Canadian eh?

Michele Renee Cecile Lessard, a little French eh? Since I am a child, I have always added the Canadian to the word French. I am not just French, I am French Canadian! Proud of my Canadian roots, my family, my name, the country and especially the food. Maple butter ( map-o-spread ), Crunchie bars,maple leaf cookies, maple syrup, Tortiere, Sugar pie, and snow candy as we called it,  just to name a few of my favorites. Another one of my favs I have been eating ever since I can remember, is a dish called Pate Chinois. I was told it meant chinese pie but didnt understand why. Noone ever gave me an answer when I was a kid. I didnt really have to know anyway. It was delicious and I couldnt wait for my Grandmother or my aunt to make it. Of course, I then started preparing it. I have made it for my brothers, neices and nephews and my own son. We all seem to love it! I googled it and came up with these possible reasonings for the name.....The first possible explanation for the 'Chinese' reference is that it was introduced to Chinese railway workers by Canadian cooks during the building of the North American railroads in the late 19th century. These cooks made it under instruction from the English  bosses as an easily-prepared, inexpensive version of the popular shephards pie, with the sauce in the can of creamed-corn serving as a substitute for the gravy. The French Canadian railway workers became fond of it and brought the recipe back with them to their home communities.  Another more probable explanation for the name was traced by Lionel Guimont, a student of linguistics at Laval University, who shared his idea with Quebec language historian Claude Poirier. Mr. Poirier later published an article to this effect. Mr. Guimont had met an old native of Maine who was visiting Canada for the first time and had heard the man call the dish "China pie". Based on the fact that "pâté chinois" would normally translate in "Chinese pie", referring to the country (like in "French fries" as opposed to "*France fries"), Mr. Guimont wondered why the old man said "China pie", which in English refers to a city or a region (like in "Boston cream pie" as opposed to "*Bostonese cream pie"). He then found that two towns in the state of Maine, called China and South China, had been a favorite destination for Québécois forest workers, who came down from la Beauce along the Kennebec river by the turn of the century. Even today, a vast portion of the population of the China region is from Québécois descent and still bear French names so Mr. Guimont concluded that the name "pâté chinois" had not come down to Maine from B.C. via Québec (and become "Chinese pie") but rather went the other way. "China pie" must have been a common dish in lumbering camps and in mills kitchens around China. It had been (wrongly) translated later by the workers returning to Québec into "pâté chinois" because of the awkwardness of "pâté de Chine" in the French language. In parts of Maine, "pâté chinois" is referred to as "Chinese Party" -- phonetically more similar to the French term. How the dish was named is still a mystery to me but it is one of many reasons I love my Canadian heritage. So here is the Roi/Lessard version of Pate Chinois as made by my Grandmother Cecile Roi Lessard. Merci Beaucoup Grand-mere!

Pate Chinois
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef....browned
1 medium onion chopped
1 tsp olive oil
4 cans corn or creamed corn
Mashed potatoes to cover top of casserole
1.cook the onions in the oil until translucent. Add ground beef and brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Layer meat and onions into casserole dish ( approximately 2in layer )
2. Layer corn ( if using reg corn- drain liquid , if creamed use all of the can) on top of ground beef
3. Layer mashed potatoes on top of corn approximate 2 inch layer
4. Bake in oven at 375 until inside is hot and potatoes are golden brown on top.
It is delicious and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Rappelez-vous, la vie est pleine de délicieuses bouchées!!

Christmas time is near...WHOOPIE

Its time to start getting ready for the holidays. That means lots of cookie dough and baking. I decided last year to add a couple of new cookies to my list of Christmas baking. This year after a few Test Kitchen recipes, I finally got my new 2010 Christmas cookie. Although I wont only be making it for Christmas...its absolutely delicious and quite easy to make. Whoopieeeeeeeeeee! or should I say Red Velvet Whoopie Pie! The recipe calls for Peppermint Cream cheese filling, but I decided to omit the peppermint. I may make some with the peppermint filling for Christmas as requested by a couple of people, but I am very happy without it. 

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter softened

1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbs unsweetened cocao powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
red food coloring

Cream cheese filling ( recipe below )

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line sheet pan with parchment paper. In large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until smooth. add cocao powder baking soda and salt. Beat until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla until well mixed. Alternately add flour and buttermilk. ( I use a powdered buttermilk, easier to mix what I need when I need it ). Add red food coloring ( I used the paste kind ). Spoon dough from rounded measuring teaspoon and place 2 inches apart on sheet pan. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Make sure you do NOT underbake, as the cookies will fall if you do. Cool on sheet pan for 2 min then transfer to wire rack to cool. Spread cream cheese filling on flat side of one cookie and top with another cookie, to make sandwich. flat sides together. Serve cookies immediately after assembly. I baked the cookies and froze them- they thaw quickly and are perfect to do ahead.

makes about 40 cookies- to store after baking if you dont freeze, layer cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper in airtight container. Store in refrigerator for 3 days, let stand at room temp for 15 minutes before serving.

Cream Cheese Filling:

6 oz of cream cheese room temp

3 tbs butter softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1-3 tsp milk

1/2 tsp peppermint extract if wanted.

Whip cream cheese until smooth and airy, add butter and mix until well incorporated. Add powdered sugar slowly until mixed and creamy. Add milk 1 tsp at a time until spreading consistency.

And there you have it.......My new favorite vintage classic cookie! Your going to love them! Remember, Life is full of tasty morsels!!

