May 2009

Links to a Healthy Weekend

May 30, 2009

Happy Saturday! I hope you have some fun plans this weekend to close out the last days of May. I’ve got some meals planned with extended family to celebrate my last week here in the States and I hope to catch up with a few more friends.

The best news is that I’m finally done with my portion of the first draft for the book I’m coauthoring! It’s about planning charity fitness events and in conjunction with my work for Charity Mile. It feels so great to be at a breaking point! There is sure to be more revision ahead, but knowing I have so much already completed is a relief.

In the midst of my work this week I was able to read my way through some great stuff.

Speaking of Charity Mile I was able to do an interview with Healthy Ashley about her involvement in charity fitness events. She is so inspiring! You’ll be ready to lace up your shoes and get in a workout after you read what she has to say.

The school lunchroom grows green was an article on The Christian Science Monitor this week. It talks about lots of wonderful changes schools are making from organic gardening to reducing waste. It is so great to see some positive news in this area!

With the post Every little love adds up, Michelle at Find Your Balance offers some great advice for positive thinking. This post really hit home for me. This is an area I’m always trying to improve with myself.

If you haven’t heard about the Food, Inc. Movie, get ready. I cannot wait until it opens! I was hoping so much that I would get the chance to see it while in the States, but it looks like I’ll have to wait until the fall.

Three Cheers for Beans was a post by Kitchen Courage this week. Check it out for three tasty bean salad recipes perfect for warmer weather. I especially like the one with maple syrup. Sweet beans are a big joke between us and our Brazilian friends. Rice and beans are so common there, but the idea of sweet beans horrifies most of the people we know. Too funny!

Photo of a super cool wine glass that belongs to a good friend of mine.

Strawberry Cinnamon Toast

May 29, 2009

Long before cinnamon toast became a popular breakfast cereal my mom was making her version of it for us. She likes to tell stories about how her older brother loved to make multiple pieces of it for himself while he was on babysitting duty and then refuse to share even one bit with the rest of the siblings.

We savored cinnamon toast as if it were a delicate baked good taking weeks to prepare. The truth is it couldn’t be simpler to make. The end result is toasted bread with a caramelized sugar top that is crisp on the top and soft and sweet in the middle.

I’ve made it numerous times myself and as my tastes and eating habits have changed over the years I find myself getting more creative with the process. This morning I headed out to the strawberry patch and was saddened to find that only a few remained. However, I had the perfect handful to create a Strawberry Cinnamon Toast.

I swapped the standard white sandwich bread for a hearty whole grain variety. While I left the white sugar along, I did change up the fat. Instead of butter I used organic extra virgin coconut oil. This is a product that I still need to do a post on and it is coming soon.

It turned out great and now I have the wheels turning out how I can use other fruits for this breakfast treat. It is such a simple thing with a flavor that far surpasses the effort put into making it.

Strawberry Cinnamon Toast

Slice of whole grain bread
¼ cup strawberries diced
Sugar and cinnamon
Extra virgin coconut oil

Toss the diced strawberries with about ¾ tsp of sugar and a few dashes of cinnamon. Set aside. Spread the bread with a light layer of coconut oil. Sprinkle a little more cinnamon on the bread. Top it with the strawberries. Give it one last sprinkle of sugar. Broil until browned and serve immediately.

Asparagus Pizza with White Garlic Sauce

May 28, 2009

Beautiful green stalks of tender asparagus have been plentiful around here. When it comes to my list of favorite vegetables unfortunately asparagus resides at the bottom of the list. I don’t exactly dislike it. Well, okay, maybe at one time I disliked it, but now it just isn’t my veggie of choice.

When it comes to nutrition there is really no reason why this spring vegetable shouldn’t be enjoyed. That is the case with most vegetables though, right? Our bodies need that produce and asparagus is full of vitamin K, folate, vitamin A and vitamin C.

This is the first year that I’ve had the chance to really experiment with it, though, and I’m finding that I enjoy it a bit more with each dish. For example, my brother threw some on the grill the other day and it was fabulous. I didn’t put a thing on it; straight off the grill and into my mouth. Excellent.

Tonight I decided I would try topping a pizza with some asparagus my dad had brought in from the garden yesterday. I combined roasted garlic with a basic white sauce. Then spread this over a wheat pizza crust and topped it with steamed asparagus and mozzarella cheese.

My original plan was to add caramelized onions, but I opened the fridge to find that we were all out. So I decided to use another garden treat and chopped up some scallions. I sprinkled these on the pizza as soon as it came out of the oven.

