Fig Compote

RECIPE REVIEW #96  spiced figs and apple compote

Compote is a dessert made with fruit in a sugary syrup.  The sugar in the recipe is honey.  I have had figs before but have never cooked with them.  They are a fruit that was the first plant cultivated by humans.  They can be fresh or dry, normally used for jam.  Figs are packed with fiber and are a source of potassium and manganese.  They help lower blood pressure.

The recipe was simple.  It tasted like Fall, warm and spicy.  The compote was sweet from the figs and crunchy from the walnuts.  It would be good on yogurt or ice cream.  Very delicious!

Monday Mussels

RECIPE REVIEW #95  coconut-curry steamed mussels

I missed my Saturday recipe so I have a Monday dish this week…

I am very nervous about this dish because I have never had mussels but my goal was to try every recipe in the cookbook.  Part of the purpose of this venture was to push myself to try new things.  Mussels are a shellfish similar to clams.  They are a good source of protein that provides vitamin A & C, calcium , and iron.

The dish smelled great while cooking.  It was simple and quick to put together.  The mussels were very different.  They were not disgusting but not my cup of tea.  I do have one more recipe to make with mussels and I will try them again.  The dish was restaurant quality and the presentation was appealing if you like mussels.  I will probably not make this recipe again unless it was for someone else.

Very Veggie!

RECIPE REVIEW #94  roasted or grilled vegetables with romesco sauce

Romesco is a sauce from Spain that is made with almonds, pine nuts, or hazelnuts, garlic, olive oil, red bell pepper, and in this recipe tomatoes.  This sauce is most often served with seafood, but in our case it is served with roasted vegetables.  A large variety of vegetables will be used: asparagus, eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms.  How can this dish not boost your health?  What a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals.

The recipe was a bit cumbersome to prepare all the vegetables for roasting.  The sauce came together smoothly.  The dish was fantastic!  I really enjoyed the romesco sauce, it was thick and had a great nutty taste.  I would make it for a large group.  I halved the recipe and still had a lot.  Although it is considered a main dish so it may take that many vegetables to be satisfied.  I think I will use the vegetables over quinoa for lunch too.

Pancakes and Syrup

RECIPE REVIEW #93  multigrain pancakes with berry-maple syrup

I like the idea of fresh berry syrup and pancakes are usually always good.  This recipe has many health benefits; anti-cancer, good for the heart, bones, and skin.  It is hard to believe pancakes could be this good for you!

These pancakes had a lot of ingredients.  It is definitely a recipe you would make on a lazy Sunday morning.  Not one when you are trying to rush out the door.  The pancakes could be enjoyed by kids too, I think they would like the fruity syrup.

Braised Artichokes

RECIPE REVIEW #92  braised baby artichokes with tomatoes

I have had braised food before but I was not actually sure what it meant.  Braising is cooking food using both dry and moist heat.  First the food is seared and then finished in a covered pot with liquid.  I could not find baby artichokes so I’m using regular size.  Artichokes are good for digestion, help the liver and gall bladder function, and lower cholesterol.

Artichokes are not fun to work with, they are tough and prickly.  The baby artichokes would have been better for this recipe.  I am not sure I cooked the large ones long enough.  They were hard to eat and very chewy.  The flavor was good.  It would work well over whole-wheat pasta.  This is the first dish I feel failed, but it could have been due to the Cook.  If I find baby artichokes I would like to try this recipe again.  I do really enjoy artichokes.

Fish Switch

RECIPE REVIEW #91  broiled mackerel with lemon-caper vinaigrette

I was not able to find mackerel for this dish.  So I asked the “fish guy”, maybe I should learn his name since he helps me a lot, what to substitute.  He recommended black cod so that is what I’m using instead.  With the substitution I decided to find out about the two fishes.  Mackerel is found in tropical seas.  Black cod is found in southern New Zealand and sub-Antartic seas.

I also made a substitution for the bed of greens the fish is set on.  I could not find watercress so I’m using spinach.  I know the flavor of these two greens is different but from a nutrition perspective I believe they are comparable.  I do not think either of these substitutions hurt the nutrition benefits or flavor of the dish.

The fish was great!  The cod had excellent flavor, almost buttery.  The vinaigrette with the spinach worked well with the fish.  The cod did have bones so it required careful eating but I found that helped me to slow down and enjoy the taste.  It is another fancy dish to impress.  Plus it was super simple to make.

