Food Fun: Brussels Sprouts

I have been eating more Brussels sprouts lately, and found this handy Wiki-How article on a few different ways to prepare them with more taste enjoyment. One of the keys to cooking this tasty vegetable that is not really a baby cabbage but looks like one, is to cut into the stem end, or cut up the sprout. My mother used to cook them whole/uncut and there is a fine line between done and over-done with a whole uncut sprout!

How to Lessen the Strong Taste of Brussels Sprouts

Pumpkin Recipes!

Enticing Pumpkin Recipes from this week's My Vegetarian Times

Morning Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Bake a breakfast treat that looks and tastes like fall.

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9935?section=

Savory Pumpkin Quiche

Try this easy, healthful recipe out on kids—they'll love it.

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9933?section=

Pumpkin-Coconut Bisque

Taste how well pumpkin goes in a curry-based soup that gets its creaminess from coconut milk.

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9240?

Spicy Fall Stew Baked in a Pumpkin

Wow guests with this meal-in-one recipe that makes pumpkin the focal point of a meal.

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10829?section=

Healthier Cake contest winners

Let Them Eat (Healthier) Cake

By Tara Parker-Pope, 8-18-09, NY Times Blogs (Well)

The American Cancer Society recently asked baking and pastry students at the Culinary Institute of America to reinvent the birthday cake using better-for-you ingredients.

Alexandra Mudry won for her makeover of a red velvet cake.

The winner was a healthful twist on the red velvet cake, created by Alexandra Mudry, a former actress from Pleasantville, N.Y., who will graduate from the school in October. The recipe cuts back on the sugar, eggs, oil and butter in the traditional version, substituting roasted beets, dried cherries, applesauce and whole grain flour to boost the nutrient content. Ms. Mudry’s New Red Velvet Cake, which is filled with chocolate ganache and topped with cream cheese frosting, is now the official cake of the American Cancer Society’s “More Birthdays” campaign.

Recipes from the other four finalists include:

Chocolate Raspberry Cake: Runner-up Arthur Battistini, from Middleboro, Mass., reduced the calories and boosted the beta carotene and flavonoid content in making his chocolate raspberry cake.

Blueberry Dream Cake: Finalist Tamara King, a former banking industry worker and a native of Harrod, Ohio, made her cake with whole-wheat flour, applesauce and blueberries, which are rich in antioxidants.

Chocolate Cake: Finalist Laura Sansone, a native of Boonton, N.J., who will graduate from C.I.A. in February, created an egg-free applesauce version of the traditional favorite.

Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake: Finalist Lorraine Tran, originally from Garden Grove, Calif., created a gluten-free cake filled with a yogurt-berry mousse.

Click here for the recipes:

Let Them Eat (Healthier) Cake By Tara Parker-Pope -c. NY Times Blogs, 8-18-09

Quinoa: A Protein-Packed Alternative to Grains

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November 3, 2008

Recipes for Health

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a relative newcomer to the American pantry. The tiny, ancient Peruvian seed, which has a mild, nutty flavor, is related to leafy green vegetables and is often used like a grain. Quinoa is as versatile as rice but it has a protein content that is superior to that of most grains, because it contains all the essential amino acids. In particular, quinoa is high in lysine, an amino acid important for tissue growth and repair. It’s also a good source of manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and copper, and it has a high iron content.

Quinoa is very easy to cook. It’s important to rinse the seeds well, because they are naturally coated with a bitter substance that protects them against birds and other predators. Most packaged quinoa has already been cleaned, but it doesn’t hurt to soak and rinse it just in case. Quinoa cooks in 15 minutes, and it’s easy to tell when it’s done because the seeds display a little white thread that curls around them.

Basic Steamed Quinoa

Many recipes for quinoa suggest cooking it like rice, in two parts water for one part quinoa. This works, but I find the grains are fluffier if I cook them in three parts water and drain the excess water once the quinoa is tender. The tiny seeds swell to about four times their original size, so 1 cup uncooked quinoa yields about 4 cups, enough for 6 to 8 servings.

1 cup quinoa

3 cups water, chicken stock or vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

1. Place the quinoa in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit 5 minutes. Drain through a strainer and rinse until the water runs clear.

2. Bring the water or stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and translucent, and each grain displays a little thread. Drain and return to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean dish towel, replace the lid and allow to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. Fluff and serve.

Yield: about 4 cups, serving 6 to 8

Advance preparation: Cooked quinoa will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator and can be reheated in a microwave or in the oven.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

Rise-and-Shine Cookies, from the American Heart Association

Serves 15; 2 cookies per serving

Cookies for breakfast? Sure—when they are rich in fiber and low in fat and taste like big chunks of granola. Make these ahead of time for a quick breakfast treat.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Egg substitute equivalent to 1 egg

3 tablespoons canola or corn oil

1 1/4 cups quick-cooking or regular rolled oats

1/2 cup wheat germ

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, stir together flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, egg substitute, and oil. Stir until well combined. Stir in flour mixture, oats, and wheat germ.

Drop dough by tablespoons about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Flatten slightly to a 2-inch diameter with your hand or the bottom of a glass. Bake 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool on wire racks. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for one week or in the freezer for several weeks.

Nutrition Analysis (per serving)
Calories	116
Total Fat	4.0 g
Saturated	1.0 g
Polyunsaturated	2.0 g
Monounsaturated	1.0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	74 mg
Carbohydrates	18 g
Protein	3 g

This recipe is reprinted with permission from the American Heart Association Quick & Easy Cookbook, Copyright © 1995 by the American Heart Association. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. Available from booksellers everywhere.

http://www.goredforwomen.com/love_your_heart/recipe_of_the_month.html

Spring Soup from Yoga Journal for Summer

Even though we are already tapping into the dog days of summer, this fresh veggie soup sounds light, fresh & tasty. Just prepare it in the morning and enjoy it with your salads or fresh fruit for a light lunch or dinner. Jan

Spring Soup

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 leeks
• 3 carrots
• 1 white turnip
• 2 yellow potatoes
• 4 leaves green cabbage
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup grated Swiss cheese

1. Cut all vegetables julienne-style, except mushrooms.
2. Melt butter in a wide-diameter soup pot, add vegetables, and cook on low heat until soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Add 2 quarts water and simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms and simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Serve topped with grated cheese.

Spring Soup
http://www.yogajournal.com/health/2186_1.cfm?ctsrc=nldn