Michele's Morsels Test Kitchen NOW OPEN!

This is my Test Kitchen week......New Recipes, Old recipes revised and Final decisions made and produced. Tonite's Test Recipe is a recipe I found on The Joy of Baking site. It is for Cranberry Shortbread bars. As I absolutely LOVE cranberries, I decided to try this one out first. If it is successful, it will be a Christmas gift for several people as well as a new dessert. I have revised this recipe to make it a little more Diabetic Friendly. I used granulated Splenda in place of sugar, and Brown Sugar/ Splenda blend in place of the brown sugar. Cutting the sugar alone is a big big help. I have to remember its about portion control as well. The bars are baked in a 9x9 pan and recipe says 16 servings. Not large portions! I am trying to find a free online site to give me the nutritional value of the recipes I am re-working, to at least have an idea of what I am eating. I am not sure if my mom and her husband are "Willing" tasters ( subjects ) or if they are going to resent me for asking them to taste everything. Probably NOT! LOL.

Cranberry Shortbread Bars
Cranberry Filling:
8 oz fresh cranberries
2/3 scant ( not full ) cup of granulated splenda
3 Tbs water
Bring to boil and cook for about 5 minutes until thick and syrupy and cranberries have burst. Remove from heat and let cool.

Shortbread Bars:

2 cups flour

2 tbs cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup packed brown sugar/splenda blend

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and using canola spray or baking spray - lightly coat a 9 x 9 pan. Sift together flour, salt and cornstarch into separate bowl. In mixing bowl cream together butter, brown sugar blend and vanilla until creamy. Slowly add flour mix and beat until all ingredients are just incorporated. Evenly press 2/3 of the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan. Evenly spread the cranberry mixture to the shortbread base leaving a 1/4 inch border around the edges. With the remaining shortbread batter, using fingers, crumble the batter on top of the cranberry filling and lightly press into the filling.  Bake for about 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven or until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. While still warm, cut ito 16 squares. Allow to cool completely in pan. Makes 16 bars. Well I dont need to find out the nutritional information to know they are delicious. Mom thinks they are absolutely terrific and wanted more!  Cranberry Shortbread Bars - Pass!

FALLing behind....

Come Halloween, things start to get busier for some reason. With the holidays almost upon us, I guess its inevitable.  This is my favorite time of year. I love autumn and the flavors and smells that come with it. The crisp fresh air, the smell of the leaves falling from the trees, fire places starting to be used. Pumpkin spice lattes, Pumkin loaf, Cranberry this, Apple that..... I love getting ready for the holiday season, and most of all I love cooking and baking. Because I want to enjoy the season, I tend to be more organized this time of year. I dont like falling behind and I most certainly dont like being stressed. Lists are made, food is being labeled, gift bags are being organized....and it all seems to be done in a shorter than usual day. Ahhh the old Daylight savings time! I am vowing to NOT be ready for bed at 6pm....so to help with that, I am now preparing dinner for a bit later than we normally eat. Maybe this will help. I figure maybe something can compensate for the fact we seem to have less daylight in the afternoon. We will see. As for cooking, I am trying out new things and revising some old favorites. Sugar free or substituting Splenda for sugar, healthy for non healthy....Today I have decided to use the autumn flavors for dinner tonite. Grilled Chicken with a Sugar free Cranberry Orange glaze,  Roasted Mini Butternut squash, and a sort of Risotto made with some Autumn harvest orzo and canned pumpkin. Carot Cakes are in the oven. First thing I did was make the Cranberry Sauce. I did this yesterday so it would be extra yummy today from the flavors sitting together.

Cranberry sauce:
1/2 bag of fresh cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Granulated Splenda
Cook in saucepan until berries burst and sauce thickens. About 20 minutes.
Let cool. Add 1 Teaspoon Olive oil, 1/2 orange  juiced, 1tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, zest of 1 orange. Mix and set aside or refrigerate.
I grilled up 4 chicken breasts without skin or bone, just to sear off the chicken and put some nice grill marks on it. Place seared chicken in covered casserole dish. ( this will keep chicken moist) cook for about 40 min. Uncover and put some of your cranberry sauce on each peice and continue cooking for another 15 minutes until you reach internal temp of 160 degrees.
While the chicken is cooking, I took my mini Butternut Squash and cut in half, legnthwise. Scooped out the seeds, brushed with olive oil and seasoned with salt, black pepper, nutmeg and chili powder. Turn over and bake skin side up for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Heat up 1 cup of vegetable broth ( use chicken if necessary ) and add 1 cup of orzo. I bought a lovely autumn orzo mix so I used that. You want to cook the orzo slow like you would a risotto. Adding more broth as needed. The orzo will absorb the liquid slowly. When the orzo was al dente I added about 1 cup of canned pumpkin, cracked black pepper, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Stir until completely mixed. I then added 1 tbs of butter and 1 tbs of grated parmesan cheese to finish. Everything should be about finished the same time for service. I like serving everything, I found it definitely helps with portion control. The comments at the table tonite were...." I would pay for this in a restaurant"  and " If I ordered this out, I would not have been disappointed" LOL I guess it was good! It was definitely an Autumn Meal. Dessert will be later, a yummy carrot cake with some cream cheese frosting. ( sorry I cheated and used a mix for the cake )

No Soup for You!

