Recipe Wednesday: White Sangria

White Sangria
Serves 4-6 guests

1 bottle Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
1/4 cup peach schnapps
1 ea orange, thinly sliced
1 ea lemon, thinly sliced
1 ea lime, thinly sliced
1 ea. Granny Smith apple, corded and sliced
1 cup seedless white grapes, halved
1 cup ginger ale
To chill ice cubes

In a pitcher, combine the wine, peach schnapps and cut fruit and mix well. Place the pitcher in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. The sangria will sweeten with time, so the longer it sits, the better. Just before serving, stir in the ginger ale and ice cubes. Enjoy!

Cooking Tip: Boiling vs Simmering

Need to measure your boiling temperature?
Check our selection of cooking thermometers.

Are you simmering or boiling? Many recipes will instruct you to bring a liquid (usually water) to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. The main reason for this method is to compensate for the drop in temperature when food is added. While both techniques are very similar and may be used in the same recipe their effect on foods are very different.

Simmering or a "gentle boil" happens at temperatures between 185 degrees and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. This method of cooking allows meats and other foods more time to cook without overcooking. You'll recognize the simmer by the occasional small bubbles that rise to the center. Simmering requires less energy from your appliances and keeps many proteins from becoming tough.

Boiling is reserved for liquids, typically water, at the temperature of 212 degrees. Once a liquid reaches a higher temperature, it's transformed into steam. You'll recognize it by the rapid, rolling, large bubbles rising to the surface. Boiling may be used on green vegetables to cook them quickly and keep their texture and color. It may also be used to keep foods like pasta moving quickly so it doesn't stick together or get soggy. Boiling may also be used to reduce sauces.

Recipe Wednesday: Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

CHOCOLATE CRANBERRY COOKIES

Taken from our Healthy Eating with David class in January 2010.
Makes 1 dozen cookies

1/2 cup white whole-wheat flour (King Arthur)
1/2 cup whole rolled oats
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sunflower butter or favorite nut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp orange zest (optional)
1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup cranberries or favorite dried fruit, chopped

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the sunflower butter, honey, oil, and vanilla. Pour the flour mixture into the sunflower butter mixture and stir until combined. Mix in the cranberries and chocolate and allow the dough to rest for five minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Spoon a heaping tablespoonful of dough onto a non-stick or lightly greased cookie sheet and gently flatten the cookies with a fork or fingers. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown, but be careful not to over bake as honey browns fast. Allow the cookies to cool five minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Tip – Great thing about using sunflower butter is that a kid who is allergic to peanuts can enjoy this cookie.

Cooking Tips: Skewers

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Summertime means lots of meals cooked over the grill. And with the variety of fresh vegetables available right now, almost everything can be cooked over the grill. Skewers can help you stabilize cut up vegetables and meats so they don't fall through the grates of your grill. Use two skewers instead of one to stabilize the food even more. For metal skewers, check out twisted or square skewers to help keep your food in place and prevent slipping. If you prefer wooden skewers, keep the foods closer together so there's no space between them. You'll also want to soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before threading on the food to keep the skewers from catching fire on the grill. And to keep from over-cooking one food and under cooking another, put foods with similar cook times on the same skewer.

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Recipe Wednesday: Caprese Whole-Wheat Pizza

Caprese Whole-Wheat Pizza

Whole wheat crust
Makes 6 - 12" crusts
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp dry active yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp dried herbs, chopped (optional)
4 cups white whole-wheat flour (King Arthur)

In a large bowl, dissolve the honey in warm water. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand for about 10 minutes until foamy.

Stir the olive oil, herbs and salt into the yeast mixture and mix in the flour until dough comes together.

Transfer the dough to a floured countertop and knead until it becomes smooth, about 4-5 minutes. If any of the dough sticks to your hands, just rub them with a little extra flour. The finished dough will be springy, elastic and sticky, not just tacky. Place dough back in an oiled bowl, cover loosely with a towel, and put in a warm place until doubled in size.

Transfer the dough to a floured countertop and cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and mold each into a ball. Cover loosely with a towel and allow the balls of dough to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Gently press the dough ball into a dish and pull the dough out to a 12-inches or so. Place the dough on a peel or the back of a sheet pan dusted with cornmeal. Add your toppings (less is more!) and slide the topped pizza onto the baking stone or baking pan. Bake until the crust is crisp and nicely colored. (12-15 minutes)

Tip--Partially bake the crust by cutting the cooking time in half. Allow the crust to cool, place a piece of wax paper between each and place in a freezer bag. As you need a crust, pull one from the freezer, allow them to thaw overnight in teh refrigerator. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and apply your favorite toppings. Place in the oven and bake until the crust is crisp and cheese is melted. Frozen crust will keep for up to 3 months.

Fresh vs Dried Herbs and Spices

Adjustable measuring spoons
make measuring spices easy.

We all know fresh is best. But what happens when your recipe calls for fresh spices and all you have on hand is dried? In most instances, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of a dried herb or spice for 1 Tablespoon of the fresh. Some recipes just aren't the same without fresh ingredients like fresh basil in a Caprese salad. But in most cases, you can easily substitute the dried version of a spice in place of the fresh. Keep in mind that dried spices tend to loose some flavor over time, so if that container has been in the cabinet for a while you might add a slight about more than the day after you bought it.

Have fresh herbs left over? Add it to a mild oil or vinegar to use as infusions for later cooking.

Cooking Tip: Avacados

Avacados provide some amazing nutritional benefits and can be used in anything from dips and soups to main dishes and even dessert.

When you are shopping for avacados, pay attention to both the color and firmness of the fruit. Avacados soften and ripen after they are picked, so a firm green avacado is the freshest but will ripen in 3-4 days. A softer, more mottled avacado may be used in 2-3 days. If you need an avacado to use right away, look for one with a dark green skin.

If the avacado has mushy spots, appears to be pulling away from the skin or has a rattling pit, put it back.

When you are ready to prepare your avacado, check out our slicer/peeler tool as a quick and easy way to get the most of your fruit without damaging it.

Recipe Wednesday: Tuscan Roasted Vegetables

Tuscan Roasted Vegetables
(Taken from our Culinary Journey: Florence class.)
 The vegetables can be prepared in advance and reheated.

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Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 large garlic cloves, crushed and minced

1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges, each wedge cut into 3 pieces

1 large red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 large fennel bulb, cut into 8 wedges, layers separated

2 small to medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into quarters, and then each quarter cut into 3 pieces

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Put all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Add thyme leaves in and drizzle olive oil over the mixture. Mix completely.

3. Arrange the mixture on two baking sheets, spreading them in an even layer. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the vegetables and place in the oven.

4. Roast vegetables for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender when pricked with a knife.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or let them cool for later use.

To serve these vegetables as a salad: Cool vegetable to room temperature. Arrange some lettuce leaves on a serving dish, top with the vegetables and make a dressing by whisking together the following:

1 1/2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, scallion or chives.

Use spoon to drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and serve at once.