The bright flavor and crunch of these pickled red onions makes them a perfect accompaniment for Carnitas de Lia or on a sandwich with roasted chicken, Spiced Pork Roast or Devilish Egg Salad. I also like to add them to quesadillas. You can alter the flavor profile by using a different type of vinegar and changing the herbs and spices.
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NOURISH Evolution makes a splash–and covers the gamut of dietary philosophies–in the November 2010 issue of Natural Health magazine. Pick up an issue to check out Lia’s recipes for Pancetta and Sage-Basted Heritage Turkey, Beef Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Gravy and Shallot-Mustard Rubbed Crown Roast of Pork, which accompany “The Conscious Carnivore” story.
I weigh in on vegan diets in “Vegging Out,” and conclude that, yes, an animal-free diet can be a smart–and tasty–choice. And try out hearty, warming fare like Mediterranean Chickpea Stew with Greens, Red Lentil Dal and Quinoa with Braised Collards, Mushrooms and “Sausage” to add to your Meatless Monday rotation.
By Linda West Eckhardt
Pumpkin makes a terrific addition to Bundt cake. It adds rich autumn flavor, plus fiber and vitamins A and C. Start with a fresh 2- to 3-pound sugar pumpkin or winter squash, cook it in the microwave until tender (about 10 minutes), then scrape out the flesh, peel and mash. Or even simpler, use 1 (15-ounce) can of pumpkin (make sure you pick up pumpkin puree and not premade pumpkin pie filling). Buy the freshest nuts you can find; the cake will have a lovely caramel color and bright, complex flavor from the marriage of squash and spices dappled with this season’s nuts.
Cake:
4 large eggs
Nonstick cooking spray with flour (such as Spectrum Canola Spray with Flour)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/4 cups canola oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups mashed pumpkin OR 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons chopped toasted pecans
Place eggs in a bowl of hot tap water (to quickly bring them to room temperature so they beat to maximum volume). Position oven rack in the middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan with cooking spray.
To prepare cake, sift together flour and next 6 ingredients (through ground cloves) onto a sheet of wax paper.
Place oil and eggs in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer to combine. Add granulated sugar and vanilla; beat well. With the mixer running, gradually add flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at low speed. Beat in pumpkin, zest and 1 teaspoon juice. Fold in 3/4 cup nuts.
Scrape batter into prepared pan (pan will be very full). Bake 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of pan; carefully turn pan and rack to gently remove cake from pan. Cool cake on wire rack.
To prepare glaze, place butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer to combine thoroughly. Add powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly. Scrape glaze over the top of still-warm cake and spread over the top with an offset spatula (glaze will drizzle down the sides of the cake). Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons nuts.
Serves 16
Linda West Eckhardt is a James Beard Award-winning author of more than 20 cookbooks, including Cakes from Scratch in Half the Time (Chronicle Books).
We’ve talked a lot about the aquaculture, from the need for sustainable aquaculture to feed the world’s growing appetite for seafood to how you, as a consumer, can identify responsibly farmed fish at the market.
Part of the challenge, of course, is that all fish farming isn’t created equal. On the good-news front, yesterday the Pew Charitable Trusts announced the development of a new Global Aquaculture Performance Index (GAPI). Developed by a team of experts at Canada’s University of Victoria, collaborating with Pew Environmental Group’s Aquaculture Standards Project, GAPI offers measures to quantify the environmental impact of finfish farming, such as the use of antibiotics, the sustainability of the fish feed, and discharge of water pollutants.
The index focuses on finfish because large-scale farming of salmon, cod and the like has the greatest effect on the environment. “Large-scale farming of salmon, for example, even under even the best current practices creates large-scale problems,” says Dr. John Volpe of the University of Victoria.
GAPI can be used to evaluate the environmental sustainability of aquaculture anywhere in the world. It can be used to assess individual operations, the overall performance of different species, or national aquaculture industries. Volpe notes that GAPI can be particularly useful in Asia, which has the fastest-growing aquaculture industry but a lagging environmental record. But even the most responsible operations have room for improvement, he adds.
Ultimately, GAPI can help improve the worldwide standards for aquaculture, says Chris Mann, senior officer and director of the Pew Environment Group’s Aquaculture Standards Project. Governments can use it to shape regulations for aquaculture, while fish farmers can use it to create environmentally responsible operations. It’s possible that one day farmed fish will carry a GAPI score on labels (the higher the score, the better the environmental performance), which consumers can use to identify the most sustainable options.
