Vita-Miami

CRISPY OVEN FRIED CHICKEN

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Spray cooking pan with olive-oil spray

1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise 3/4 pound chicken breasts cut in half (skinned)
1 tbsp mustard 2 cups corn flakes (crushed)
1/2 tsp salt

Stir together mayonnaise, mustard, garlic and salt. Add chicken and coat evenly. Put corn flake crumbs in plastic bag. Add chicken pieces and shake to coat. Place on prepared baking pan. Spray chicken with cooking spray and bake 35 minutes or until golden brown.

note; 186 calories, 4 grams fat, 11 grams carb, 2 grams sugar, 26 grams protein.

LIGHTENED UP SHEPHERD’S PIE

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 1/2 pounds potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks) 1 large onion (chopped)
1/2 cup low-fat greek yogurt 1 pound lean ground beef
3/4 tsp salt 1 cup frozen corn
1/2 tsp black pepper 2 tsp olive oil

Put potatoes in large pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered until potatoes are tender; Drain. Mash until smooth; stir in yogurt, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onions; cook, stirring, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add beef and cook, breaking meat apart with wooden spoon until browned. Drain off fat. Add remaining salt and pepper. Spoon meat into 1 1/2 quart casserole. Add frozen corn and cover with the mashed potatoes. Bake until potatoes start to brown, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

note; per serving (1 cup) 255 calories, 5 grams fat, 33 gram carbs, 8 grams sugar

ROMANO MARINARA SAUCE

A classic marinara sauce made healthier by using low-sodium tomato sauce. Pair this with whole wheat pasta or use this lighter version of gnocchi.

1 28 ounce can low-sodium tomato sauce 4 fresh basil leaves
1 large onion (quartered) 1 bay leaf
1 carrot (quartered) 1 tsp dried oregano

In large sauce pan over medium heat, heat all ingredients together, stirring, for 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and process the vegetables with an immersion blender. For a smoother sauce, strain and discard vegetables.

Gnocchi is a small potato dumpling which can be very heavy and rich, but here is a slimmed down version.

The eggs and cheese have been omitted to save on calories.

GNOCCHI

3 large russet potatoes, cooked and peeled salt
2 cups flour 3/4 cup marinara sauce

In a large bowl, mash the potatoes until smooth. Add half of the flour and knead. Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes. Add more flour and knead for about 3 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Add as little flour as possible, so the dough won’t get tough.

Divide into baseball size balls and roll each ball into a rope about 8 to 10 inches long. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Make an indention into each piece with your thumb. They can now be frozen in plastic bags or cooked.

In large pot of boiling water, cook your gnocchi for 3 to 5 minutes or until they rise to the top of the pan.

Remove from pan, drain and keep warm while finishing the rest of the gnocchi.

Serve with the marinara sauce.

note; per serving calories 243, fat 0.5 grams, sodium 71 mg

When my children were young, we use to go strawberry picking. I think they ate more than they put in the containers. We would always freeze plenty, so we could enjoy them in the winter months.

Strawberry Petal Pie

10 ounces fresh strawberries (cut up, sprinkled with sugar)
5 1/2 tbsp cornstarch 3 egg yolks,(beaten)
3/4 cup sugar 1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla
3 cups milk 9 inch baked pie crust.

Press berries through sieve to make a puree.
In sauce pan mix strawberry puree with 1 tbsp cornstarch.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, combine remaining cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Add milk, stirring until smooth.

Over medium heat bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Boil about 1 minute and remove from the heat.
Stir a small amount of mixture into egg mixture to temper the eggs.
Return egg mixture to sauce pan, mixing well.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Boil for 1 minute and remove from the heat.

Stir in butter and vanilla. Alternate the strawberry mixture and custard mixture into the pie shell. With a spatula or knife, make a decorative swirl. Decorate with topping.

Topping:
1 pint strawberries 2 tbsp confectionary sugar
1 cup heavy cream 1/2 tsp vanilla
Wash and hull strawberries. Cut in half, length wise. Beat cream with sugar.
Spread half of the cream over the pie. Arrange strawberry petals over the cream. Put rest of cream in pastry bag and decorate. Or make a small pile right in the center of the pie.

Another good strawberry pie is…

Strawberry Cheese Pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 cup very cold butter
1/4 cup sugar 1 egg yolk
1 tsp lemon (grated)
1/4 tsp vanilla

Mix together flour, sugar and lemon rind.
Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the butter, in small pieces.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix with a fork or your hands.
Mix well until dough is soft.

Press 2/3 of the dough into 10 inch pie pan.
Press the rest of the dough around the side, but not the rim.
Chill overnight. Prick with a fork and bake in preheated oven.

Filling:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

20 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp orange and lemon rind (grated)
1/4 tsp vanilla
3 eggs and 1 egg white
1 quart strawberries (washed and hulled)
2 tbsp heavy cream
3/4 cup currant jelly.

