemon juice. The tarragon was a great pairing with the edamame and it tasted great with the fish. It is simple to make but makes an elegant presentation so nice for a week night dinner or for company. A serving of this one is under 300 calories.

I really wanted to like the Kiwi Creme drink, made with ripe kiwi fruit, fat-free evaporated milk, ice, vanilla and powdered sugar but it was only OK for me--not bad but just didn't seem to have a lot of flavor to it. Maybe it was the kiwi I used? The texture was nice and creamy and it improved slightly with a touch of agave syrup but probably not something I will make again. There is a Cherry-Almond Smoothie in the book that I am going to try though.

Finally I thought the Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta would be fun to try since I love a good panna cotta. I liked how the chocolate syrup is made with cocoa powder and honey and again no added processed sugar, (except of course any sugar in the yogurt you use. I used a plain Greek low-fat yogurt and added vanilla to cut down on the sugar and it seemed to work just fine). The panna cotta is easy to make, has a nice mouthfeel and good, mild flavor. It paired well with some frozen berries and a 6-oz serving of just the panna cotta has only 133 calories so you can feel free to indulge.

Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta

"The Diabetes DTOUR Cookbook"

(Makes 4 Servings)

Prep Time 5 Minutes / Total Time 7 Minutes + Chilling Time

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt

Place the milk in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk and let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. In a small cup, mix the cocoa powder and honey. Set aside.

Cook the milk mixture over medium heat, stirring for 2 minutes, or until the gelatin dissolves but the milk does not boil. Stir in the reserved chocolate mixture and remove from the heat. Place in a bowl and gradually stir in the yogurt. Pour into 4 (6 ounce) ramekins. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until set.

When ready to serve, dip the ramekins into hot water for 1 minute, then invert onto a dessert plate. Shake to loosen and lift off the ramekins.

Per Serving: 133 calories, 7g protein, 25g carbohydrates, 2g at (1g sat fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 80mg sodium. Fat-Fighting 4: 1g fiber, 195mg calcium, 12.5 IU vitamin D, 10mg omega-3s.

I enjoyed trying out this cookbook. Although not every recipe was a favorite, I liked most everything I made and I found the cookbook easy to use with clear directions and simple recipes. I still have a couple more appetizer recipes tagged to make to have some healthier alternatives to bring holiday parties this year. If you are looking to make smarter eating choices, find some lower fat recipes that taste great or like me are concerned about controlling diabetes this is a good book to try whether you want to follow the DTOUR diet plan or just have a collection of recipes to cook from.

Nigella's Cranberry and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Pistachios

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs our theme is "Cookie Exchange" perfect for December when cookie recipes blanket food blogs like freshly fallen snow. I have had my cookie recipe picked out for weeks now, Nigella's Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies from "Feast" basically because it features oats--which I love in a cookie and it has a favorite combination of sweet white chocolate and tangy dried cranberries. I did make one change-Nigella has chopped pecans in these which would be good, but I thought pistachios would be a better choice and you have to love how festive they are with the little flecks of green. Otherwise I made these pretty much as is and didn't try to make them healthy as a cookie exchange seems like the right time for a bit of indulging.

Nigella says: "At this time of year, I think we all find it difficult to keep going between meals. This is the ideal, unnecessary but so gratifying filler, perfect with a cup of tea or, for those of under tea-drinking age, a glass of milk. The oats make these wonderfully chewy and help convince yourself that they are actually very healthy and good for you. Nothing to feel guilty about at all."

Cranberry and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies with Pistachios

"Feast", Nigella Lawson

(Makes 30 Cookies)

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon soft unsalted butter
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup superfine sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup pecans, roughly chopped (I subbed 1/2 cup pistachios roughly chopped)
¼ cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Measure out the flour, baking powder, salt and rolled oats into a bowl. Put the butter and sugars into another bowl and beat together until creamy — this is obviously easier with an electric mixer of some kind, but you just need to put some muscle into it otherwise – then beat in the egg and vanilla. Beat in the flour, baking powder, salt and oat mixture and then fold in the cranberries, chopped pecans and chocolate chips or white chocolate, chopped into small dice. Set the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge for 10–15 minutes.

Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into a ball with your hands, and then place them on a lined or greased baking sheet and squish the dough balls down with a fork. You may need two baking sheets or be prepared to make these in two batches.

Cook for 15 minutes; when ready, the cookies will be tinged a pale gold, but be too soft to lift immediately off the baking sheet, so leave the sheet on a cool surface and let them harden for about 5 minutes. Remove with a spatula or whatever to cool fully on a wire rack.


Notes/Results: These cookies are delicious! A wonderful combination of soft and chewy with lightly crisp edges. The cranberry and white chocolate combo is already a winner and the pistachios add a nice bit of salty crunch. Although with a stick of butter, all the sugar and the white chocolate, no matter what Nigella thinks, these cookies are not really healthy but are healthier than some and if you want to indulge a bit these are a great cookie for it. (And at least you can say you ate your oatmeal and got some fruit and nuts in too!). Although they are getting out of my house and getting dropped off with friends tomorrow because I fear the damage I will do if they stay here, I would make these again, happily. (BTW--I had to take a picture of them on my favorite holiday napkins too!) ;-)

You can check out what cookies and treats the other IHCC participants baked for our Cookie Exchange by heading over to the IHCC site here and following the links as they are posted.

What's your favorite cookie to make or eat?