The Soup Nazi I am not! I love soup. A few years ago, I was the Executive Chef at a college and ran the college cafe. We served 3 soups daily, one was an asian soup made by my Chinese cooks. The other two I made first thing in the morning when I got in. Since the college was a Health Professions school, the students and faculty wanted healthy food. I tried to make one of the soups a vegetarian or vegan soup. The other was basically whatever we could create.  Cleaning out the walk-in cooler with leftover veggies or meats from lunch the day before was the best way to avoid waste and really have some fun. Figuring out new ways to make cream soups without cream utilized my culinary education. It was fun, creative and tasty. I think the comptroller appreciated the fact it was a low food cost item to sell in the cafe. Better for my budget. Now that the weather is getting cooler, I want to make a large pot of soup every week. Nutritious and easy on the budget, its perfect for the season. Tonites soup is Roasted Chicken with Brown Rice. I did alot of the prep work on sunday so all I would have to do is throw it together today. On sunday, I roasted 2 whole chicken breasts with the bone. I placed sliced shallots and sage leaves under the skin. Sprinkled with salt and pepper, and laid the breasts on top of chopped onion, carrots and celery (mire poix). I baked the breasts for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool and remove meat from bones. I also chopped my mire poix ( a mixture of onions, carrots and celery for sauces, soups and stocks ) on sunday and stored it in the refrigerator. I used 2 cups of diced carrots, 3 large parsnips, 3 leeks, 4 stalks of celery with the leaves (all medium diced). If no leeks are available use 3 onions instead. I also had about 2 cups of brown rice left over from monday nites dinner that I saved.
Roasted Chicken with Brown Rice Soup:

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken breasts with bone ( prepared as above )

mire poix ( prepared as above )

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups cooked rice

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Sweat MirePoix in large stock pot with 4 tbs of olive or canola oil. Add 5 quarts of chicken broth or stock. Add the cooked brown rice ( or whichever rice you prefer ). Add the shredded cooked chicken, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste, and 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley. Cook for a few hours on low heat. Serve with Hot crusty bread or a side salad! I am serving mine with a small grilled chicken caesar salad with homemade croutons and shaved parmesan cheese. Yumm!!! and Remember: Life is full of Tasty Morsels!

PS sorry guys, for some reason the pics came out horrible. Flash wasnt working and pics are yellow and orange. Next time!

A Taste of Paris

I havent been blogging much since my surgery a few weeks ago. Seems that my healing has been slowed down by ripping out more sutures. Good news is its not as bad as the last surgery AND I am trying to get a handle on eating right to lose weight and manage my Diabetes. I have been cooking lately because I have just been so bored, even though I have difficulty using my left arm. Trying to make new and tasty dishes that fall into my healthy and low carb way of eating is really not that difficult. I try to plan out my weeks menu in advance, but sometimes its only the protein  I have planned. The sides and vegetables can be altered according to whats in the pantry. We always have brown rice, couscous, quinoa, pasta and potatoes so I am usually good to go. I decided last nite to take out some Mahi Mahi from the freezer. We buy it at BJ's or Costco and its fresh frozen. Yes I said Fresh Frozen. LOL That means its frozen as soon as its cleaned and cut. Its portion controlled and individually cryovaced. It really is almost good as fresh. Not knowing what I was going to make, and then changing my mind after looking in the pantry, I ended up making Baked Mahi with Herbes Poisson Bio ( organic fish herbs ) that mom bought in Paris a couple years ago. It contains fennel, organic celery, pink peppercorn and cardamom, giving the fish a slightly licorice flavor. I rubbed the fish with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkled the herb mixture on it. Placed on a peice of parchment paper on a sheet pan, I baked it at 350 degrees for about 15-18 min. depending on the thickness of the fish. I had earlier taken a few garden tomatoes and cut 1/4 inch slices placing them on a sheet pan. Sprinkled with olive oil and some black lava sea salt baked in a 350 degree oven for about 35 min. While the tomatoes were roasting in the oven, I cut some yukon gold potatoes into a large dice and boiled until cooked through. Approximately 20-25 min. THen I drained the potatoes,  then added 1 tbs butter, zest and juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley and 1 clove of garlic minced and tossed lightly. I placed the bowl into the oven while the fish was cooking to keep hot. There were plenty of veggies in the freezer so I decided to steam some cauliflower. I served the Mahi on top of the roasted tomatoes to actually eat together. It was fabulous!! Yummy yummy. I figured out the calorie and carb value as best I could and we get approximately 350 calories and 40 carbs. That is not completely accurate, but for me for now its as good as it gets. I ate healthy and it was delicious! Remember : Life is full of tasty morsels!
PS- for some reason I am having difficulties posting pictures. HA!

Thai Tilapia

I recently discovered a new magazine called "Clean Eating". Improving your life one meal at a time is its catch phrase. Thought it sounded interesting so I bought it. I LOVE IT! Healthy, Green and Great food is what its all about. Tonite's dinner is a recipe I found inside. ( I actually asked for this magazine subscription for my a birthday gift ). Its Thai Tilapia with Basil and Pineapple couscous. Pineapple and Basil is a traditional pairing in Thai Cuisine. Its the bold combinations of fragrant Basil, sweet pineapple, and savory soy sauce that gives this dish a wonderful flavor. I, of course had to make this my own by adding a couple of Thai Chilis to the couscous dish. I wont be chopping them up, and they are dried, so when they reconstitute they will add some nice flavor to the dish. Just remember to remove them before serving. Its not a chili you want to eat! I also used chicken stock instead of water to make the couscous. It adds sooo much more flavor to the couscous. Play with a recipe. Add things you like and try it. The recipe is just a template for you to create something!  This recipe serves 4.