I find white sauce pizzas to be a pleasant change from the standard and this was no exception. Turns out asparagus is quite a tasty pizza topping.

Spring Asparagus & Scallion Pizza with White Garlic Sauce

1 head of garlic
Olive oil
1 wheat pizza crust
1 cup asparagus, chopped into medium sized pieces
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup milk (chicken stock would work too)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup scallions, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Slice off the top 1/3 of the head of garlic. Place on a piece of aluminum foil and coat with olive oil. Wrap in foil and roast for 45 to 60 min. Work on the rest of the pizza as it bakes and set aside when finished.

Steam the asparagus just until tender and bright green. Set aside.

Melt butter in a small sauce pan and sprinkle in flour. Use a whisk to stir constantly creating a roux. Slowly pour in milk as you whisk and allow mixture to cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Once it reaches your desired consistency (preferably a thick sauce) squeeze the head of garlic into the sauce. Whisk to break up garlic and then add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread sauce on crust and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top with the asparagus and the remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly. When I make my crust I partially bake it before adding the toppings so it takes about 15 additional minutes for the pizza to finish.

Once out of the oven top it with the scallions and serve.

Falling for Goat Cheese

May 27, 2009

I’ll be honest. The first time I had goat cheese I did not care for it. There was something about the tart and tangy taste that would take some getting used to for me. After my somewhat negative flavor experience I began to find myself sifting through beautiful recipes in the food blogging world and feeling like a bit of an outcast because I wasn’t crazy about goat cheese.

After a little research I’ve realized that my first encounter was with chevre – the fresh, soft, French-style. I haven’t had it in a long while so I can’t be sure my tastes haven’t changed, but because of this experience I’ve stayed away from goat cheeses.

Well, until a couple weeks ago.

At that time I was in the middle of my visit to Lexington, KY, where I lived prior to my move abroad. I was scheduled to run a 5K that Saturday morning, but I got up early just so I could make a round at the Farmer’s Market before heading out to the event. As I was walking down the street I noticed a cheese vendor out of the corner of my eye.

The gentleman manning the booth was in the process of setting out samples as he was speaking to a customer about his product. I overheard the conversation and quickly learned that it was goat cheese. But wait. It didn’t look anything like the goat cheese I had before.

It was sliced in wedges from a round wheel of cheese and had a beautiful molded rind around the exterior. I could smell the intoxicating aroma as he pulled the different varieties out of the box. After their conversation ended I took the opportunity to learn more about this goat cheese.

Well, first of all, it is a local Kentucky product from a company called Sapori D’Italia. Second, they are Artisan Cheese Makers producing authentic “old world” Italian cheeses. How authentic? Well, the Cheese Master is from Napoli. Who knew we had such wonderful Italian culture in good ol’ Kentucky!

I was given a sample, and remembering my past experience, I gave it a chance but was expecting the worst. The final call – I had some of the most amazing cheese I have ever tasted! I am not exaggerating. It was fantastic!

He had carefully removed the rind and you might expect that the flavor would go with it, but the herbs that encrusted the outside had seeped into the cheese giving it the most amazing flavor. The texture was somewhat crumbly like a feta, but the moment it hit your tongue it became creamy and smooth.

I later learned that I had sampled the Caciotta Alpina al Erbe, a variety encrusted and aged in Italian herbs. This is only one of six types they make, according their web-site.

After talking a bit about my work and food blogging I was given a generous sample of a wedge to enjoy later. Since I was in a hotel at the time I don’t have any fabulous recipes to share with you using it, but honestly this cheese needs no co-star.

I ate it by itself and enjoyed every bite. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be with some sweet fruit or atop a leafy green salad.

The good news is the availability of this goat cheese is spreading quite rapidly. In addition to the Lexington Farmer’s Market it can be found in many stores in Lexington and Louisville, KY as well as stores in Ohio including some Whole Foods. It is also served in a variety of restaurants in the area. You can find out more about availability here.

If you have the opportunity to get your hands on some of this cheese I would highly recommend it. I am happy to say that I am now truly a lover of goat cheese.

For the record that is my parent’s goat. Non-dairy, but she’s darn cute!

Mango Challenge: And the Winner Is…

May 25, 2009

The time has finally arrived to announce the winner of the Mango Challenge, my first recipe challenge in celebration of my upcoming one year blog anniversary and in recognition of my time in Brazil where I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy mangos at their finest.

