Healthy cooking recipes - Cornmeal Gives Golden Goodness
Cornmeal Gives Golden Goodness
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Corn gets my vote as the most varied and versatile whole grain. It comes in more colors – from white, yellow and red to blackish blue – and more forms than any other whole grain I can think of.
Popcorn, if you didn’t know it, is a whole grain, as are other forms of whole corn, from ears of steamed or grilled fresh corn to frozen or canned kernels. But ground corn is what really fascinates me.
Ground corn comes in many textures, from one fine enough to use in baking to coarsely- cracked grits. Although these can have different names and produce distinctly different results depending on how they are cooked, corn is always delicious.
My mother insisted that school mornings start with hot cereal. Her stone-ground cornmeal, served with maple syrup and cold milk, was one of my favorites. A neighbor, transplanted from Mobile, Alabama, called this cornmeal mush. My Romanian grandfather, who lived with us, refrigerated the leftovers; he later sliced and reheated them until crisp and golden brown, at which point he dubbed the dish mamaliga.
Our Mobile neighbor also introduced me to grits, which can be fine or coarse. Coarse grits are best served baked with cheese and chiles. Stone-ground cornmeal retains the vitamin-rich germ and fiber-rich bran. Always choose yellow cornmeal over white, which lacks the vitamin A in the carotenoids that give it its bright color.
Italian polenta is cornmeal too, but the corn is harder, so it seems more gritty, whether coarse or fine, regular or quick-cooking. Hominy, hominy grits, Mexican masa and masa harina are in a different category because the corn is treated with lye, a process that makes its protein and niacin more available and adds a distinctive taste.
These moist muffins combine two types of whole-grain corn with chiles and cheese.
Whole Corn and Green Chile Muffins (adapted from The New American Plate Cookbook) - Makes 12 servings.
Canola oil spray (optional)
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour, preferably stone-ground
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste (optional)
1/2 cup shredded low-fat sharp cheddar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. fat-free or low-fat (2%) milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 can (8 oz.) salt-free whole kernel corn, well drained
1 can (4.5 oz) diced green chiles, well-drained
cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin pan with canola oil spray or line with paper liners. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, cayenne and cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg with the milk and oil. Mix in the corn and chiles. Add this mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. Fill each muffin cup with even amounts of batter.
Bake muffins 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin close to the center of the pan comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Transfer muffins to the rack and cool completely.
Per serving: 168 calories, 8 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 20 g. carbohydrate, 5 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 275 mg. sodium.
AUTHOR:
“Something Different” is written by Dana Jacobi, author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and contributor to AICR’s New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life.
A Penchant for Pizza
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KING Ferdinand I (1751–1825) is said to have disguised himself as a commoner and, in clandestine fashion, visited a poor neighborhood in Naples. Why the secrecy? One story has it that he wanted to sink his teeth into a food that the queen had banned from the royal court—pizza.
If Ferdinand were alive today, he would have no trouble indulging his appetite. Currently, there are some 30,000 pizzerias in Italy, and each year they produce enough pizzas to serve 45 to each inhabitant!
Humble Origins
Pizza may have originated in Naples about 1720. Back then, pizza was primarily for the poor, a “fast food” that was sold and consumed outdoors. Vendors would traverse the streets loudly calling out to advertise their tasty delicacies. The pizzas were kept warm in a scudo, a copper receptacle that was carried on the vendor’s head.
King Ferdinand I eventually made his penchant for pizza known to the royal court. Before long, this street delicacy won such favor that even members of the wealthy elite and the royal class began flocking to pizzerias. Ferdinand’s grandson, King Ferdinand II, went so far as to have a wood-burning oven built in the gardens of Capodimonte Palace in 1832. Thus, he was able to keep his aristocratic guests happy.
Pizza Nutritious?
Today, pizza is a favorite food of young people, but a word of caution is in order. To be considered nutritious, pizza should be made from healthful ingredients that are balanced in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats and that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Olive oil is a recommended ingredient in pizza. It promotes the formation of HDL, described as “the good type of cholesterol that helps clean the arteries.”
Furthermore, when pizza is cooked well, it rarely causes digestive problems. In part, this is because the carbohydrates in the flour receive an ample amount of hydration during the kneading and leavening process. Meanwhile, the presence of complex carbohydrates contributes to a full feeling, which usually helps keep even the most enthusiastic pizza lover from overindulging.
The next time you indulge your penchant for pizza, recall its humble origins. And be glad that King Ferdinand I did not keep his love for pizza a secret.
