FIRST KITCHEN BLOGS

No matter what part of the country you live in, fresh corn is available now.  We had our first local corn this weekend and it was so delicious!  In fact its good enough to plan a party around- so we did. 
 
                                                      
As you know, when seasonal foods are at their peak, not only are they most flavorful, but also the best buy.
You can prepare it by shucking it and steaming or grilling it.  (We have a good tip for cooking it in the microwave on our First Kitchen DVD).
To grill it with the husks off, brush the corn with a little oil and place it on the grill. Cook about 10 minutes turning occasionally.  When some of  the kernels are slightly brown, it is probably done.  Serve with butter, salt and pepper. 
Or one of our favorites to add a little pizzaz is Lime Butter.  Melt 1/2 cup of  butter, add 1-2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice,1 teaspoon lime zest and  1/4 teaspoon paprika. Pour over cooked corn and serve.
                           
                                              
Okay what more do you need to have a party??

For those of you who are vegetarians or for those of us that are just trying to eat a little more of a plant based diet, this recipe in the newspaper caught my eye.  I modified it slightly so I'm giving it a new name. 
For summer entertaining, I found this to be a good appetizer served with some garlic toast, but it could be a great lunch entree as well.  A trip to the farmer's market for some fresh asparagus and mushrooms and I was good to go. 
                                                   
4 ounces fresh asparagus, cut in bite sized pieces
3/4 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups canned white (or cannelini) beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
Salt
Pepper

Toss asparagus and mushroom in 1 tablespoon olive oil and place in a grill pan; grill about 4- 5 minutes.  Remove from grill and place in a bowl.  Add beans and cheese and toss slightly; season with salt and pepper to taste.
To make the dressing, whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic  and rosemary; add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir dressing into salad and refrigerate.  Top with additional grated Parmesan cheese and serve with garlic toast.

The big new today is the Government health agencies (USDA and HHS) have issued new Dietary Guidelines for 2010.

That’s great, but how are we doing on the old ones?  I like their thinking – if we couldn’t meet the old ones then, lets make some even more restrictive ones and see how that works!!--NOT  

Seriously, we all probably need to make some improvements in our eating – and get out and get moving.  

The new guideline emphasize eating more plant-based foods and cutting down on some of the fat and sugar in our diets.   That is good advice, but lets be reasonable - don’t forget to enjoy what you are eating. 

We believe at First Kitchen we do practice a balance of incorporating healthy eating with enjoying food- that includes sharing the fun with family and friends.  

Here’s a recipe that would make the writers of the new guidelines proud.   And it tastes really good!  So get out and pick some of the those herbs your planted and get cooking!

                                                   

Garbanzo, Feta, and Tomato Salad

Makes 3 cups

1 15- ounce can garbanzo beans, drained (about 1½ cups)

¾ cup diced fresh tomatoes (or grape or cherry tomatoes, halved)

¼ cup finely chopped green onions

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley (and/or basil, oregano, thyme)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar

Salt

Pepper                  

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, place garbanzo beans, feta, tomatoes, green onions and herbs; pour oil and vinegar mixture over salad, tossing gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Serve.

Memorial day weekend seems to officially kick-off the summer grilling season. 

With that it might be worth a reminder of the need for extra care when handling and preparing food in the summer heat.  We have many basic food safety tips in our First Kitchen DVD, but there are some extra precautions when it come to warm weather food handling and cooking.

1. When buying meat, fish or poultry for that out-door barbecue you’re planning, take it right home.  Don’t stop for a latte with your groceries still in the car. Or if you do, have a cooler with ice in the trunk of your car to hold your purchases if you can’t get home within the hour. 
2. Just as we tell you about careful handling of meat- and especially chicken- in your kitchen, the same holds true for out-door grilling.  Use separate utensils and platters for raw and cooked food. OK- this may not be totally green, but this might be a good place to use paper plates.  As we say, “Eliminate, don’t contaminate!”
3. Refrigerate leftovers right way.  If you are using a cooler with ice for holding the food, a good idea is to use a separate cooler for beverages.  That way when continually opening the cooler to get a cold drink, you won’t be warming the food. 
4. Cook hamburgers and chicken thoroughly just as you would at home.

By following a few simple food safety tips, we can avoid the mysterious “24 hour flu?” we often get.

                                          

 Try our Surf and Turf Kabob recipe (or maybe just the Turf). Have fun and get cooking! 

A recent article in USA today reminded me to remind us all that we should not underestimate the benefits of walking.  Good for maintaining your weight, reducing risk of certain diseases -and that means at any age. How easy can it be? 

We don’t need any special equipment or expensive club dues!  It can be social thing- call a friend and say, “let go to for a walk”. It can be way to keep you and your dog happy, or you can take meditative walk in the woods- all will benefit your health and your waistline.

Want to challenge yourself? A fun way is to get a pedometer and set a goal of a certain number of steps a day. (The recommended level is 10,000 steps.) You’ll be amazed how the steps add up- just walking around doing every day things. Start with a longer walk from the parking lot or a quick walk after lunch.

Now that weather is nice all over the country- even here in the Northern clime- lets get out and get healthy.

The side bar of this article in USA today has many more tips for counting your steps.

We love asparagus.  We eat it year around, but unfortunately it is more expensive, not as tasty, and of course, not as sustainable as the locally gown.
Asparagus is delicious steamed or grilled  with a little olive oil and lemon and served hot or cold.  We have made it into a delicious fresh asparagus soup (check out our recipe).  Or if you want a little more creative dressing, check out the  Parsley Lemon Pesto recipe - our collaboration with Green Mountain at Fox Run. 
So what else do we know about asparagus?  It must be good for us, right?   It's certainly is low in calories, a good source of fiber, a great source of folic acid and I read somewhere that eating asparagus can help ease hangovers.  Well we wouldn't know about that.