Thank you to everyone who participated! I have to apologize for the delay. Getting the results out on a holiday weekend was a bit ambitious on my part and I was only able to get to work this evening.

I had 12 people participate with 18 recipes. Each and every entry was creative and delicious! I have some outstanding recipes to share with you. Get your bookmarking tool ready!

I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful diversity in recipes I received from morning coffee cakes, to rich cultural treats, to elegant restaurant- worthy desserts. Thank you again to all those who participated and made this event so much fun!

I present to you the Mango Challengers and their outstanding recipes!

Marian, the About.com Guide for South American Food, submitted four wonderful treats incorporating mango with exotic fruits and old favorites. From tarts to cake to tasty morning muffins you will find something you like in her list. If you are interested in South American Cuisine her blog is a must read, by the way.
Mango Passion Fruit Tart
Mango Passion Fruit Pound Cake
Mango Mousse Cake
Mango Blueberry Muffins

Sweta from Bonn e Nutrition shared so much of her culture with me through two amazing, traditional treats modified to fit the ingredients she had available – Sweet Mango Dosa and Mango Peda. Now I just need to find those Indian varieties of mangos she keeps telling me so much about so I can make them myself!

Tracey from Tangled Noodle topped that chicken and sandwich I have in Brazil with her Caju-Mangga Chicken Sandwich. It is a wonderful variety of ingredients combined into a unique (and beautiful) sandwich. I will be making this soon while I am still in the land of mangos, cashews and coconut milk!

Natalie from Oven Love shared her flavorful recipe for Mexican Spiced Chicken Salad with Mango Cilantro Dressing. A great meal idea for a hot summer day – spicy chicken with the refreshing flavor of mango!

Rebecca from Chow and Chatter showed off her Mango and Ginger Cake. The perfect addition to any breakfast with a warm cup of coffee. Topping it with mangos and pineapple give it a tropical twist.

Natasha from 5 Star Foodie incorporated lots of mango flavor into her Spiced Mango Fried Ravioli with Lavender Syrup. You’ll enjoy the beautiful presentation and likely wish you could have a bite.

Deeba from Passionate About Baking shows us an elegantly decorated Mango Mousse Tart with a nice touch of rich chocolate. It looks to pretty to eat, but I could get over that quickly.

Ria from Ria’s Collection submitted a tasty breakfast idea with her Whole Wheat Pancakes with Nutella & Mango. A filling, nutritious morning meal balanced in good-for-you ingredients and sweet indulgence.

Angela from Spinach Tiger took frozen treats to a new level with her Mango Lime Rosemary Frozen Custard. Equally as intriguing was her method for making it without an ice cream maker.

Alison from Live Listen Cook entered three mango recipes for our enjoyment. Each one is full of mango flavor. You’ll have your main dish, side and dessert with this tasty trio –
Shrimp with Mango
Curried Quinoa Salad with Mango
Chilled Mango Soup

Adrienne from Gastroanthropology shares her Mango Coffeecake. Whether your choice is coffee or tea this cake which incorporates smooth sour cream, rich chocolate and tropical mango will only make it better.

Amy from Delicious by Nature has us all set for our next nourishing breakfast with Tropical Amaranth Porridge. Warm cereal gets even better when it is made with coconut milk, mango and macadamia nuts.

And the WINNER is…

Spiced Mango Fried Ravioli with Lavender Syrup by Natasha from 5 Star Foodie!

It was such a tight competition, but in the end the judges felt that Natasha’s recipe was not only unique and delicious, but it ranked the highest regarding the criteria of presence of mango, creativity and use of real ingredients.

Congrats Natasha!! Below is a sneak peak of your prize. Send me your address at lori (at) fakefoodfree (dot) com and I will get it on its way to you.

Thanks again to all those who participated!

Links to a Healthy Weekend

May 23, 2009

Hi all! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Is it summer yet in your neck of the woods? It is getting quite toasty here in southern Indiana and Kentucky. I had a wonderful week in Lexington visiting with friends, working from coffee shops and browsing through local supermarkets to find some of these great foods you all post about!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Mango Challenge! The recap and winner will be posted on Monday afternoon! To those of you in the US – Happy Memorial Day and enjoy your holiday weekend!

Here’s what caught my eye this week:

Lemon Basil shared a new way to use quinoa in a Shitake Quinoa Salad. It looks delicious and I am always looking for unique ways to use quinoa!

Ria’s Collection is hosting a Let’s Celebrate event in honor of her birthday! Stop by and see if you have a recipe to contribute to the round-up.

