I love apple desserts because they’re such a great way to get to know seasonal apple varieties. I really enjoy going to farmers markets and asking vendors which apples they like to use in different desserts. Try using a mix of different types of apples in apple desserts so that you can get different flavor notes and different textures. This time I used a half Golden Delicious and half Honey Crisps, but Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Jonathan, or Northern Spy would also work well here.

VIDEO:

APPLE PANDOWDY

Makes 7 cups (2 cups of biscuit topping and 5 cups of apple filling) 14 servings/ serving size: ½ cup

Preparation time: 10 minutes / Cook time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:

Apples
3 pounds firm baking apples
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup Stevia
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Biscuits
1 ¼ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Stevia
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup fat free milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Peel and core apples, and slice into ¼ inch thick slices. In a large bowl, combine apple slices, lemon juice, brown sugar, Stevia, ¼ cup flour, and cinnamon. Toss well. Transfer to a  2 ½ quart  baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, combine 1 ¼ cup flour with the sugar, Stevia, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg, butter, vanilla and milk. Quickly incorporate the liquid ingredients into the dry just until blended.

3. Spoon the dough into free form biscuits over the apples. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbly.

Exchanges/2 carbohydrates, calories: 130, calories from fat: 15, total fat: 1.5g, saturated fat: 0.7g, trans fat: 0.0g, cholesterol: 15mg, sodium 85mg, total carbohydrate: 28g, dietary fiber: 2g, sugars: 15g, protein: 2g

This sweet treat, made with the natural sweetener Stevia, is from my 14th book, “The American Diabetes Association Comfort Food Cookbook.”. It’s also so one of my favorites!

Enjoy!

~ Robyn

My most recent adventure into Israel taught me that olives need not be salty and that rich buttery flavor was what I should seek. Well, finding those same quality olives in a regular market here in the US is quite the challenge. Short of going to a farmers market or a fancy olive bar, was I just to accept that a bottled olive like from the land of milk and honey was to be without my grasp?

Luckily, on my hunt for the best products this week, I found Ritrovo Selections Lingurian Olives, an olive so sublime I was afraid I would just eat the entire jar before I could create this black olive paste for you. Reminiscent of the olives I had in the Middle East, these are from Italy and for a jarred olive that’s available right here in the good old USA has definitely taught me that mediocre olives need never grace my table.

BLACK OLIVE CROSTINI
1 ( 6.35 ounce) jar Ritrovo Selections Ligurian Olives
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp capers
½ small onion, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
juice ½ lemon
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 baguette
halved cherry tomatoes for garnish
chiffonade of fresh basil

1. Combine all the ingredients except the baguette, tomatoes and basil in a food processor. Puree until smooth.
2. Preheat the oven to 375F. Slice the baguette into slices and place on a baking sheet. Toast the bread for a few minutes. Spread with the olive mixture and top with a halved cherry tomato and basil.

All photographs and recipe testing by Olga Berman from Mango & Tomato.

So with your new bag purchase you can have your chocolate without ever ingesting one single decadent calorie. But, I’ve included a sinful chocolate pudding recipe from my next upcoming cookbook just in case the bag sets off some delicious cravings.

Bag available at La Cuisine Cook Ware Shop, 323 Cameron Street, Alexandria, VA
www.lacuisneus.com

CHINESE FIVE SPICE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

6 ounces dark chocolate (bar or chips)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 1/3 cup milk
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
2 egg yolks plus one whole egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Garnish: dark chocolate shavings

1. Place a large bowl in the refrigerator (this will be the bowl the pudding will be stored as it cools in the refrigerator). In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the dark chocolate and butter.

2. Meanwhile in a large sauce pot, combine 2 cups of the milk and 1/4 cup of the sugar and simmer over medium low heat. In a small bowl, mix together the cocoa, cornstarch, Chinese Five Spice and remaining 1/3 cup milk. Add the cocoa mixture to the simmering milk.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks and whole egg with the remaining sugar. Whisk in some of the hot simmering milk mixture to eggs to warm them. Add the egg mixture into the sauce pot. Raise the heat to medium high and stir the pudding until thickened, about 5 minutes.

