Steamed Mussels in White Wine-Garlic Sauce

This is my take on the classic recipe for French steamed mussels as a main course -- a big bowl of mussels bathed in white wine, butter and garlic and served with a great French baguette…yeh bebbe! Buy the best mussels you can find and use a wine that you'd drink yourself - better yet, drink the rest of the same bottle used in the sauce!  As for the butter…it’s got two tablespoons in the whole recipe so borrow some from your neighbor if you don’t want it in the house…it’ll be a good reason to say hello :) Figure on a pound of mussels per person for a main course.

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (Serves 2)

·         2 lb live mussels

·         2 tbsp unsalted butter

·         1 cup white wine (please don’t use cooking wine)

·         2 shallot, minced

·         4 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

·         Scrub and de-beard the mussels…you don’t want whiskers in your mussels!

·         The shells should be closed. If any shells are open, let it sit for a few minutes, it should close.

·         Heat the butter over medium heat in a large, wide-bottomed pot and saute the shallot and garlic until soft but not browned.

·         Add the white wine, and bring it to a boil. Add the mussels.

·         Cover the pot and let the mussels steam for 4-7 minutes. Most of the mussels should be open after the first couple minutes. You want them all open, but some will do this faster than others.

·         As soon as most of the mussels are open, turn off the heat and cover for about 5 minutes

·         Discard of any mussels that did not open as they are bad, bad mussels! :)

Serve with crusty bread or a classic French baguette, a little candlelight and let the romance begin…enjoy!

Butternut Pilaf

Greeks like to use fresh pumpkin to make savory and sweet pies, fritters and croquettes, casseroles and a myriad of other dishes but these dishes are virtually unknown outside of Greece. This dish is traditionally made with pumpkin, but since most pumpkins in the U.S. are grown for carving jack-o'-lanterns (and not for cooking), we've modified the recipe to work with the more readily available butternut squash. Also, the original dish calls for Greek pilaf rice, a short-grained, polished rice that is hard to find outside the country, so we've substituted healthy brown rice. The grated butternut squash adds color and nutrients to this brown rice pilaf for a perfect side dish.

Total Time: 1 hour 

Ingredients (8 servings, about 3/4 cup each)

• 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, halved and seeded
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup instant or parboiled brown rice
• 1 3/4 cups water, or 1 14-ounce can vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped fennel fronds, (see Note below)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Grate the squash through the large holes of a box grater.
2. Heat oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly colored, 10 to 12 minutes. Combine 2 tablespoons water and tomato paste in a small bowl and stir it into the pan. Add rice and stir to coat. Add the squash, in batches if necessary, and stir until it has reduced in volume enough so that you can cover the pan.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high, pour in 1 3/4 cups water (or broth) and wine, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, stirring once or twice, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and the squash is tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Add fennel fronds, oregano, salt, cinnamon, dried cranberries and pepper; gently stir to combine. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Note:  Fennel “fronds” are the feathery tops on fennel bulbs that look similar to fresh dill and have a mild licorice flavor.  Look for fresh fennel bulbs—with their fronds still attached. You'll need to buy one large or two smaller bulbs of fennel to have enough fronds to make 1/2 cup chopped. 

Nutrition

Per serving: 152 calories; 6 g fat ( 1 g sat , 4 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 2 g protein; 4 g fiber; 302 mg sodium; 333 mg potassium.

Pizza Vegetariana

Using my whole wheat dough recipe, this vegetarian pizza is full of flavor and healthy too - packed with lots of fresh vegetables. The thin whole wheat crust is super crunchy when baked at the highest setting on your oven. And while the pizza dough does contain 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the dough makes enough for two pizzas, and when you considering that you can feed four people with this batch of dough, the amount of salt and oil consumed is not bad.

Ingredients (4 Servings)

• 2 medium Italian (plum) tomatoes, sliced thin
• 1 Jar marinated artichoke hearts
• 12 pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Fresh basil leaves to garnish
• 1-2 tablespoons, Herbs de Provence, to taste
• 8 oz whole-grain pizza dough (Recipe HERE )

Preparation

·        Pre-heat oven as high as it will go (500 degrees plus). This step is VERY important so crank it up!

·        Roll the dough out as thin as you can get it…I mean go thin!

·         Add the mozzarella to cover entire pizza surface, leaving ½ inch outside border

·         Add the tomato to cover, leaving 1/2 inch outside border

·         Add the fresh garlic, olives and artichokes, spreading evenly

·         Bake pizza for 5-6 minutes, turning so that it browns evenly and cheese is bubbling! Careful not to burn it!