Eat to Live had an interesting post called Staying Slim is Good for the Environment discussing some research comparing the environmental impact of slim versus obese populations.

The NYTimes.com Well Blog posted an interview with Kara Goucher about first marathons. Interested in running your first marathon or enjoy running in general? Head over and take a look.

The Washington Post MisFits had an article called Mile for Mile, a Dog Is a Man’s (or a Woman’s) Best Workout Partner. I, of course, love this and I know I have a lot of dog loving readers out there. Enjoy, and if you are considering getting a dog, do it!

Photo of my parent’s donkey, Divinity. The newest member of the family.

Is Trying Enough?

May 21, 2009

When visiting DC with my family we found ourselves browsing around the Museum of Natural History at lunch time. I typically don’t prefer cafes connected to large tourist attractions, but unfortunately the café in the museum was our only option in the area so we ate there.

As we entered the line to go in, I was greeted by some running TV screens which stated that the cafeteria used locally grown ingredients. When we got inside I noticed that they were selling organic fruit. Although I don’t consider organic the end all and be all when it comes to my produce selection, and the price was pretty hefty, I did take the offering as a good sign.

Then we got to the drink station. Hello Coke! There was water available under the lemonade (although I’d paid almost $3 for the cup) and some unsweetened iced tea (not brewed) in the fountain so at least there were a couple options.

I complained to my family how frustrating it is that establishments boast about local and organic and yet sell out to soda companies. After my venting, I started to think about why this upset me so much.

Well, we talked a week or so ago about how in-your-face soda is, so that was one thing. The other thing was that they seemed to be proud of their healthy, environmentally friendly food practices, but ignored that when it came to beverages. Then I came back to the thought – Well, at least they are trying.

This then brought me to the question – Is trying enough?

I ask myself this question often when it comes to my food choices. I’m definitely changing – making more environmentally friendly choices, increasing my awareness about where my food comes from and what processes it goes through, and eliminating fake foods from my diet.

I am far from perfect, however. Although, I’m getting closer I doubt I will ever get to the point where every piece of beef I put in my mouth is grass fed and every piece of produce I consume is grown under ideal farming practices. I do see stopping at a famous or historic, local burger joint during my travels in my future from time to time.

It is easy to blame some of this on our society. In order for everyone to make these changes our society and the foods we are offered, say, when we are out to eat need to change too. I take full responsibility for my own actions, but if there is no place around when you are traveling that sells the good stuff you are used to buying at home you are kind of out of luck. While you certainly don’t have to eat fast food, there are times you are forced to make exceptions.

So then I consider if I feel that trying is enough for me, why do I feel the need to be so critical of eating establishments who are not perfect, but trying as well? That doesn’t seem fair.

I’m not always this critical. Usually if there is a healthy option I’m happy. However, as my knowledge grows and I strive to change my diet I find the temptation to be overly critical grows stronger as well.

Despite my attempts to give myself and the places I eat a break, I still wonder if trying is enough. In some cases I think it is. Small changes by many people can make a huge difference. However, if we always use little excuses like – well, I really like that even though it is a fake food or I’m too busy to make my own food – then we aren’t facilitating the changes that need to happen as a society which will result in the consumption of more nourishing, whole foods that we can get anywhere and everywhere.

So right now, I do think trying is enough, but long-term I wonder if I’ll ever reach perfection in this area or if that is even what I’m striving for.

Do you think trying is enough?

New Kind of Mango

May 20, 2009

I’ve been having a wonderful time visiting with old friends during my time in Kentucky. This week I stopped by the house of a very good friend to meet her new baby girl. Well, not exactly new. She’s nine months old and this was my first opportunity to meet her!

While we were talking my friend started to tell me about Champagne® Mangos. I had never heard of them. Being the sweetheart that she is, she gave me one to try. She described them as incredibly unique and addicting. She’s only found them at two places in town (Whole Foods and Meijer) and they are only available for a couple months out of the year.

I combined what she told me with a little of my own research about the Champagne® Mango. First of all the term “Champagne” is a registered trademark. Kind of interesting for a fruit. They are grown in Mexico and claim to be different than other varieties of mangos.

From the description on the web-site:

It has a spicy-sweet flavor, buttery texture and, unlike other varieties of
mangos, it is free of annoying seed fibers.

We have a smaller variety of mango in Brazil which I don’t know the name of, but I didn’t find it too exciting and decided to stick with the Tommy variety. So I was interested in this Champagne® Mango, but a bit skeptical of its ability to be so unique.