4. Whisk in the melted chocolate butter mixture and the vanilla and remove from the heat. Pour the pudding into the prepared chilled bowl. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap placed directly onto its surface. This will prevent a skin from forming. Chill the pudding several hours. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

All photographs and recipe testing by Olga Berman from Mango & Tomato.

So on this week’s Fabulous Food Finds hunt, I was tickled when I found Huilerie Beaujolaise Vinagre de Coing, (five beautiful sounding words) is nothing more than Quince vinegar! But beyond the simple interpretation, Quince vinegar is anything but simple. A complex, slightly sweet and fruity vinegar, it’s a refreshing change from the usual red or white. It goes so very well with salads mixed with fruit such as this spring field green salad with juicy mangoes and succulent strawberries.

Well all I have to say is Ces’t magnifique!

FIELD GREEN SALAD WITH MANGO AND QUINCE VINAIGRETTE

1/2 cup peeled, diced English cucumber
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

Vinaigrette:

3 Tbsp Huilerie Beaujolaise Vinaigre De Coing
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil

4 cups field greens
1 large mango, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the cucumber, red pepper, red onion and parsley.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic and honey. In a thin stream, whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to the cucumber mixture and mix well.

4. Add the field greens to a platter. Top with the cucumber mixture. Arrange the mango and strawberry slices over all. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Top with pine nuts.

All photographs and recipe testing by Olga Berman from Mango & Tomato.

Still, I’ll soldier on to purchase my minis, since booze such as bourbon gives a beautiful caramel flavor to food that can’t be beat. So on my discoveries this week at the brand spanking new Society Fair restaurant and grocer located on S Washington Street, in Old Town Alexandria, VA, I spotted my prized fabulous food find for the week; a bourbon infused maple syrup. Now I can have the taste of bourbon and maple for so many recipe applications.

Noble Handcrafted Barrel Matured Maple syrup with real bourbon from Tuthilltown distillery in New York is added to this luscious gooey maple syrup procured out of Quebec. Made in small batches, the perfect marriage of maple and bourbon turns these scallops into something worthy of a dinner party. I still added a bit of straight bourbon to the recipe for a double punch, but feel free to just use the syrup alone.

And I can imagine this maple syrup poured right on top of stack of hotcakes and oh what a kick start to the morning that would be!

www.mikuniwildharvest.com

MAPLE BOURBON SYRUP SCALLOPS

8 (10 inch) wooden skewers
3 Tbsp bourbon
3 Tbsp Noble Handcrafted Maple syrup
2 Tbsp Teriyaki sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 pound fresh sea scallops
6 slices prosciutto, sliced into thin strips

1. Soak the skewers in a pan of hot water, set aside for 1 hour. In a bowl, mix together the bourbon, maple syrup, Teriyaki sauce and mustard. Add the scallops and turn to coat with the marinade.  Cover and marinate the scallops for 1 hour.

2. Remove the scallops from the marinade, saving any excess marinade. Add the excess marinade to a small saucepan and set aside. While the scallops are broiling, bring the marinade to a boil, turn the heat to low and simmer until the marinade thickens up.

3. Preheat an oven broiler. Cover a broiler pan with foil. Coat the foil with cooking spray. Wrap each scallop with a prosciutto slice. Remove the skewers from the hot water, discard the water. Using 2 skewers per kebab, thread the scallops from end to end so the scallops are lying flat.

4. Place the skewers on the prepared broiler pan.  Broil the scallops for abut 2 minutes per side or until cooked through. Drizzle with the reduced marinade and serve.

All photographs and recipe testing by Olga Berman from Mango & Tomato.

We’ll be enjoying time with family & friends (and cooking up some new tasty recipes of course).
Please feel free to share your traditions with us.

Cheers!
Robyn & Olga

The sweet potato (a member of the morning glory family) is very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. It’s also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6 and potassium, and a very good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese.

CSPI (The Center for Science in the Public Interest), ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables. With a score of 184, the sweet potato outscored the next highest vegetable by more than 100 points. Points were given for content of dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Points were deducted for fat content (especially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars and
caffeine. The higher the score, the more nutritious the food.

If you’re liking the sound of this like I do, let’s get to a “Meatless Monday” (or any night of the week) meal with this recipe from my book, The Diabetes Food and Nutrition Bible (co-authored with Hope Warshaw, published by the American Diabetes Association).

