Pastry Dough

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Special equipment: a pastry or bench scraper

Preparation

Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of the mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.
Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork, or pastry will be tough.)

Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Cooks' note:
Dough can be chilled up to 1 day.

Makes enough dough for 1 (9-inch) round tart.

Tropical Fruit Salsa

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

Ingredients

1 cup finely diced peeled firm-ripe papaya (from 1)
1/2 cup finely diced peeled firm-ripe mango (from 1)
1/3 cup finely chopped white onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeño chile, including seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Stir together all ingredients.

Makes 2 cups.

Cilantro-Lime Chicken Fajitas with Grilled Onions

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup olive oil
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons ancho chile powder
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
3 large poblano chiles, seeded, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips
3 large yellow bell peppers, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips
2 red onions, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

12 8-inch flour tortillas

Preparation

Optional toppings: purchased salsas, guacamole, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, and chopped serrano chiles Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Puree first 5 ingredients in processor. Season marinade with salt and pepper.
Place chicken in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour 1/3 cup marinade over; turn to coat. Arrange poblanos, bell peppers, and onions on large rimmed baking sheet. Pour 1/2 cup marinade over; turn to coat. Sprinkle chicken and vegetables with salt and pepper. Reserve remaining marinade.

Grill chicken until cooked through, about 7 minutes per side. Grill vegetables until tender, turning frequently, about 15 minutes for onions and 12 minutes for poblanos and bell peppers. Grill tortillas until charred, about 1 minute per side.

Transfer chicken to work surface; slice crosswise into strips. Fill tortillas with chicken and vegetables; drizzle with reserved marinade. Serve with toppings.

Makes 6 servings.

Guacamole

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados (preferably California)
1 small onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 fresh or pickled jalapeño chili if desired, seeded and minced (wear
rubber gloves)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander if desired

Preparation

Halve and pit the avocados and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash the avocados coarse with a fork and stir in the onion, the garlic paste, the lime juice, the cumin, the chili, and the coriander. The guacamole may be made 2 hours in advance, its surface covered with plastic wrap, and chilled.

Makes about 2 cups.

How to Eat Fewer Pesticides

Next time you're at the supermarket debating whether to pay more for a pint of organic strawberries than you do for your lunch — or deciding if you should choose that wilted organic celery over the crisp green conventional stalks — you might want to refer to the Environmental Working Group's new wallet-size Shoppers' Guide. The not-for-profit group lists the "Dirty Dozen" (the 12 fruits and veggies that are the most contaminated with pesticides) and the "Cleanest 12" (those that generally have the lowest amounts of pesticides).

There have been some ratings revisions since the last Guide came out in October 2003. For instance, carrots are off the "bad" list now but lettuce is on it. Cauliflower has fallen from grace but cabbage has made the cut and is now on the "good list." Here are the full lists.

The "Dirty Dozen" (starting with the worst)

• peaches


• apples


• sweet bell peppers


• celery


• nectarines


• strawberries


• cherries


• pears


• grapes (imported)


• spinach


• lettuce


• potatoes

The "Cleanest 12" (starting with the best)

• onions


• avocados


• sweet corn (frozen)


• pineapples


• mangoes


• asparagus


• sweet peas (frozen)


• kiwi fruit


• bananas


• cabbage


• broccoli


• papaya

To come up with its rankings, the Environmental Working Group looked at the results of close to 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A computer analysis by the EWG found that consumers could reduce their pesticide exposure by nearly 90 percent by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead. People who eat the "Dirty Dozen" will be exposed to an average of 15 different pesticides per day, says Richard Wiles, executive director of the Environmental Working Group, while eating from the "Cleanest 12" means you'll be exposed to less than two pesticides per day. So if produce from the "Dirty Dozen" is on your menu, it makes sense from a health standpoint to choose organic.

Of course, health concerns aren't the only reasons people choose organic foods. It takes an enormous amount of fuel to make synthetic fertilizers, explains Wiles. "Conventional agriculture is very energy inefficient," he says.