Tiapia with Basil Pineapple and Edamame Couscous

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple diced ( about 12 oz )

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves thinly slice ( chiffonade )

1 tbs low sodium soy sauce

juice and zest of 1 lime

2 tbs whole wheat flour

1 lb tilapia fillets 4 peices

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp paprika

1 tsp + 1 tbs olive oil

1 cup uncooked couscous ( I only use Whole wheat but regular is fine )

2 cups frozen shelled edamame ( rinsed under cold water until defrosted )
2 thai red chilis
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

Instructions:
1. Place half of pineapple in food processor with half of basil, soy sauce and lime juice and zest. Blend until smooth. set aside
2. Season Tiliapia with salt and pepper and coat both sides with flour.
3. Heat small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tbs oil and couscous and toast for 1-2 minutes until gives off a nutty aroma.  Add edamame, remaining pineapple and 2 cups of stock, and 2 thai red chili's and bring to a boil. stirring once or twice. Turn off heat and cover. Let rest for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
4. Meanwhile heat large skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 1 tbs oil, When oil is hot, add tilapia and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until a crisp crust forms and fish is cooked through. Add remaining basil to the resting couscous and stir. Divide couscous mixture and tilapia into 4 servings. Drizzle tilapia with 3 tbs pineapple soy mixture. Nutritional information says that this recipe is 417 calories per serving. Total fat - 11 grams, total carbs-44g, protein 38g, and fiber 9g. That sounds good in my book. Remember its all about portion size. Or at least thats what I am learning now. A healthy, nutritious and delicious tasting dinner. Quick and Easy to make! It was sooo yummy! I served it with a side of Arugula with some Mango Chili Vinegar and Olive Oil. Sorry guys, I keep forgetting to take pictures. I had the camera in my pocket but sat down to eat and completely forgot. This picture is the leftovers in containers! LOL Remember- Life is full of Tasty Morsels!

Sausage with Peppers and Onions.....healthy style

Mom went to Uncle Guiseppe's yesterday and picked up some Chicken Sausage. I have to check the nutritional information on it, but it has to be better than Pork Sausage. Going through the refrigerator and pantry I decided to make Mom's old Sausage and Onion Casserole, only Healthy style. Instead of the Pork Sausage I will be using chicken sausage. Instead of frying up the onions and peppers, they get sliced and baked in the oven with the sausage. Its pretty easy, and mom always made it when we were kids.
Mom's Sausage with Peppers, Onions and Potatoes Healthy style:
1 package Chicken sausage about 5-6 links cut into bite size peices ( approx 5-6 a link )
3 medium onions peeled and large dice
2 bell peppers (any color) large dice
6 medium potatoes large dice
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Cut the sausage into approximately 5-6 pieces per link. Peel and cut the onion approx same size as the sausage. Wash and chop the potato into approx 6 -8 peices per potato ( approx same size for everything ).
Wash and remove seeds and ribbing from bell peppers and large dice. Place in stainless or glass baking pan and spread out,toss with olive oil and salt and pepper Make sure everything is lightly coated with oil. Dont overcrowd. Bake at 350degrees for about 45 minutes covered. Remove cover, and bake another 20-30 minutes until browned and somewhat crispy. Make sure when serving - each person gets onions, peppers, potatoes and sausage. Delish! A new twist on an old favorite! and Remember.....Life is full of Tasty Morsels!

Sloppy Jose's

Tonight we are serving up some Tex-Mex Sloppy Joe's. Found the recipe on one of my many Diabetic E-News letters. Trying to limit my intake of Red meats, I decided to go with some ground Turkey. Ground Turkey a nice lean protein makes this a nice low fat meal. I am always looking for new ways to use ground turkey. Its a fairly inexpensive lean meat and very versatile. You can pretty much substitute it for any ground meat recipe. I have already made a BlackBean and Corn salad for my side dish. Another low fat, protein filled dish.

Tex Mex Sloppy Joe's:

2 tsp oil ( canola )
2 med onions chopped
1 med green bell pepper
1/2 cup whole kernal corn ( today I am using frozen but would normally roast off some corn on the cob )
2 cloves garlic
1 jalepeno finely chopped
1 lb ground turkey or ground beef
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
3/4 cup ketchup
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
6 rolls ( WHOLE WHEAT )
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, corn, garlic, and jalepeno chili. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in ground turkey, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook for 10 minutes until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in ketchup and worcestershire sauce and simmer on low for 30 min. I cook it alot longer than necessary to really concentrate the flavors. Divide mixture among rolls and enjoy. Remember, life is full of tasty morsels.....
PS- Sorry I forgot to take a pic!

Dolphin The Fish aka Mahi Mahi

It's friday nite,  and I didnt put much thought into tonite's dinner. We recently made a trip to Trader Joe's and as always bought some very cool food items. We did purchase some frozen Mahi Mahi Burgers. The ingredient list was pretty natural and healthy. The Nutritional values were also good. One burger is 110 calories, 1 total carbohydrate, 0 sugars and only 5grams of  fat. I thought I would throw them on the grill and whip together some Mango salsa. I posted the recipe for my mango salsa in a previous blog post. I also used some of my Togarashi spice on the Mahi burger to add some heat.  Instead of hamburger rolls I used nice whole wheat Arnold sandwhich thins and toasted the thins on the grill.  Topped the burger with the Mango salsa and done. I made a delicious  salad of Arugula, sliced red onion, garden tomatoes and some strawberries I had. I wanted a nice lite dressing so I made a Mango/Orange Chili vinaigrette. I have this great Mango Chili vinegar also from Trader Joe's.