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos with Salsa Fresca

Filling:
- 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, rinsed, and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 3 scallions, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 large whole-wheat tortillas

Salsa fresca
- 4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 3 tablespoons minced red onion
- 3 tablespoons minced cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Add the sweet potatoes to a medium saucepan, and add water to cover. Bring the sweet potatoes to a gentle boil for about five to six minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender. Drain.
2. Heat the broth in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes and scallions and cook for about three minutes. Add the thyme, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for about three minutes. Add the black beans and cook for one minute
3. Combine all the ingredients for the salsa fresca and set aside.
4. Warm the tortillas by placing them one by one in a dry skillet over medium heat, turning once for a total of about one to two minutes per side. Divide the sweet potato mixture evenly over all tortillas and roll them up to seal. Serve with the salsa fresca.

ENJOY!

To order this cookbook, please visit The American Diabetes Association

ref: www.foodreference.com

In the wake of the latest study that seems to bring the hammer down on red meat—daily consumption may inflate your risk of premature death, especially from cancer and heart disease—there actually is some hope out there for meat-lovers. It’s not all or nothing. Cutting back to just a couple of servings per week can make a difference, especially if you stick to unprocessed varieties (the study pegged processed products, such as bacon and hotdogs, as the most dangerous). But what seems to really lower the risk is to replace red meat with healthier proteins, like poultry or fish, the Harvard School of Public Health team found.

If you like hamburgers, why not consider a turkey patty instead? It can be just as flavorful with far less fat. Even if red meat is your first love, you can fall for healthier proteins. There’s no shortage of ideas online or in cookbooks. (Turkey or tofu bacon BLTs, perhaps?) Unpersuaded? Robyn Webb, nutritionist and author of The Diabetes Food and Nutrition Bible thinks she can help nudge red-meat fanatics toward meatless alternatives at least once or twice a week. Her recipes below should make for appealing hamburger and steak burrito substitutes.

Instead of a hamburger, try a:
Veggie burger

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
kosher or sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 cup pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked brown basmati rice
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
cooking spray
6 whole-grain buns
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
6 butter lettuce leaves
whole-grain mustard or chutney of choice

Preparation:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Add in the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt and pepper. Add in the beans and turn the heat to high. Mash the beans coarsely as you cook them over high heat for about 3-4 minutes, careful to not let the beans burn. Mash to a coarse consistency.
2. Add the mashed beans to a bowl. Add in the rice, breadcrumbs, and parsley. Form into 6 patties. Add the patties to a plate and let rest in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
3. Coat a large skillet (cast iron preferably) with cooking spray. Add the patties (in batches if necessary) and cook for about 4 minutes per side. Serve on whole wheat buns with tomato, lettuce, and mustard or chutney of choice.

Please share your favorite Meatless Monday dishes, and how many days a week you go meatless for dinner?

Chickpeas, Bulgur, Roasted Bell Peppers & Feta Salad

1/2 cup bulgur wheat
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 15.5oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 bunch green onions, green and white parts, chopped
¼ cup parsley, chopped
3 bell peppers, cored and seeded
Salt to taste
2 Tablespoons olive oil (optional)
3oz feta, cubed

Place bulgur wheat in a medium bowl and pour boiling hot water over it. Cover with Saran wrap and let sit for 20-30 minutes until liquid is absorbed. The bulgur will get fluffy and has a chewy texture when ready.

Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet the bell peppers, skin side up and char under oven’s broil mode. Once well charred, remove into a Ziploc bag, seal and let cool. Once cooled, take out of Ziploc bag, peel skin off, it should slide off easily, and dice bell pepper.

Drain bulgur wheat of excess water and add it into a bowl with diced bell peppers, chickpeas, green onions, parsley and salt to taste. Keep refrigerated until serving. Add the cubed feta just before serving. Bon Appetit!

Shulie Madnick is an Israeli born Bene Israeli Indian cooking instructor, recipe developer, food and cultural writer and a food photographer. She had her recipes and photos published at The Washington Post, Fine Cooking Magazine and Washington Jewish Week among other publications. You can contact her through her site foodwanderings.blogspot.com. You can also find Shulie @foodwanderings on Twitter.