                                    

On another note. Our friend Francesca, who was here making pasta with us last week, has finally made it back to Italy.  She had an extra stay here in the States due to all the flight delays from the volcano fall out.  We miss you, but glad you're back home.

Happy Spring!

Francesca teaches pasta-making classes in Bologna and we were so lucky to have her make a wonderful dinner for us.

She made two kinds of pasta- Artichoke Ravioli and Fettuccini with Ragu, delicious Baked Fennel and Tomatoes and a scrumptious dessert - Panna Cotta with fresh berries.

Some of us have had the good fortune of visiting her in Italy so we know what a great chef she is, but for the other guests this was their first experience eating one of her fabulous the meals

Northern Italian cooking is simple and fresh, healthy ingredients, but tastes unbelievably good.

 

You may not want to try making fresh pasta without her help. but here is something you can try. A simple recipe for making baked fennel.

Baked Fennel:

2-3 fennel bulbs                               

1 cup bread crumbs

1-2 cloves garlic, choppe

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil for dipping fennel (about 1/4 cup)

Heat over to 400 degrees

Trim and wash fennel bulbs and steam for about 30-40 minutes. Cool . Cut in wedges.

Meanwhile toss together bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.

Dip fennel wedges in olive oil and coat with bread crumb mixture. Place wedges on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.   Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature. 

               

If you want to learn how to make pasta and other wonderful foods of Italy, Francesca and her parents can a plan a wonderful cooking tour for you. http://www.bluone.com

                                   

It is officially spring here in Minnesota but I am still anxiously awaiting summer- lakes, sun and fresh fruits and vegetables from the farmer’s market.  So, until then, I’ve been creating my own version of a summer treat…. smoothies!   I am starting to get obsessed with trying the different combinations and flavors I can create. J 

I have recently found a lot of the frozen fruits to be on sale, which started my smoothie kick.  Frozen fruits are great to have on hand in the cold months to throw in your yogurt or as I found out, a smoothie!   I also buy fresh fruits when they are affordable which have mainly been bananas and oranges.  (However, I was at the local supermarket yesterday and saw that fresh strawberries were only 1.79/lb!  Summer is coming…). 

Typically, although I am not a smoothie expert, there are some necessary ingredients to a smoothie: fruit + liquid, but from there it is up to your taste!  Into the blender I throw in about ½ cup of berries, ½ cup pineapple or peach and then ½ of a fresh banana.  I then add either yogurt or juice- whichever I have.  Sometimes I add my secret ingredient that gives the smoothie an extra health kick- spinach.  Don’t knock it until you try it!  It gives the smoothie a murky green color but leaves no taste of the spinach.  All that is left is the delicious fruit flavors and the benefits of spinach, which are endless! 

Basically here’s is the deal:

Choose 1-2 fruits, ½ cup each:

Bananas

Strawberries

Blueberries

Raspberries

Peaches

Pineapple

Choose a liquid, ½ cup:

Apple juice

Orange juice

Grape juice

Soy or regular milk

Yogurt (I know, not exactly a liquid, but it does the trick and gives a little creamy/thick texture)

*If you need a little more sweetness, add about 1-2 tsp of honey or pure maple syrup. 

* Add 1- cup fresh spinach to increase the nutrients of your smoothie.

* Add 2 tablespoons peanut butter for a protein packed smoothie

* You may want to add about ½ cup of ice if you aren’t using frozen fruits

Add all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.

Smoothies make a delicious snack or a nutrient fueled breakfast. 

                                

For other great smoothies recipes go to Green Mountain at Fox Run. 

Happy spring!

Do you find yourself digging through packaged salads in the produce sections to find the latest “ best before” date?  Then you get it home and after a few days it looks bad before the date.  Or you have a half -gallon of milk that is past the date but its still seems ok.  What do you do??

These are frustrating, if not expensive situations.  We have tried to spell out some helpful guidelines in our First Kitchen DVD.  For example, milk usually stays fresh up to a week after the sell by date if it has been handled properly.  Yogurt is probably a couple of weeks.

Here is another perspective from a packaging expert.  He says, “ Ignore expiration dates, and use your eyes and nose to determine what’s fresh enough to consume”.  Check out his article, Expiration Dates on Labels Only Cause Confusion.  I think he makes some valid points.

A few months ago we wrote a blog about Vitamin D, but I started thinking about it again today seeing it spotlighted in the news discussing the growing evidence and controversy about its many benefits.  

While the jury is still out on some of this research, no one is suggesting that we are getting enough. And every one accepts that fact that at a minimum we need Vitamin D to help with calcium absorption-so essential for healthy bones and teeth.  I think we all agree that’s a pretty big deal.

Lets face it most of our diets are lacking in Vitamin D and majority of us have had little sunshine on these last few months.  (Sunshine is necessary for the body to convert the sunlight to vitamin D in our bodies.)  So it might be worth taking another look at where we stand. 

Are you drinking Vitamin D fortified milk or including Vitamin D fortified juice or cereal as part of your diet?  I am fairly certain none of us is taking cod liver oil or eating a lot of fish!  Are you getting a few minutes of sunshine everyday?  Should you be taking a supplement?

Stay tuned because the scientific group (Institute of Medicine) that sets the recommendations for nutrients levels is meeting this summer to re-evaluate the current recommendations.  With newer science about its benefits, they will raise the Vitamin D levels, but what will those numbers will be, we don’t know yet. 

In the meantime, lets go out and get a little sunshine now that Spring is here!