Mango Chili Vinaigrette

1/2 cup mango chili vinegar

1-2 tbs olive oil

splash of orange juice ( I use the 50% less calories and sugar )

salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Using my Braun handmixer I added the olive oil to the vinegar in a slow and steady stream so it would emulsify. Or you can whisk it until it emulsifies.  It is a nice lite vinaigrette to add to any summer salad. If I hadnt of used red onion in my salad, I would have added half a chopped shallot to the vinaigrette. It was a nice lite summer supper. There was some juice from the strawberries that I added to the vinaigrette at the last minute. I tossed the salad with the dressing before serving. Just enough dressing to coat the greens but not too much to drown them. I try to eat fish twice a week. Mahi, Halibut, Tuna  and Chilean Sea Bass are among my favorite fish. I like many others but for some reason I never tire of eating these.  The Dolphin Fish as Mahi Mahi is known, is one pretty, colorful yet weird looking fish.  We used to get fresh whole Mahi's delivered a couple times a week when I worked on Fire Island.  Thank goodness for me, the other Chef would pretty much filet it, all I had to do was prepare it and cook it. I think I ate Mahi several times a week my first summer living and working on Fire Island. The second summer there I ate Lobster just as often! LOL It was a good life! and I ate not only well but healthy too!

Turkey Sausage and Arugula Pasta

I have been doing alot of reading about Diabetes, Healthy Eating and Healthy Living.  I subscribed to a couple of really good Diabetic and Healthy Lifestyle websites to get daily newsletters. I purchased 2 amazing magazines that I am asking for subscriptions to for my birthday. Clean Eating and Diabetic Living. Cant wait to get them! Thanks Mom!! I even bought a Diabetic cookbook. To change my lifestyle I have to change some of my cooking techniques. I am driven to find alternative ways to cook and eat the foods I love. Being a Chef also gives me the benefit of loving most foods and training and want to be creative. I have put together a new binder of recipes and culinary information that will help my Diabetes and change of lifestyle. One of the newsletters I get has a daily recipe that usually sounds pretty awesome. I am vowing to make at least one recipe, from assorted resources, a week. I am also going to work on taking my own recipes and making them healthier and Diabetic friendly. This weeks found recipe,  I added the crushed red pepper to spice things up a bit, and I changed some of the preparation to make it easier. I love Arugula's peppery taste, but you can substitute another green if you prefer.

Turkey Sausage and Arugula Pasta

Ingredients:

12 oz whole wheat pasta ( I used bowties )

1 package Turkey Italian or Hot sausage ( there were 6 links )

3 cloves garlic (chopped )

8 cups arugula

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes ( cut in half )

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated or shredded

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup pasta water reserved

Cook pasta according to package directions. While Pasta is cooking, Cook turkey sausage in a nonstick skillet over med-high heat. I actually cook mine in some water first until its mostly cooked thru, then remove any excess water from skillet and brown the sausage whole. Remove from pan, slice sausage to bite size pieces on an angle. Put back in skillet and brown on both sides. This will also insure that the turkey is cooked fully. Add 1 tsp olive oil and add garlic, 1 tsp crushed red pepper,  and tomatoes to turkey. Add all the arugula and let cook on medium heat until tomatoes break down and arugula wilts. About 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.  Drain pasta but remember to reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water,  and add directly to sausage and tomato pan. Add 1/2 cup pasta water, salt and pepper and combine. Drizzle 1 tbs olive oil and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top and serve. It was delicious! Again with this recipe you can switch things up a bit. Use grilled chicken, basil instead of arugula and thai red chilis instead of crushed red pepper and you have a Thai inspired dish. This recipe serves 6 and each serving is under 400 calories. Its easy and quick. Hope you try it and enjoy it!

Chili Today and Hot tonite

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down? Not today though. Its a cool, rainy 71degrees here in Hauppauge NY. Thats a pleasure for me since I have not really enjoyed our hot and sunny summer. No beach and no pool. I cant wait until Autumn is here and the weather warrants an open window and a sheet at night.  And,  upon weighing myself this morning after a week of watching what I was eating and trying to choose the healthier items, I lost 3 lbs. A far cry from last time gaining 2.5 lbs after following the Nutritionist's instructions.  I needed to see a couple of pounds lost just to give me the confidence and the incentive to keep doing the right thing. 3lbs isnt The Biggest Loser numbers, but its a ton in my eyes.  Deciding that I could do another week of watching what I eat and making good choices I decided to make some Turkey Chili with the ground turkey I took out last nite.  I dont normally like eating chili or soups and stews in the summertime, but today is not feeling much like a summer day. Hearty bowl of some Turkey chili and some brown rice sounds tasty and filling to me.