Two Proteins – One Sauce

RECIPE REVIEW #89  curried chicken with cilantro-lime sauce

RECIPE REVIEW #90  tandoori turkey kebabs

Well…it is October 1st and I realized my goal was to complete all the recipes in the cookbook by November 1st.  Only 1 month to go and about 37 recipes to make.  I determined that my target date is going to have to be pushed back.  In order to remain stress free about this project, which I have been having so much fun with, my new target for completion is December 15th.

Today I’m making two proteins that use the same sauce.  They are both low-fat; chicken and turkey.  The chicken has a curry flavor.  Curry is a dish that uses several spices turmeric, coriander, and cumin.  These dishes come from Western cultures like India, Pakistan, and Southeast Asia.  Some studies have shown that the ingredients in curry has helped prevent colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

The turkey is a tandoori flavor.  Tandoori is a type of marinade for protein that includes yogurt and spices.  The key spice is turmeric which gives it an orange color.  It is popular in India and South Asia.  Both dishes are finished with a sauce that includes garam masala.  It is a mixture of many spices. It is has pungent odor but is not hot.

Both recipes had strong aromatics.  The cilantro-lime sauce is a beautiful green color and tasted great.  The turkey marinade smelled delicious.  They had very similar flavor profiles but I preferred the turkey.  The spices had a little more punch.  I would make both again.  They were a good low-fat protein option, just pair them with some steamed vegetables and you are set.

Apple Crisp

RECIPE REVIEW #88  golden apple crisp

I love apples and to have them in a dessert is a bonus!  This recipe is good for your heart, immunity, bones, and skin.  Wow!  Plus, it is a dessert, oh I said that.  I think you are already aware that dessert is my favorite meal.  Apple crisp is a warm, cozy dish that would be great on a cold day.  Unfortunately it is not even close to cold here.  I’m still looking forward to the crisp.

The apple crisp was awesome!  It was not difficult to make.  The topping was crunchy, sweet, and spicy.  It was perfect on top of the warm apples.  Instead of ice cream, a dollop of creamy greek yogurt was placed on top.  It was great, I did not miss the ice cream.  Honestly!  I will make this recipe again and it would be a nice end to dinner.  You just have to make sure you leave room for it.

Ratatouille

RECIPE REVIEW #87  baked ratatouille with parmesan

Ratatouille is a french dish originating in Nice.  It is stewed vegetables that can be served as a side or main dish.  Ratatouille can accompany pasta, rice, and/or bread.  It can also be filing for crepes or in an omelet.  The key ingredients are tomatoes, garlic, onion, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, and herbs.  This version is traditional containing all these veggies.

Eggplant contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help with brain and heart health.  Zucchini is loaded with health benefits as well.  These include managing blood sugar, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer.  You can not go wrong with these ingredients.

The recipe did take a lot of preparation with all those vegetables.  First you cooked all the vegetables and then you baked them.  I do find that most vegetarian dishes tend to take some time to prepare.  The taste was good.  The appearance was colorful.  I did want to have a little something more, rice or pasta would have worked.  Another option is using it for filling in a whole-wheat tortilla.  I planned to eat the leftovers with whole-wheat rice.  The addition of the rice will complete the dish.

Super Smoothie!

RECIPE REVIEW #86  acai berry and pomegranate smoothie

This smoothie is super because of its ingredients.  It has a long list of benefits for just a smoothie.  These benefits include prevention of cancer, heart healthy, good for the skin and bones, and improves digestion.  Smoothies are also usually quick to make so obtaining these benefits is easy.

The acai berry has recently become very popular.  The claim is these berries help you loss weight and help with other illnesses.  None of these claims have been proven scientifically.  I thought this was very interesting.  I guess you should just eat acai products if they taste good to you.

Kefir is used in this smoothie for the liquid.  I have never tasted this milk product before.  It is made with kefir grains, which are a mixture of bacteria and yeast.  They look like cauliflower.  The kefir grains are added to the milk and are allowed to ferment for 24 hours.  Kefir can be used in sourdough bread, as a buttermilk substitute for baking, and obviously as a substitution for milk.  I tried the kefir prior to making the smoothie it tasted like plain yogurt.

I was surprised how sweet and tasty the smoothie was based on the bitter ingredients.  I had mine for a late evening snack.  It hit the spot and I would make it again.