You have nothing to fear from our Halloween party menu. We’ve got a yummy main dish, plus fixin’s and plenty of treats to appease goblins of all ages on fright night.
Savory Ghoulish Nibbles
Lia’s go-to savory snack is Noemi’s Remixed Party Mix, which is an updated version of old-school Chex mix. The little monsters will come back for more!
Devilishly Good Salad
Our Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad with Pecan-Coated Goat Cheese is chock-full of bright fall colors and flavors.
Monster’s Main Dish
Carnitas de Lia are Lia’s lightened version of a Mexican classic. Flavor the pork with a super-simple spice rub and put it on the braise about 4 hours before the party starts for a fabulous treat. Don’t forget to whip up a batch of Guatemalan Guacamole to serve with it!
Scary Sweets
Check out our roundup of 6 fiendishly tasty treats from the NOURISH Evolution kitchens, including a new recipe for Maple Caramel Popcorn.
Happy Halloween, my little pretties!
If you have an iPad and you like to cook, it probably accompanies you into the kitchen. Mine certainly does. But you want to protect that investment from getting wet or dirty. We like the iSkin Duo, which is a fitted silicone cover.
This week, we’re giving away a free iSkin Duo iPad cover in NOURISH Evolution blue!
The iSkin Duo fits your iPad like a glove for a slim profile. What I like best is that it covers the iPad’s various buttons so they can’t get gunked up with crud when I accidentally grab it with floury hands (hey, it happens). It’s made from BPA-free silicone that’s also antimicrobial. If the iSkin gets dirty, you can wash it with warm water and dish soap and let it air-dry. Heck, if it gets really dirty, you can sanitize it by throwing it in boiling water.
But, friends, you have to play to win this iPad must-have accessory.
So here’s the deal. Only NOURISH Evolution members are eligible to win, so now’s the time to join if you haven’t already! Then, head on over to the Thursday Giveaway group in our community area and leave a comment to be entered to win (important: be sure you’re signed in to NOURISH Evolution so we can find you).
Lia will announce the winner in next Friday’s Friday Digest!
Good luck!
As I’ve noted here before, things were different when I was a kid. It was the era of Space Age food, Tang and TV dinners. Come to think of it, thanks to Tang, I can’t stand to drink fresh orange juice with pulp to this day. Halloween was no exception. By the time we were 5, my friends and I were skipping up the block unsupervised to demand candy from the neighbors.
I knew to bring my haul home for Mom to inspect before I opened even one little Tootsie Roll or package of Smarties. We’d dump the contents of my trick-or-treating bag onto the dining room table and she’d paw through it, pulling out anything that looked vaguely suspicious. It was, after all, the age of urban legends about razor blades in apples and poisoned candy. That meant any unpackaged goodies were discarded–pieces of fruit and homemade treats (unless I could absolutely, positively recall who had given to me).
Looking back, I think that concern was really an excuse for Mom to set aside her favorite treats to nibble when I wasn’t looking. I was OK with that, as long as she didn’t swipe my Clark bars.
Times have changed, though. Kids still go trick-or-treating, of course, but little ghouls and goblins are just as likely to gather for a party at a friend’s house. In that case, homemade Halloween treats will trump the store-bought kind every time. With that in mind, here are 6 treats from the NOURISH Evolution kitchens. Happy Halloween, my little fiends!
Noe’s Remixed Party Mix. Unlike me and my mom, not everyone has a raging sweet tooth. Put out bowls of this savory, updated version of Chex mix to help counteract the holiday sugar high.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Treats. Little ghosts will gobble up these these chocolate-topped popcorn squares no time. If you want to enjoy any yourself, take my mom’s cue and set aside a couple of them before the party starts.
Salted Pistachio Brittle. Crunchy, salty and sweet, this brittle is delightful on its own or sprinkled over vanilla ice cream.
Ruby-Studded Meringue Buttons. For Halloween, you can use candy corn in place of the dried fruit and almonds called for in this recipe. Boo!
Fair-Trade Chocolate Earthquake Cookies. Made with dark chocolate, these cookies are full of deep-flavored goodness that will appeal to grown-up ghouls who haven’t figured out that they’ve outgrown trick-or-treating. (No, you’re never really too old.)