Chef Michele's Turkey Chili
1 lb ground turkey
1 med onion diced
3 med size peppers- any color- I like yellow red AND green ( gives nice color to the chili )
2 small yellow squash- seeds removed and small diced
1 clove garlic chopped
2 cans White cannellini beans rinsed and drained
1 tsp cumin
2 tbs unsweetened cocao  or 2 tbs cocoa chili powder spice
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tsp fresh chopped oregano
1 large can diced tomatoes ( I used Pomi in the carton )
1/2 tsp sea or kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small jalepeno chili ( diced small with seeds and vein removed )

In a saute pan, in 1 tbs of olive oil or canola oil, brown ground turkey until lightly golden.  Set aside. In a saucepan, add 1 tsp oil ( olive or veg ) and saute onions and garlic until translucent. About 5 min. Add diced peppers, yellow sqash, beans, tomatoes,jalepeno and spices. Stir well. Cook on very low for about an hour. It will cook down alot. Taste and season accordingly. I prefer a spicier chili so I may add more chili powder. I let this sit on the stove for a couple of hours at a very low temperature. The flavors meld together and concentrate as the chili cooks down. With Turkey you need to season the meat more than other meats. Experiment! Add things you like or just want to try. Try adding some corn and some chicken stock and make a turkey chili soup. Cocao is a secret ingredient of mine. Chocolate and Chili's go together sooo well. The sweet offsets the spicy hot of the chili. Mmmm. Serve the chili with homemade tortilla chips instead of brown rice. Cut up tortillas into triangular slices and bake in oven at 350degrees for a few minutes until golden brown. If you can afford the carbs, serve the chili in a hot bread bowl. You can buy a small sourdough or even a whole wheat round loaf, slice the top off and take out the soft bread from inside. Serve the chili inside the bowl. I will probably do that when the cold weather comes. Will have to find a whole wheat bread or make my own. So many possibilities. Pick a cool nite and I guarantee you will be toasty warm!
PS- I am trying to find a new sign off that suits me..any ideas will be greatly appreciated and considered! LOL but until then......Life is full of tasty morsels..try some!

"Gremo lata" flavor

Eating Healthy can be a little work. Flavorful foods and new ideas isnt always easy for anyone, including a chef. Planning ahead makes it a little less daunting. I will continue to stress organization and preparation is key in any kitchen. A well stocked freezer, pantry and refrigerator can be a big help. Nothing is easier than going into the freezer and chosing your meat or fish. Pantry items such as rice, couscous, quinoa, pasta or potatoes always handy is a good thing. Fresh vegetables in the refrigerator, the Best! Fresh herbs in pots outside, Awesome!! I like preparing or at least knowing what I want to prepare ahead of time. So last nite, I went into the freezer and chose some frozen talapia that we had on hand. Fish once or twice a week is great for high protein low calorie dinners. This morning I decided to make the Tilapia with a "Gremolata Crust". Gremolata is an italian mixture of parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. Perfect for fish.  Its fresh, light and tasty.

Gremolata :

1 lemon zested and juiced

1/2 cup bread crumbs

3 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

2 cloves of garlic crushed

4 (4oz) peices of tilapia, cod  or any other white fish is good

2 tsp coarse mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Finely grate the zest and squeeze the juice from one of the lemons. Mix the zest with the breadcrumbs, parsley, and garlic. Reserve the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Spray an oven proof pan with cooking spray and place the fish in. Spread the mustard evenly over the top of the fish, then sprinkle on the lemon juice. Spoon the breadcrumb mixture over the fish and press down lightly. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake until flakey and topping is crisp, about 20 min. ( depending on thickness of fish ).

My starch for this meal is a Tabouli wheat salad. I am making it according to the directions on the box but I am adding some roasted tomatoes. I already cut up some heirloom cherry tomatoes, tossed them in some black lava sea salt, pepper and olive oil. I roasted them on a sheet pan for about 20 min. at 400 degrees. It will give the tabouli salad some extra flavor and veggies! Roasted Asparagus with a splash of lemon will finish off this healthy dinner nicely. Now thats alota flavor! And under 400 calories for the meal,  a 4oz peice of fish, 1/2 cup of tabouli salad and 18 pencil thin asparagus stalks.  and remember.......Bite Me!

Flattened Chicken

Yesterday I made the decision as to what I would be cooking for dinner tonite. Whole Chicken flattened, marinated and grilled. Mmmmmm. First I removed the backbone so I could lay the chicken flat. Its easy to do, you dont need to be a chef with knife skills. Take your  Chef's knife or a santoku ( preferably sharp) and run it down the side of the back bone of the chicken. Do this to both sides. When you have it removed, put the chicken skin side up on a cuttng board and press down on the breast bone. You will most likely hear it crack. Now you can lay it into a casserole dish or baking pan to marinate.

Tuscan Marinade:

1/3  cup olive oil

2 tsp lemon zest ( 2 lemons )

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbs minced garlic ( 3 cloves )

1 tbs minced fresh rosemary leaves ( about 3 stalks )

Fresh ground black pepper

sea salt or kosher salt

 Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with sea or kosher salt. Combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, with 2 tsps black pepper. Pour over chicken, turning chicken to coat both sides with marinade. Turn a couple of times while marinating. Marinade in refrigerator for minimum of 4 hours to overnite.

When grill is hot, place chicken skin side up on grill. Approximately 20-30  min each side, at a medium temperature, until chickens internal temperature reads 165 degrees. Remove from grill and let rest 5 minutes. cut into quarters. Serve wth some grilled lemon halves.

We are having some red quinoa salad with it. For those of you who dont know quinoa or have ever had it, it is a grain. It has more protein in it than any other grain. It is also higher in unsaturted fats and lower in carbohydrates than most grains and provides a balanced source of nutrients. Its flavor is delicate and a bit bland, it is compared to couscous.  Cooking the quinoa according to the box ( we use chicken or veggie stock to add more flavor ). Small diced red onion, cucumber and  halved heirloom grape tomatoes will be added to it along with some red wine vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil. sprinkle of salt and pepper and yummy!! Round off the meal with some steamed green beans! Healthy, satisfying and delicious! What more can you ask for? And remember.. Bite Me! (  had to go back to it )LOL

Unsweetened Sweets!