On the other hand, costly and polluting fuel is required to transport both conventional and organic fruit and vegetables from farms to grocery stores — produce is often shipped to the U.S. from as far away as New Zealand. So does this mean you're better off eating a locally grown nonorganic apple than an organic one from the other side of the world? Perhaps the solution, Wiles says, is to encourage local farmers to start growing organic crops. For example, begin by asking farmers whether they used pesticides on their apples, Wiles advises. "The more that local production can be moved toward organic, the better," he says.

Meanwhile, even if you can't always afford or find organic produce, there are steps you can take to get rid of some of the pesticides on conventional produce. Since washing reduces pesticides by anywhere from one third to one half, thoroughly scrub and rinse everything, even produce that will be peeled. Then consider making yourself a pesticide-reduced dinner tonight. How does a menu of Guacamole, Tropical Fruit Salsa, and Cilantro-Lime Chicken Fajitas with Grilled Onions sound?

To download a copy of the Shopper's Guide, visit http://www.foodnews.org.

Zuppa ~ Italian Comfort Food

As in many cultures, to an Italian, soup is comfort food. It is difficult not to feel better after enjoying a large, filling, bowl of soup. An old saying in Italy is that soup does seven things, or, La Zuppa fa sette cose. It is said to; quench your thirst, satisfy your hunger, fill your stomach, aid in your digestion, make your teeth sparkle, color your cheeks, and help you sleep.

A clue to its very importance in Italian cuisine is reflected in the many different names given to different types of soup. In general, a minestra is a soup containing either rice or pasta along with vegetables, and possibly beans. A minestrina is a lighter broth soup, with just a little pasta or rice added, while minestrone would be a much heartier, thick soup. Zuppa is different from all these other soups as it has bread added, either to thicken, or as a condiment.

Italians usually will eat soup as a first course instead of pasta or rice, or as a light evening meal if the large meal of the day was at lunch.Italian soups reflect the imagination and ingenuity that runs through all Italian cooking. Every soup is usually made from scratch with fresh ingredients, or leftover meats and vegetables from a previous meal. A soup can be as simple as a vegetable or two cooked in broth with a little rice or pasta added, or can be a complex multi-step procedure such as one containing homemade stuffed pastas in a fragrant meat broth. Grated cheese is usually served on the lighter broth based soups, while a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil is used on thicker, heartier soups. Many Italian soups are typically served just warm, or at room temperature to allow the flavors to meld, as it is thought the true flavor is lost when serving it very hot.

There are regional differences found in Italian soup recipes, just as there are in other categories of food. In the north, Emilia-Romagna in particular, stuffed pasta such as cappelletti, or Tortellini is served in a flavorful homemade meat broth. The soups in Tuscany and Umbria are more typical of old country recipes, and are heartier with beans, grains and bread used to fortify them such as Ribolitta, or Pappa Pomodoro. In the south, rich, thick Minestrone, or Lentil soups are common, while in the mountains, heavy, rich, full flavored soups, often fortified with bread and cheese can be found.

Now that you understand the importance of soup in Italian cuisine, why not try one of the recipes offered here, or choose one from my Italian Soup Recipe Collection!

Buon Appetito!

Nonna's Bean And Bread Soup

This soup recipe was handed down from my husband's Nonna, and expresses the traditional style of Italian peasant cooking where everything is used in a kitchen.

: Serves 6



Ingredients

This recipe shows you that with just a few simple ingredients, it is possible to put together a tasty dish.

1/2 Package Dried Kidney Beans, Soaked Overnight
1 Onion, Finely Chopped
Salt & Pepper to Taste
6 Slices Of Stale Italian Bread, Cut Into Pieces
3-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Place the kidney beans in a pot, and just cover with water. Simmer until tender, adding more water if necessary to keep the beans covered.

In a separate pan, heat the oil, and fry the onions until golden brown, Add this onion mixture to the kidney beans and their broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the bread slices in individual bowls, and pour the bean mixture on top. Let stand about 5 minutes on the burners set very low. Serve with an additional drizzle of olive oil, and enjoy!

Buon Appetito!

Pappa al Pomodoro

This recipe is for yet another famous Tuscan soup whose name, pappa, simply means puree. It is often made in very large batches, and is always served just slightly warm or at room temperature.