Cream the cheese until fluffy.
Gradually add the sugar, flour and salt.
Beat in the eggs and the white, one at a time.
Add vanilla and pour into prepared crust.
Bake for 7 minutes.
Reduce heat to 200 degrees and bake 15 minutes more.
Remove from oven and cool.

Place strawberries on pie bottom side up and pour jelly over strawberries. Let set.

Meat is the most expensive item on your grocery list. To save money when buying meat and to maximize the food value in your family’s diet, consider all the options and information in this article.

Buy on sale. Meat prices soar and dip from week to week. When you see meat that is on sale, make sure the price you are to pay is a true bargain. Sometimes the “sale price”, while lower than the normal pricing at the store, is not going to save you much. Check the price per pound to determine if the total price is a good one.

What is a good price? Beef priced below $3.25 per pound is a bargain. Pork priced below $2.50 per pound is a good price. Chicken priced below $1.90 per pound is a good price. You can often find better prices on pork and chicken than you can on beef. As an example, I recently picked up “Value Packs” of chicken leg quarters at 59 cents per pound. Stores frequently use “Value Packs” which contain enough meat for a large number of meals, as loss leaders. (A loss leader is an item deliberately priced below the amount the store needs to make a profit. Loss leaders serve to attract customers who will, hopefully, buy numerous other grocery items during their visit.) At first glance the cost for a “Value Pack” might seem like more money than you want to spend, but remember you can make several meals from the package and fulfill your goal of serving low-cost meals.

Prices are often lower in the freezer department. Compare pricing for similar items between the fresh and freezer sections to find the best price.

What to buy. Roasts, whole chickens, and whole turkeys are usually the lowest cost per pound in the fresh meat section. However, ground meats in the fresh section are much higher in price than they used to be and are not much of a bargain any more. For the best prices on ground meats check the freezer section where you might still find ground turkey and turkey sausage for under $2.00 a pound.

Ham is frequently discounted at Easter and Christmas. Sometimes grocery stores will use “Value Packs” of Country Ribs or pork chops as loss-leaders to lure in customers.

With beef, consider a chuck roast. The pricing on this cut of beef is often more reasonable than cuts such as steak. Liver, kidneys, and other organ meats used to be the cheapest beef products available. Organ meats are rarely offered now and are not the bargains they once were.

How to use what you buy. First, pay close attention to serving sizes. A serving of meat is three to four ounces per person (about the size of a deck of cards). Paying attention to serving sizes will extend your budget and may result in a healthier diet.

Second, chose to serve meals which stretch out your protein. In soups, casseroles, and stir-frys for example, the meat is augmented by vegetables and various forms of starches to provide a filling, nutritious meal.

Third, cook up the entire roast or “value pack”. Serve correctly portion-sized meals on the first night with the meat as the feature. For instance, with a whole chicken, roast the chicken and serve sliced breast meat with mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, and half an apple for dessert. Then divide the remaining meat into portions for several future meals. Take off the legs and wings and freeze them for another meal. Pick the remaining meat off the bones. Measure out 2 cups of the shredded meat and freeze for use in soups, casseroles, stir-frys, chicken salad, and other recipes calling for cubed, shredded, or chopped chicken. Take the carcass, and place it in an 8-quart pot. Add water to within 2 inches of the rim of the pot. Boil the bones for 30 minutes. Let the mixture cool off for 15 minutes, then remove the bones with tongs. Pour the stock with its tender, meaty bits into pint-size freezer containers. Use this delicious, hearty stock in soup.

Fourth, use tenderizing cooking methods for less tender cuts of meat. Beef can become leather-like if not cooked properly. Even pork with its higher fat content can end up dry, stringy, and difficult to chew if not cooked right. The easiest and tastiest way to cook less tender cuts of meat is to braise or “slow cook” them.

Here is a good recipe for use in a crock pot. Start by layering potatoes, green beans, and carrots in the pot. Place a roast or country ribs on top of the vegetables. Make ½ cup of a mixture of a creamy salad dressing (like Blue Cheese or Ranch), and a vinegar-based salad dressing (like Italian), and barbeque sauce. Use whatever you have on hand. Substitute ketchup for the barbeque sauce, if need be. Or to use the dregs of a salad dressing, pour in a bit of water, close the lid, shake hard, and then pour over the meat. Set your crock pot on High and the meal is done in 4 to 6 hours. Or set the crock pot on Low and the meal is ready in 8 to 10 hours. Remember to portion servings using the three to four ounces per serving rule and divide the remaining meat into freezer bags for use in future meals.

To produce tender, juicy meats using an oven, brown the meat in a frying pan or on a grill. Next, place the meat in a casserole dish. Pour in ½ cup of water, cover with aluminum foil, and place in a 350 degree oven. Chicken, turkey, and pork cuts like chops and ribs will be “fall-off-the-bone” tender in an hour. Roasts take longer. Check for doneness with a meat thermometer.

Even when your budget is tight you can serve and eat meat. Use the tips in this article to get the best cuts at the best prices and to prepare those cuts so you get every bit of goodness out of them.