Last Christmas I asked for a Cuisinart Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt maker. I have used it a few times, but not as often as I should have. Today I decided I was going to make a frozen treat for dessert. I had a large bag of frozen mixed berries in the freezer and last weekend when I went food shopping, I picked up some plain low fat yogurt thinking about making some frozen yogurt.

Mixed Berry Frozen Yogurt
12oz bag frozen mixed berries( set aside 1/2 cup berries for later) ...thawed, pureed and strained to remove seeds.
2 cups lowfat plain yogurt ( or vanilla )
1/2 fat free milk
1 tsp sugar substitute if wanted
In mixing bowl, combine yogurt, milk, berry puree and sugar substitute. Mix well. Follow directions for your icecream maker with regards to freezing your bowl. Turn ice cream maker on and pour yogurt berry mixture into freezer bowl through the ingredient spout. Let mix until thickened approximately 25-30 minutes. Optional: 2 hours in freezer to "ripen" ( set up ). Serve and eat! MMmmmm delicious! Note: the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar. Being Diabetic now I will not add sugar to this kind of dessert. I did add some splenda, but only to cut some of the tartness of the berries.

Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

We dont have to sacrifice taste to eat healthier. We just need to be creative, improvise and add herbs or spices to add flavor. Mom mentioned she bought an Eggplant and mentioned she felt like having Eggplant Parmesan. So sunday morning I decided to prepare the pan of EP for monday nites dinner. I peeled and sliced the eggplant to about 1/4 inch slices. Drizzled with olive oil and went outside with my iced coffee for some grilling. I thought grilling off the eggplant would be alot healthier than breading it and frying it in oil. Putting some nice grill marks on the eggplant slices I then assembled the EP. There was left over sauce in the refrigerator from thursday nites dinner ( we made extra purposely ), and we usually always have some fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese on hand. Preparing the EP the way I would normally, I stacked the eggplant, sauce and cheese, I topped it with about a 1/4 of a cup of grated parmesan for some added flavor and texture on top. I will bake the casserole dish in a 350 degree oven until sauce and cheese is bubbly approximately 30min. Half covered to heat thru and half uncovered until the cheese is a golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving. Some steamed broccoli for my side dish and Voila, EP the quick and healthy way. I think next time I am going to experiment with maybe some whole wheat panko breadcrumbs sprinkled in between the layers or on top of the melted cheese to add some of that texture we get from our fried counterpart. Remember, Life is full of Tasty Morsels!

Thats Amore

Whats better than Pizza? not much! Dont we ALL love pizza? and how many kinds of pizza are there? Thin crust, Chicago, Sicilian, Grandma's, square, sauce, no sauce, veggies, cheese...I could go on and on. I decided this morning to take the Boboli 100% whole wheat pizza shells out of the freezer. There was some fresh mozzarella, gorgeous garden tomatoes and a big pot of fresh Basil in the yard. MMmmmm Pizza. Placing a piece of parchment paper on my half sheet pan, I placed the boboli shell on top. I took one large clove of garlic and crushed it. I rubbed the crushed clove all over the pizza shell. I sliced the tomatoes nice and thin placing them all around the shell. Grabbing a large bunch of fresh Basil from outside, I ripped it off the stems and sprinkled it all over the tomatoes. SLicing the fresh mozzarella cheese as thin as I could, I placed it over the tomatoes and basil. I did not cover the entire shell in cheese, just enough to melt nicely. Some fresh cracked black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil ( about 1 TBS for the whole shell ) to finish it off. In a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 min. until the cheese is bubbly but not browned. Remove from oven and let sit for a minute or so to allow cheese to settle before slicing. A couple of slices and a nice salad is a great fast and easy dinner. I am hoping in the future to calculate calories and carbs for the recipes I post. A healthier way to eat pizza...I know when I was on WW last year, it was about 6 points for a third of the boboli shell. Mom and her hubby loved it. She of course had a glass of wine and was lookin pretty happy. Of course she forgot to take a picture of the pizza when it was done cooking so I can only post the before pic. LOL. I guess it smelled good and she was hungry! Next time....and Remember...Life is full of Tasty Morsel's!

Changes in Attitudes......

I decided to give my blog a new makeover. A fresh new look. Color and whimsy. Its a physical and mental makeover. New recipes, new ideas, new everything. Including me. I mentioned in my previous blog that I was having some health issues. Well I have all the results and fortunately I am blessed. Everything the doctor told me can be treated with diet and exercise. That being said, I have to change my attitude before I can change my appearance....or maybe its changing my appearance that will help change my attitude. Either way, New Blog New me! Damn the genetics....I am now Diabetic. I guess the thinking it will never happen to me took over, as I never worried about doing things to reduce my risk of being diagnosed with it. Its now a part of my life and I have choices....along with some other health problems its time to CHANGE!! I am going to see a nutritionist next week to find out what is going to work best for me. Since I have extremely high trigycerides, very low good cholesterol and slightly elevated blood pressure along with the diabetes, I am going to need to know what to do. I am going to work on recipes that I love and make them healthier so I can still enjoy them. Loving food was a part of my life long before I went to Culinary School. Noone wants to just give up the things they love, so this is my mission : To find tasty and healthy alternatives to the foods I love so much. I will be sharing it all with you, and please send me your favorite healthy recipe or ideas....thats what its all about. Trying new things and passing it on. I am also changing my sign off. I loved the "Bite Me" but I think its time for yet another change...so here we go...hope you like it. Remember....Life is full of Tasty Morsels, enjoy them all.