: Serves 6




Ingredients

The addition of the bread as a thickener creates a soup hearty enough to be a main course. If you are serving this as a starter, keep the portions small. Use the best tomatoes you can find. I suggest using Pomi tomatoes if you are using canned, or if you choose the fresh option, make sure you have very ripe, tasty tomatoes.

1 Medium Onion, Finely Chopped
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
6 Cups Prepared Tomatoes (See Note)
5 Cups Chicken Broth
5 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves (Set Aside Some Pretty Leaves For Garnish)
5-6 Cups Stale Italian Bread Cubes, Crust Removed
Salt & Pepper


To Serve:

Virgin Olive Oil

Pass the tomatoes through a food mill. In a large pot sauté the onions in the oil until they are translucent. Add the tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Skewer the garlic cloves on a long wooden skewer or on toothpicks to be removed later. Reduce the soup to a simmer and cook 20 minutes. Add the bread cubes and basil and season. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Take a whisk and break up the bread to thicken the soup. Remove from the heat.

To Serve: I like to serve this soup just slightly warm, garnished with a pretty sprig of basil, some cracked black pepper and a drizzle of very good olive oil.

Note: You can make this soup with both canned or fresh tomatoes. If I am using fresh ones, I cut them in half, remove the core and as many seeds as I can. I then roast them in the oven at 250 degrees F. for two hours cut side down. I let them cool and pass them through the food mill. I find this extra step intensifies the flavor and creates a tastier soup.

Buon Appetito!

Meatball Soup With Escarole

This recipe is very simple to prepare, and shows that often just a few ingredients can make a tasty dish come together. I prefer using veal for the meatballs rather than beef as it gives the soup a more delicate flavor.

: Serves 4





Ingredients

12 (oz) Lean Ground Beef Or Veal
1 Slice White Bread With Crusts Removed
1/3 Cup Milk
1 Large Egg, Slightly Beaten
1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
3/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese
Salt & Pepper
1 Large Head Of Escarole Lettuce, Washed, Dried And Finely Chopped
10 Cups Homemade Chicken Broth

Soak the bread in the milk and squeeze dry. Crumble into a bowl. Add the ground beef, parsley, egg, salt & pepper and 1/4 cup of the grated cheese. Mix well, and form into tiny 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Set Aside. Heat the broth in a medium saucepan. Add the meatballs to the hot broth, and then add the chopped escarole. Cook over simmering heat for about 10 minutes. Serve the soup hot, topped with the remaining cheese.

Buon Appetito!

Diet Tips

Here is a selection of diet tips and tricks that I've used to help myself stay on a diet. Some of these things are very simple and very commonsense, but I've found that some people just don't realize the little tricks of the dieting trade. So here is a few tips that you can use in your dieting:

1. Eight, 8 oz. glasses of water everyday, this is a common diet tip and most people know this, yet they still don't drink enough water during the day. There are some very important reasons for drinking water, first off, its zero calorie, zero chemical, zero caffeine, and the ideal thing to curb your appetite. Drinking water will flush out the bad toxins in your body, will get your kidney's working, and even help your metabolism speed up a little. Drinking water also takes up space in your stomach, it reduces the cravings just a bit, and will make you feel a little more full when you do eat your calories for the day. If you want an added benefit from water, make sure you drink cold water, this will speed up your metabolism a bit and make you burn up a few extra calories. Remember that when you are losing weight, the fat that you are losing sometimes has stored toxins in it, drinking water will help flush out those toxins.

2. Keep track of your progress. Its very easy to break your diet if you don't monitor what you eat during the day. Get yourself a little journal that you write down what you've eaten, the calories you've eaten, and what type of workout you've done for the day. By keeping track of the calories, you'll make sure that you don't go over a certain caloric amount during the day. Also tracking your workout will also show you the areas that you've improved in, trust me, its great inspiration to see how far you've come. Keeping a journal of your progress is very important, because it shows you in some tangible way that you are making progress.