·         Immediately add the Herbs de Provence and Basil.

Slice it up and enjoy!

Parmesan Tomatoes (Parmigiano Pomodori)

A drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan transform tomatoes into the perfect side dish. Or try them in a rustic sandwich, between toasted slices of your favorite whole-grain artisan bread.

Ingredients (For four)

• 4 tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Romano
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450° F.
2. Place tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet. Top with Parmesan, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and bake until the tomatoes are tender and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving: 91 calories; 6 g fat ( 2 g sat , 4 g mono ); 4 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrates; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 375 mg sodium; 363 mg potassium.

Tilapia & Summer Vegetables

Wrapping vegetables and fish in a foil packet for grilling or baking is a foolproof way to get moist, tender results. Tilapia and summer vegetables pair with olives and capers for a Mediterranean flair.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quartered cherry, or grape tomatoes
• 1 cup diced summer squash
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 12 green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup pitted and coarsely chopped black olives
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon capers, rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 pound Tilapia fillets, cut into 4 equal portions

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium. (No grill? See Oven Variation, below.)
2. Combine tomatoes, squash, onion, green beans, olives, lemon juice, oregano, oil, capers, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
3. To make a packet, lay two 20-inch sheets of foil on top of each other (the double layers will help protect the contents from burning); generously coat the top piece with cooking spray. Place one portion of Tilapia in the center of the foil. Sprinkle with some of the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, then top with about 3/4 cup of the vegetable mixture.
4. Bring the short ends of the foil together, leaving enough room in the packet for steam to gather and cook the food. Fold the foil over and pinch to seal. Pinch seams together along the sides. Make sure all the seams are tightly sealed to keep steam from escaping. Repeat with more foil, cooking spray and the remaining fish, salt, pepper and vegetables.
5. Grill the packets until the fish is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. To serve, carefully open both ends of the packets and allow the steam to escape. Use a spatula to slide the contents onto plates. Oven Variation: Preheat oven to 425°F. Place green beans in a microwavable bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Cover and microwave on High until the beans are just beginning to cook, about 30 seconds. Drain and add to the other vegetables (Step 2). Assemble packets (Steps 3-4). Bake the packets directly on an oven rack until the tilapia is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender, about 20 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving: 181 calories; 7 g fat ( 1 g sat , 4 g mono ); 57 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 24 g protein; 2 g fiber; 435 mg sodium; 591 mg potassium.

Provençal Summer Vegetables

This delicious side dish of layered tomatoes, eggplant, summer squash and leeks bursts with fresh flavor. To make it even more colorful, use half a summer squash and half a zucchini. Try it alongside any grilled meat. Leftovers are delicious sandwiched between slices of crusty whole-grain bread.

Total Time: 2 1/4 hours

Ingredients (Makes 6 servings, about 2/3 cup each)

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cups thinly sliced leeks, rinsed and well drained
• 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 large tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 small summer squash or zucchini, sliced diagonally 1/4 inch thick
• 1 small eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/3 cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Transfer the mixture to a shallow 2-quart baking dish.
3. Layer tomatoes, summer squash (or zucchini) and eggplant slices in an alternating shingle pattern over the leek mixture (they will overlap quite a bit). If you have extra vegetable slices, save them for another use. Sprinkle the vegetables with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
4. Bake the vegetables for 1 1/4 hours. Sprinkle cheese and marjoram over the top. Continue baking until the edges are browned and the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes more. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving: 185 calories; 12 g fat ( 3 g sat , 7 g mono ); 9 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 5 g protein; 4 g fiber; 323 mg sodium; 457 mg potassium.

Aspirin and Heart Attacks

As a survivor of serious heart issues I will be on Aspirin therapy for the rest of my life...and gladly so. Dr. Virend  Somers, is a Cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic, who is lead author of the report in the July  29, 2008 issue of the Journal of the  American College of Cardiology.

Most  heart attacks occur early in the day, generally  between 6  A.M. and noon.  Having one during the night, when the heart  should be most at rest, means that  something unusual happened. Somers and his  colleagues have been  working for a decade to show that sleep apnea is  to blame.
          
If you take an aspirin or a baby aspirin once a  day, take it at  night. The reason?  Aspirin has a 24-hour "half-life";  therefore,  if most heart attacks happen in the  wee hours  of the morning, the Aspirin would be  strongest in your system.