You can take the Chef out of the kitchen but....

Its been quite a while since I posted anything on my blog. Health issues and some self pity prevented me from even wanting to cook or write. Thanks to some old friends from HS that I have reconnected with, and some awesome family members ( you know who you are CIL ), I think I'm back! LOL. The past couple of weeks I have been cooking alot. So far our summer has been pretty hot ( for NY ) so I am trying to stay out of the kitchen and outside at the grill as much as I can. You'd be suprised how much can be cooked on the grill. My prep work is done as early in the day as I can, with as little work as possible involved. One of my culinary instructors always said "prep" is 90% of the work. I truly believe that. Its the most time consuming and tedious work there is. Get it done and out of the way. Its what we call "Mise en place" which is the french term referring to having all the ingredients necessary for a dish, prepared and ready to combine up to the point of cooking. My mise en place is all ready for tonites dinner. We are having Talapia. Tilapia have very low levels of mercury, as they are fast-growing and short-lived with a primarily vegetarian diet, and thus do not accumulate mercury found in prey. Tilapia is a low total fat, low saturated fat, low calorie, low carbohydrate and low sodium protein source, as well as high in other vitamins and minerals. I will be coating the Talapia with an Japanese spice blend called Shichimi Togarashi which is a combination of red chili flakes, white sesame seeds, nori( seaweed ), dried mandarin orange peel, black hemp seeds, and white poppy seeds. It is also knows as 7 spice seasoning. It has a peppery citrus flavor that brings out the simple and clean flavors of the food used with it. I will cook the fish on the grill using a fish basket since the peices of talapia I have are a bit thin. Each peice of fish will get some of my Mango salsa which couldnt have been easier to make. It enhances the citrus flavor of the Togarashi spice and gives a coolness to the heat of the spice.

Mango Salsa

2 ripe mangoes diced small
1/2 small red onion diced
1/2 roasted red pepper small diced
1/2 jalepeno finely diced no seeds
Juice of 1 small lime
Salt and Cracked Black Pepper to taste. ( salt will bring out the sweetness of the mango)
mix all together and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

I use the mango salsa recipe for Fish and Chicken. I also substitute fruits...I love nectarines and peaches which give a great flavor to Pork(just add some fresh grated ginger) Be creative, try something you like! And remember......BITE ME!

Tastes like Chcken?

How many ways are there to cook chicken....I think enough to serve chicken every nite for a couple of years and not have the same thing twice....I am trying to eat a little lighter these days in hopes to lose a bit of that post summmer weight. Last week I thought about making that old comfort standby Chicken and Dumplings and decided that I needed a lighter fare. Chicken Marsala....one of my old favorite standbys...Its easy, light and delicious. I serve it with Brown Rice ( not a substitute for dumplings or mashed potatoes but it will do ), and usually roasted asparagus or some other great vegetable. Here is my recipe for Chicken Marsala...

Chicken Marsala by Michele

Ingredients:
4 large boneless breasts sliced thin
1 small shallot minced
1 clove of garlic minced
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup marsala wine
1 lb mushrooms sliced

Dredge the chicken fillets in flour. Melt 2 Tbs butter with 2 tbs olive oil in saute pan. Sear the breasts in the oil until golden brown. Remove from pan. Melt another 2 tbs butter and 2 tbs olive oil in same pan. Saute garlic and shallots. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 min. Deglaze the pan with the Marsala wine....add chicken stock. ( delgazing is removing all the bits of food that are on the bottom of the pan) Add the chicken back to the saute pan and cook on a low simmer for 45 min to 1 hour. Make a slurry of cornstarch and cold water using 1 tbs cornstarch and 2 tbs COLD water. Add to pan and let come to boil to thicken. Serve over Brown Rice.
Hope you enjoy it!
Remember - BITE ME!!

Always be prepared....Boy Scout motto or Culinary Proverb?

Its been a couple of weeks since I last blogged. Christmas has come and gone..Its 2010. I have been sooo busy cooking, baking, visiting and basically just enjoying the time with family and friends. I was determined to not overwhelm myself with all the baking and shopping we normally go through in preparation of the holidays. Call me anal, but it serves its purpose. My Christmas shopping was finished before I left for Dallas the beginning of November ( I also made my mother finish hers ). So when I got home Thanksgiving week I was ready to shake and bake. Since my mother left for her Carribean vacation 2 days after Thanksgiving, I took advantage of the empty house to decorate and prep my baking. Once the tree was up, lights on outside, and the house cleaned I started making my cookie doughs. This year I decided to make a couple of new cookies so it was going to be 7 types in all. I doubled each dough and froze them in quarters. Now I could bake, as needed, smaller amounts and NOT be overwhelmed. Each week, a couple of trays of cookies went into the oven, and we had fresh baked cookies throughout the holidays. I lost count of the amount of cookies I baked, but I do know I made 7 rum cakes, 1 chocolate with chocolate ganache cake,and 1 chocolate with raspberry and chocolate ganache cake, and one batch of Aunt Carole Anne's Eggnog. That is just the beginning. I of course forgot to take pictures of everything I made so I have vowed to myself that this Year ( 2010 ) I will not only be prepared but I will deliver the goods! and Remember....Bite Me!