3. Variety may be the spice of life, but it also can be the downfall of a good diet. When doing your grocery shopping, if you don't buy junk food or foods that are bad for you, it makes it that much harder for you to break your diet on the spur of the moment. Its much harder to resist the temptation of a chocolate bar if its sitting right in front of you. Remove unnecessary temptations, if you only have healthy foods in the house and low cal foods, then it would be that much harder to break your diet.

4. Smaller meals throughout the day rather then larger meals. If you eat smaller meals throughout the day, your metabolism will stay at a higher rate and you won't feel as hungry throughout the day. Just having all your calories at one sitting will doom you to that hungry feeling and if you have that hungry feeling you'll be a little more apt to break your diet. If you have a series of smaller meals, you'll be able to feel slightly full at different moments of the day, there will be less time you have to "do without" and you'll feel better for it. Your body will also process smaller meals better and subsequently burn off the calories quicker.

5. Eat negative calorie foods, you can see the list in the Negative Food Section of this website. These are foods that you can eat in any quantity and not feel guilty about eating them. They work in a negative calorie way and are allowed to be consumed whenever you want.

6. Fat burning foods, yes, some foods will speed up your metabolism, for a list of those foods visit my other website: Fat Burning Foods

7. Eat to live, don't live to eat. Yes, I've always hated when someone said that statement to me, but in truth, its an important lesson to learn. The reasons we eat certain foods or indulge in certain junk foods is often far from being hungry. Some people eat to comfort themselves, some people eat for the pleasure of eating, the taste, texture, etc, but you really have to ask yourself, what should be the function of food in my life. You want to shift the focus of food as entertainment to food being what fuels your body, too much is bad and your body won't function properly. Changing your attitude towards food is important if you want to succeed in any diet.

8. Exercise, as I said in the exercise section, its important to add muscle to your body,why? Because muscle burns up calories 18 times faster then fat does on your body. So, add more muscle, your metabolism is increased, and you can burn off more calories per day.

9. Plan ahead - the fast food industry banks on people's need for food on the go, if you take the time to prepare your breakfast, lunch and dinner, you become a little more in control of your daily caloric intake. While you can eat at fast food places, most of the menu is off limits to you, if you are going to a fast food place, know what foods are okay for you to eat, know how many calories are in the food, how many grams of fat, etc. Don't just assume that this sandwich that you get will be a certain number of calories, its important that you know the exact amount of calories. Also, if you are going to a restaurant, think ahead of what you want to eat there, remove that temptation and stick to exactly what you planned on eating before going to the restaurant.

10. Soups, YAY for soups, this is one of my favorite things to eat while dieting. It takes a long time to eat, its filling, its low calorie, and its good for you. There was a study a few years ago that stated soup added to a diet will speed up your metabolism and reduce the hunger cravings. There are two things to look out for, creamy soups (higher in calorie) and the salt level in soups. Unfortunately, most canned soups are also high in salt, so take that into consideration when eating soup.

11. Reducing the fats that you eat during the day, but also being aware of the myth of no-fat foods. Lowering the amount of fats in your diet just makes good sense. Fat is denser and less likely to fill you for a sustained period of time, also, fat and cholesterol is not a heart healthy solution (there are some healthy fats, see the fat burning food site). Be aware of the "no-fat" "low-fat" products they have in the store. The way they usually make these items low-fat yet tasty is by adding more sugar. Just because something says low-fat doesn't mean that you can't gain weight from it. Another thing, if you substitute fatty foods with vegetables, you'll find that you feel fuller because of the fiber levels in fruits and vegetables.

12. Eat slowly. I know that sometimes you have to rush your food down because you're late for work or late for an appointment, but if you eat slowly you will enjoy the food more, you will feel a little more satisfied, and your body can honestly tell you, "Hey, I'm full, no need to finish that whole plate of food" if you eat to quickly your body doesn't have time to send you the message that you're full and you end up eating more.

13. Most of all, if you do break your diet one day, get right back on the diet, Do not go on a weak of breaking or longer. It just makes it that much harder to get motivated to start up again. We are only human, people will break their diets from time to time, but its okay to break it one day as long as you get back on your diet the next day.

These are just a few tips for dieting, I'll be adding more as I get more responses from people on the topic of dieting and diet tips. Please check back soon, I'll be adding more to this section regularly.