Pizza is best cooked in a wood-burning oven. The smoke that is released during cooking gives the pizza a delicate aroma, while the thin layer of ash on the bottom of the pizza gives it a delicious taste.
The world’s largest circular pizza was made in 1990. Its diameter measured more than 122 feet, and it weighed more than 12 tons!
The age-old custom of throwing pizza dough into the air and rotating it is not just for show. The centrifugal force that is created flattens the dough into a disk with a slightly raised border—a perfect base for a pizza!
The Best Holiday Appetizer
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Holidays are for the season, keep the family together and meet friends and relations to refresh old memories forgotten. All this is incomplete without a good meal.
We support that was prepared? A healthy recipe for a holiday can go a long way to help us plan a great holiday.
Let’s talk about a “Holiday Appetizers”.
Tips from the Office of the dietitian: stuffed artichokes creates a sort of side dish with lots of action and substance. The plain flavor is in addition to supporting the full flavor of the artichoke, without obscuring them.
The following recipe serves eight people
The ingredients are two cups fresh bread crumbs, and possibly of whole grain bread and a tablespoon of olive oil, with four large artichokes, a third group of Parmesan Cup Size worse, two lemons cut in half three cloves garlic, finely minced lemon zest aggravated heaping tablespoon, two tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley.
One cup and two to four tablespoons of vegetable broth or chicken broth, a tablespoon of minced shallots, a cup of dry white wine, and not least the size of a teaspoon of fresh oregano chopped.
Directions for cooking: First, we Preheat the oven to a temperature of four hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Combine bread crumbs to the oil in a bowl, turning to coat with something and so scatter the bread crumbs in a shallow pan and begin cooking. Do not stir, not once, it is half full. Continue the process until the crumbs get golden brown for a period about ten minutes, you set aside to cool.
We must focus on an artichoke once. Start by jumping tough outer leaves and all that we need stem flush with the base of Spruce. The top third of artichoke leaves should be cut off thorns and all residual risks should be reduced.
The cut surface should be treated with lemon to prevent discoloration, followed by separation of the leaves and the separation of small center leaves, lemon juice should be pressed into the cavity.
Get a large bowl with parmesan, garlic, lemon, throw the parsley, pepper and bread crumbs. Now that the stock should be taken once a tablespoon, and should be sufficient to be used for the filling together in small clumps stick to start.
Two thirds of the filler used in the low mounding in the center of the artichoke is. Then we must begin from below, the proliferation of leaves and add a teaspoon full of filling at the base of each leaf form open.
Now, with a Dutch oven with a tight lid is a cup is, shallots and oregano added. Be lowered to the cooking temperature, followed by the rules of the artichoke with the stem end to the post and leave them in a single layer in the liquid, cover has to be cooked until the outer leaves get tender, perhaps forty-five minutes. Let’s get the artichoke serving temperature and warm light.
5 Simple Steps To Clone A Red Lobster Chocolate Lava Cakes
It’s amazing how so many people love chocolate cakes. One of my favorite is the “Red Lobster Chocolate Lava Cakes”. It’s sooooo delicious!
If you are like me, I urge you to try this recipe when you have time. You’ll fall in love with it. Trust me…
So here it is:Red Lobster Chocolate Lava Cakes
Number of servings: 6 persons
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
6 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
10 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries thawed, puréed in blender
Fresh raspberries, optional
1/2 cup heavy cream, softly beaten
Fresh mint sprigs, optional
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting, optional
Instructions
1. Spray inside 6 individual custard cups or soufflé dishes with nonstick cooking spray; then set aside. In small heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Add butter and sugar; stir until melted.
2. Pour chocolate mixture into large bowl. In small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, and baking powder.
3. With electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat chocolate mixture; add eggs and flour mixture; beat about 6 minutes until thickened. Divide mixture evenly among prepared dishes; cover with plastic wrap. Freeze at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Remove and discard plastic from frozen cakes. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until edges are set and center is moist. Cool cakes slightly before inverting onto serving platters.
Oak Poker Drink Food Cart with Cup Holders on Wheels
OAK POKER DRINK FOOD CART WITH CUP HOLDERS ON WHEELS
Take the drinks off your poker table and place them on this cart instead.
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This oak cart is just like the ones you see in the poker rooms around the world. Take the drinks off your poker table and place them this cart. The casters make it easy to roll to wherever you would like.
Can be used in between seats in vans also.
Some assembly required
Features:
•Oak veneer construction
•360 degree rotating wheels
•2 cup holders
•22.5 inches tall
•12.375 inches wide
•18 inches deep