The history of coffee begins with a legend. Kaldi was a goat herder in the Ethiopian highlands where coffee trees still grow today. Kaldi began to notice that when his goats ate berries from a particular tree, they became much more energetic and were often restless at night. Monks at a local monastery learned of this occurrence from Kaldi and decided to make a drink from the berries which kept them attentive through hours of prayer. Knowledge of this energizing berry quickly spread to the Arabian Peninsula where coffee became so popular that the Arabs began to cultivate and trade this new product.

Legend becomes History

Coffee’s popularity in the Muslim world was attributed to the fact that Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol. Coffee became a welcome replacement, and by the late 1500s, it was enjoyed in Persia, Turkey, Syria, and Egypt. In Arabian cities, coffee houses became popular places to enjoy this beverage and socialize with others while sometimes enjoying performers or other entertainment. The numerous pilgrimages made to Mecca each year brought thousands of outsiders who would there experience coffee for the first time and return with it to their native lands.

The arrival of coffee in Europe was wrought with controversy. Travelers returning from the East brought this mysterious drink back with them, and though it became popular with many, others felt that it was the drink of the devil and asked that the sitting Pope place a ban on the evil liquid. To make his decision, Pope Clement VIII decided to taste coffee for himself. He enjoyed it so much that he issued papal approval of the new beverage. Coffee houses soon emerged throughout the cities of Europe and became the social centers where one could enjoy coffee for a penny and engage in the talk of the day.

Not long after the colonization of America, coffee was brought in and coffee houses were established, but tea remained the favored drink until 1773, when the defiance of British taxes culminated in the Boston Tea Party and many turned to drinking coffee as a form of protest.

Worldwide Cultivation

Wherever coffee went, a demand was established, and coffee became a commodity that many longed to control. The Arabs were able to monopolize production for some time, but eventually cultivation began elsewhere. Towards the end of the 1600s, the Dutch were successful in obtaining some seedlings and growing coffee in their colonies on what is now the Indonesian island of Java. The Dutch were so successful in growing coffee in this region that they soon expanded cultivation to the neighboring islands of Sumatra and Celebes.

Louis XIV received a coffee tree seedling as a gift from the Dutch and had it planted in the botanical garden of Paris. A trimming of this tree is said to have been taken to Martinique where it became the stock for all of the coffee production throughout the Caribbean, South and Central America.

In just a century, coffee had become one of the largest commodities in the world. Riches have been gained and lost in cultivating and trading coffee around the world. As Howard Shultz, the owner of Starbucks, can attest, today coffee can be a profitable commodity, a deserving end to this legendary story. Or is it that Starbucks is now starting to serve alcohol in some of its cafes?

I often wonder what happens to people who don’t eat chocolate when Easter comes around. When the market is flooded with chocolate products and every conceivable ingredient that could possibly be devoured, where can such self-labelled “non-chocolate eaters” escape to? Such events as Easter shows, Easter sales, end of school term and just general planning to enjoy the break from work, all seem to be entwined with the consumption of endless amounts of chocolate. Maybe there should be an alternative food promoted as well as chocolate at Easter. I wonder if apples could be the new chocolate. After all, apples would be a much healthier alternative, but if we went down the line of a healthy food, maybe the carrot fits better with the promotion of rabbits. Carrot sticks may fill the void. So for all the ‘non-chocolate eaters’ who go into hiding during the Easter period, maybe we need to keep them in our thoughts and carry around our own supply of personal carrot sticks in order to offer to them in a giving spirit.

Imagine if everybody became an ‘anti-chocolate eater’. How much revenue would a company like Woolworths actually lose around Easter? Of course they would still rely on hot-cross buns to get them through, but the revenue would be down if people actually stopped eating chocolate at Easter time. Maybe individuals could go out ‘in sympathy’ with the non-chocolate’ eaters and support their plight of having to survive the most chocolate-themed portion of the calendar year by not eating chocolate, or trying not to buy any.

So forgo the chocolate eggs, the chocolate bunnies, the chocolate ducks (yeah I even saw a chocolate duck in the shop), the mountains of varying types of novelty eggs on display, and just breathe a sign of relief when you see the prices drop on Palm Sunday. By this point, Easter celebrations are almost over. Before you realize, it is all over until the next year. Easter has become so chocolate-themed that even trying to choose which church service to attend has now become dependent on which church is offering the best Easter give-away,

I saw a movie on TV entitled “Easter Parade” and that was a movie showcasing fashions being worn at Easter time. There wasn’t a chocolate bunny in sight, or if there were I definitely missed it. What I was left to wonder was that if the movie star did indulge in eating the amount of chocolate that we are led to believe must be consumed at Easter time, there would be no way that she could fit into those gorgeous outfits. Basing Easter on the lie that chocolate must be consumed has led to many unhappy times. And what do we do when we become unhappy? We reach for our comfort food, which nine times out of ten is…CHOCOLATE.