Chocolate is one of my favorite foods and the darker the better and since this is February, a month of Valentine’s and romance what better topic to talk about? Rich, creamy and silky sweet, chocolate flavor characteristics can run the gamut from fruity and citrus-like to smoky and woodsy tasting with plenty of flavors in between and we love them all.  Although we aren’t the top chocolate eating country in the world (Switzerland takes that title) we do rank up there, consuming about 11 pounds of chocolate per person every year.

But, chocolate, particularly dark chocolate isn’t as frivolous a food as you think – nutritionally it provides a wealth of beneficial plant compounds that can offer several health benefits – and that’s good news for chocoholics like me. Below are six more reasons to love chocolate.

CHOCOLATE IS HEART HEALTHY

Chocolate is loaded with flavonoids, potent antioxidants that can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke (particularly in women). But not all chocolate is created equal or good for you. The best ones are high in cocoa (about 70 percent or more) and low in sugar and fat. Plus you can still get too much of a good thing, even chocolate.  Eat your dark chocolate in small quantities about 2 to 3 ounces a week (that’s about 2 chocolate bars a week).

CHOCOLATE LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE

A new 2011 Harvard study found flavonoids in dark chocolate (containing 50 to 70 percent cocoa) dialates blood vessels and decreases blood pressure, lowering the risk of stroke. This affect was seen in both healthy people and in those with hypertension.  In this same study chocolate improved cholesterol levels and insulin sensitivity (See: dark chocolate can help lower blood-pressure.)

CHOCOLATE BOOSTS BRAIN FUNCTION

Like tea and wine, chocolate contains compounds that improve blood flow to the brain and have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties (re: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/63368.php).  In this Norwegian 2009 study each of these foods (tea, wine and chocolate) were found to improve cognitive test scores in the elderly.  Those who ate all three performed the best (had the highest scores). See: JN Nutrition.

CHOCOLATE HELPS YOU SEE BETTER

Compared to people who were given white chocolate, people who ate small amounts of dark chocolate did better on visual motion sensitivity tests, chocolate may improve vision memory.

in hard-to-see situations such as night driving (think trying to pick out a pedestrian clad in black head-to-toe at night or driving in poor weather). Yes, chocolate improves vision too.

CHOCOLATE MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER

Anyone who likes chocolate will tell you it makes them feel better after eating it, and although there is little scientific evidence that chocolate improves mood there is enough anecdotal studies to make it stick. So, if it makes you feel better, eat it, but just remember to not over do it. See: ScienceBlogs.com.

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA CRUNCH CAKE

If you love chocolate as much as I do this recipe is for you.  It combines the sweetness of bananas with the goodness of whole grains (courtesy of King Arthur Flour) and the the creaminess of chocolate.  Plus you can vary the chocolate to suit your taste from sweet milk chocolate to dark bittersweet. This cake was so popular in my house it disappeared in a day!

To make it heart healthy next time I would substitute out the butter with ¼ cup canola oil and 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional).

1 cup oat flour**
1 cup whole wheat flour, traditional or white whole wheat
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup lightly packed light or dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

½ cup chopped pecans (or any nut), finely chopped
Crunch topping

3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup pecans, chopped

Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the cake batter:

Whisk together the flours, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Cream together the butter (or oil and applesauce if using) and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions. Mix in half the dry ingredients until moistened, then mix in the bananas, yogurt and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the remaining dry ingredients and chocolate chips, mixing until evenly moistened. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

To make the topping:

Combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl until well blended. Stir in the melted butter until the moisture forms large crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.

Bake until the edges pull away from the pan and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 20 minutes before serving warm. Or cool completely for later use.

**NOTE: You don’t have to go out and buy oat flour, simply process quick cooking (or old-fashion – but it will take longer) in a food processor for a minute or more until fine (it will still feel coarse).  Process about 1 ¼ cup oatmeal to get 1 cup oat flour.

About Diane: Diane Welland, M.S., R.D., is a registered dietitian, freelance food and nutrition writer based in Springfield Virginia . You can reach her at www.eatwelleatclean.com, www.DFoodie.com or @eatcleanguru on Twitter.