FYI:  Aspirin lasts a really long time in your  medicine chest -
for years – and when it gets old,  it smells like vinegar.

Something that we can do to help  ourselves - nice to know.
Bayer is  making crystal aspirin to dissolve instantly on  the tongue.  They work much faster than the  tablets.
         
Why  keep Aspirin by your bedside? Heart  Attacks!

Symptoms of a Heart Attack

There are other symptoms of a heart attack, besides the
pain on the left arm. One must also be aware of an intense
pain on the chin, as well as nausea and of sweating profusely;
however, these symptoms may  also occur less frequently.

Note: There may be NO pain in the chest at all during a heart  attack.

The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep.

If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water. Then immediately do the following:

- Call 911 - Say "heart attack!" and that you have taken two Aspirin
- Phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by and tell them the same thing
- SIT! on a chair or sofa near the  front door, and wait for their arrival…DO  NOT LIE DOWN!  

Pass It On

Pass this info on…post it on Facebook, email it to your friends and family, post it on the bulletin board at work or school…tell somebody, you may just save a life.

Chickpea & Eggplant Stew

This delightfully rich stew combines two middle eastern staples to create a mouthwatering stew of eggplant and chickpeas. A full-bodied tomato sauce complemented by molasses, zesty lemon and sweet roasted garlic is what makes this dish so unique. It’s simple to make, delicious to eat, and filling.

Ingredients

• 2 small aubergines (eggplants) or one large, slices into 1/4 inch rounds
• 2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp
• 3 cloves garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cloves garlic cloves, whole
• 1 15 ounce can of low or no salt plum tomatoes
• 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½  teaspoon fresh ground seasalt
• 2 t teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 15 ounce can low-salt chickpeas
• Handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped (or Cilantro)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 475° F.
2. Wrap the garlic cloves in foil.
3. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the olive oil and bake for about 8 minutes. Turn the slices over and cook a further 8 minutes, along with ½  the garlic cloves.

*The rounds should be shriveled and slightly brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

4. While the eggplant is cooking, sauté the remaining ½ garlic cloves in the remaining teaspoon of olive oil (use a large sauté pan or skillet) for 30 seconds.
5. Add the can of tomato along with the tomato paste, sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Simmer over medium heat for five minutes before adding the molasses, chickpeas, and eggplant slices.
6. Allow the stew to continue simmering for another 10-15 minutes, tossing in most of the parsley.
7. Garnish with remaining parsley just a few minutes before serving.

Ribollita

Ribollita is a very traditional, hearty Tuscan soup that typically uses day-old bread to add body and thicken the broth.  There are many variations but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, beans, chard, kale, and onion. Its name literally means "reboiled". This ribollita recipe uses a bean mash, which keeps the soup gluten-free and adds fiber. Garnish with extra-virgin olive oil or pepper and grated Parmesan.

Total Time: 1 1/4 hours
 
Ingredients (8 servings, about 1 3/4 cups each )

• 1 14-ounce can, low or no salt, whole peeled plum tomatoes
• 2 15-ounce cans, low-salt cannellini beans, rinsed, divided
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium leek, halved lengthwise and sliced (see Tip), white and light green parts only
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 bunch kale or Swiss chard, trimmed and cut into 2-inch-wide slices
• 1/4 head Savoy or green cabbage, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 cups diced russet potatoes
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
• Crushed red pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Drain canned tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Dice the tomatoes. Using a potato masher, mash half the beans into a paste (add a bit of broth, if desired, to make mashing the beans easier). Set the tomatoes and beans aside.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek and garlic; cook, stirring, until translucent and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not brown. Season with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir in carrots, celery and zucchini and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; cook, stirring, until nearly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
3. When the carrots and celery are nearly tender, stir in kale (or chard) and cabbage. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 4 to 6 minutes. Add potatoes, broth, water, the diced tomatoes and juice, the bean puree and whole beans, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season with celery seed, crushed red pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until all the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cleaning Leeks

• Leeks are infamous for containing sand…it’s just part of the deal. So, to clean leeks, trim and discard the green tops and the white roots. Split leeks lengthwise and place in plenty of water. Swish the leeks in the water to release any sand or soil. Drain. Repeat until no grit remains.

Nutrition

Per serving: 180 calories; 4 g fat ( 1 g sat , 3 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 8 g protein; 9 g fiber; 551 mg sodium; 512 mg potassium.