Maple Caramel Popcorn. This goody is mildly addictive, but because it’s based on fiber-rich popcorn it’s also filling so you can’t overindulge. Well, not too much, anyway…
Think of this caramel popcorn recipe as Cracker Jacks with an upscale theme. I’m into Chinese five spice powder these days and like the bright note it lends to the caramel. If you don’t have it on hand, you can substitute ground cinnamon. Because this caramel is made with maple syrup and agave nectar, it doesn’t change color dramatically, so this is a good recipe to use a candy thermometer or digital thermometer. You can break this popcorn into bite-size pieces or form it into popcorn balls.
10 cups plain popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup unpopped)
3/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons raw organic blue agave nectar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Place popped popcorn and peanuts in a large, lightly oiled bowl. Combine salt, Chinese five spice and baking soda in a small bowl. Lightly oil 2 silicone spatulas or wooden spoons. Set aside.
Combine sugar and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Place a heatproof bowl in the top of the saucepan for 2 minutes; the condensation will wash away any sugar that has crystallized on the side of the pan. Remove bowl. Cook sugar mixture until it registers 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the salt mixture (the caramel will bubble).
Pour caramel over popcorn mixture. Toss to combine with two lightly oiled silicone spatulas. When the mixture begins to set (it should be cool enough to handle; otherwise wear a pair of latex gloves), lightly oil your hands and, working quickly, break it apart into bite-size pieces or form it into 2-inch balls. Place on a baking sheet to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Serves 20-25
We’re proud to introduce the first member of the NOURISH Evolution Advisory Board: Rebecca Katz, M.S. We profiled Rebecca as a Nourishing Hero, thanks to her smart, delicious approach to nutrition. She’s the author of The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery and One Bite at a Time: Nourishing Recipes for Cancer Survivors and Their Friends (both published by Celestial Arts).
I first heard about agave nectar about five years ago. It’s the the liquid sweetener made from the agave plant–the same plant that gives us that other sweet nectar: tequila. And what could be wrong with that? When agave nectar first emerged in the 1990s, it was heralded as a low-glycemic alternative to sugar. Since then, questions about agave’s nutritional credibility have cropped up, so I asked NOURISH Evolution adviser Rebecca Katz, M.S., to help clear up the confusion.
“I use it in the cookbook [The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen] extremely sparingly,” says Katz. “But I wrote the cookbook before a lot of the more controversial information about agave came out.”
Agave nectar is comprised mostly of fructose. That means it has a low glycemic index, which means it doesn’t raise blood glucose as dramatically as, say, table sugar. Sounds good, especially if you’re diabetic, right? It’s also thought to have potential anti-inflammatory properties.
Not quite, says Katz. “It is a sweetener, and like any sweetener, it will interfere with metabolism in some way and can leave you feeling hungry,” she says. “Don’t pick it up thinking it’s a ‘healthy’ magic bullet.” According to the Glycemic Research Institute, a testing lab in Washington, D.C., large amounts of agave nectar can cause metabolic reactions in diabetics who eat too much of the stuff. The American Diabetes Association considers it like any other sweetener–table sugar, maple syrup, molasses and the like.
As with any sweetener, you should use agave nectar sparingly. “You have to look at agave like you would look at honey, or sugar or any other sweetener,” says Katz. “Used in moderation, it’s fine.” Agave nectar is about 1.5 times sweeter than cane sugar, so you can use less.
But not all agave nectars are created equal. Some are as processed and refined as high fructose corn syrup. “Look at the label very carefully because some of the big commercial brands can be cut with other ingredients,” Katz warns. Your best bet: raw, organic, blue agave nectar.
From a culinary perspective, agave is nice to include among your repertoire of sweeteners. It also works well as an inert sugar instead of corn syrup in candy-making, as we’ve used it in this Salted Pistachio Brittle. It has a more neutral taste and thinner consistency than honey, so you can use it in place of simple syrup in cocktails.
“It would make a great mojito!” says Katz.
Bulk-bin buys are the basis for this recipe, starting with amaranth seeds, a high-protein grain, along with golden raisins, pistachios, and the fancy salt for the brittle. Cooked amaranth has a gelatinous quality that lends itself to pudding. If you have a chai spice blend on hand, substitute 1 teaspoon for the cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. This pudding caused a little controversy in our household. I loved the flavor and aroma of the warm spices. Richard liked the texture, but would have preferred it plain, without the spices–”like a proper English pudding.” Of course, not too many English puddings are made with amaranth, but a version of this sans spices would be a kid- and Englishman-friendly dessert.
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