Well, I ate it in the hotel room and if you’ve ever tried to do this without a knife I wouldn’t recommend it. However, the mango was very ripe and I was actually able to open and scoop it out with a spoon.

The fruit meets the description in every way! There is this underlying spicy flavor that hangs on your tongue just a bit as that sweet familiar mango flavor takes over. The inside is so creamy. It wasn’t fibrous like many mangos tend to be. Each bite literally melted in my mouth.

This is a mango I wouldn’t dream of using in a recipe. It deserves to be eaten fresh to appreciate its texture and flavor. I’m so hooked I’m going to swing by Whole Foods (we don’t have one in my hometown) before I leave here to try and get some for the rest of my stay in the States.

Have you tried this variety of mango? What did you think?

So of course all of this mango talk comes just in time for your last reminder about the Mango Challenge. Thanks so much for all the amazing entries so far! If you haven’t submitted your recipe, you still have time. All entries are due by Friday, May 22nd at 12:00pm CST. I’m happy to say all the goodies from Brazil made the trip well in my suitcase. I can’t wait to share them!

Quick Review: New Version of an Old Favorite

May 18, 2009

Thinking back to my grade school days there is one treat that often made it into my lunch box – Fruit Roll-Ups. Wow, it has been forever since I’ve had one.

Of course they are pretty far from fitting into a real food diet. The ingredient list of the strawberry version indicates the presence of corn syrup, dried corn syrup, sugar and partially hydrogenated oil. Bummer. They were so good.

I was browsing the aisles of Target the other night trying to find a few minimally processed snack foods to have in the hotel room along with the fresh fruit I bought at the local farmer’s market on Saturday.

These just happened to catch my eye. Archer Farms Organic Real Fruit Strips.

Anyone else come across these? They had several different flavors, but I chose the pomegranate. They are so tasty! There are 45 calories in each strip along with 1g of fiber and 9g of sugar. The ingredient list is more appealing as well – organic apple puree concentrate, organic apple juice concentrate, organic pomegranate juice concentrate, natural flavor (whatever that is), citrus pectin, vegetable and fruit juice (carrot, blueberry) for color, organic lemon juice concentrate.

They aren’t perfect, but definitely better than many other snacks out there. So I just wanted to share this quick review if anyone used to heart Fruit Roll-Ups as much as I did.

I’ve heard there are some recipes around for making your own. Anyone ever try that and have a good recipe?

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Bars

May 16, 2009

I have to take a break from Links this weekend because my travels have kept me away from the computer and my usual reading. I feel a bit like I’m not holding up my end of the food blogging deal as I know I’m missing a lot of great posts, but next week will have me back to the computer and catching up.

Before I left for my DC trip I had the chance to play a bit in the kitchen with chocolate and some frozen raspberries from last year’s garden. The new ones are getting ready to come on so my parents need to make some freezer space.

A while back I reviewed one of the Clif Nectar Cacao bars flavored with raspberry and dark chocolate. I really enjoyed it and knew I wanted to try to recreate something similar. My version is baked so they don’t have the same texture as a natural bar, but they are rich and fudgy. They turned out to be somewhat of a cross between a breakfast or energy bar and a dessert.

I’d like to work with it more to reduce the sugar (maybe more or all honey) and up the nutrition content, but I was happy with the results of my first attempt. I started with a Baker’s One Bowl Brownies recipe and adjusted the ingredients. I love how they are not very sweet allowing the flavor of the raspberries and bitter chocolate to shine through. If you want something a bit sweeter my suggestion would be to add more chocolate chips.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Bars

4 squares unsweetened chocolate

1 ½ sticks butter
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
3 eggs
¾ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup rolled oats
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the microwave melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter together until smooth. While still warm, stir in the frozen berries. Microwave again until the berries are fully defrosted and incorporated into the chocolate.

Transfer chocolate to a mixing bowl and stir in sugar and honey, then blend in the eggs. In a food processor, combine the flour and oats. Pulse until the oats are finely ground. Add in the walnuts and pulse until they are chopped into very small pieces.

Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with foil and grease the foil well. Pour in the bar batter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until baked through and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and slice into bars.

Older Posts

Links to a Healthy Weekend

Strawberry Cinnamon Toast

Asparagus Pizza with White Garlic Sauce

Falling for Goat Cheese

Mango Challenge: And the Winner Is…

Links to a Healthy Weekend

Is Trying Enough?

New Kind of Mango

Quick Review: New Version of an Old Favorite

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Bars

Thanks so much for reading!

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