The Healthy Cooking Coach

Ode to the Avocado

Avocadoes should be near the top of your shopping list. They contain heart-smart monounsaturated fatty acids, important vitamins, minerals, and disease fighting phytonutrients.

Half a medium avocado (about 4-ounces) provides 500 milligrams of potassium, more than 1/3 of the RDA for folate (folic acid), 10% or more of the RDA for iron, magnesium, betacarotene, and vitamins C, E, and B-6.

The versatile avocado provides a rich flavor, creamy texture, beautiful color, and loads of nutrients your body needs. What more can you ask for? Did you say, "sweet taste?" You can have that too if make the recipe below.

Photo credit for this shot goes to blogger Ricki Heller of Diet, Dessert & Dogs She tested five recipes from my new book, The Ice Dream cookbook, photographed each one, and wrote a great review. Click here to read it and salivate over the pictures she took.

Did you know?

*  Avocados rival some of the foods previously thought to be the richest sources of anti-aging, disease fighting compounds.

* Avocados rival many other widely touted anti-aging foods such as red wine and grapes. They contain more lutein than any other fruit. This carotenoid provides powerful protection against cataracts and macular degeneration, major causes of blindness in the elderly.

* Avocados contain at least twice as much beta-sitosterol (a plant sterol that inhibits cholesterol absorption in the intestines) as corn, green soybeans, or olives, and more than four times as much as bananas, apples, grapes, plums, cherries, and cantaloupe.

*  Ounce for ounce avocados contain three times more glutathione than bananas, apples, cantaloupes, grapes, plums, and cherries. This antioxidant may protect against cancer.

*  Avocados taste great in puddings, fruit smoothies, and ice cream.

Try this recipe from my new book, The Ice Dream Cookbook. Click here to order

Avocado Ice Dream

Hands-on: 20 minutes   Churning: 20 to 25 minutes   Yield: 5 to 6 cups; 8 servings

Avocados in ice cream?  The monounsaturated fats in avocado give this frozen dessert a silky smooth texture, and the natural antioxidants give it a pale green color.  This is a perfect compliment to sliced fresh fruit, cooked fruit compote, poached pears, or fruit sauce for a healthy snack or the finale to a great meal.  For a fancy touch, sprinkle with grated, bittersweet dark chocolate, or drizzle with chocolate sauce (see index for recipes).

FYI: The base for this Ice Dream thickens enough when refrigerated that it can be served as a pudding, unfrozen, spooned into parfait or wine glasses, layered with sliced strawberries, bananas, and kiwi fruit. Of course, it also tastes great frozen in an ice cream maker.

How to buy avocados: Buy them up to a week in advance (if they feel rock hard) to give them time to ripen.  Buy 2 more than you need in case one turns out overripe and black inside. You can always turn extras into guacamole or add them to a salad.

How to store avocados: If hard, keep them at room temperature in a bowl or basket. Use them when their skins darken and they yield to gentle pressure. When a toothpick inserts easily into the fat end with no resistance, they’re ready to use. If not, leave them out and try again in a day or two. Once ripe, you need to refrigerate them to prevent spoilage.

Note: To easily open an avocado, cut it in half with a paring knife around the outside from stem to base. Then twist the sides in opposite directions, as if to unscrew. Squeeze the bottom half that holds the pit to release it. Now it’s ready to scoop from the skin.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup cool or cold filtered water
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin or agar agar powder (not the flakes)
1/3 cup honey or agavé nectar; additional 1 to 2 tablespoons as needed
1/8 teaspoon finely ground, unrefined sea salt
2 1/2 cups unsweetened, preservative-free coconut milk (regular, not lite)
2 small to medium-size ripe avocados, rinsed, halved, pitted, pulp scooped out
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or lime juice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or natural vanilla flavoring
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pure stevia extract powder or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon clear stevia extract liquid (start with less; add more only if needed)

1.    Add 1/3 cup water to a small saucepan. Slowly sprinkle with gelatin or agar agar powder. Let stand for 2 minutes until it softens and dry spots disappear. Warm over medium-low heat, without stirring, until gelatin or agar agar dissolves. Scrape the mixture into a blender, Vita-Mix, or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth.
2.    Add honey, stevia, and sea salt. Blend. Add the coconut milk, avocado, lemon or orange juice, vanilla, and stevia. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides with a spatula. For a sweeter taste, add an additional 1/8 teaspoon stevia and/or 1 tablespoon honey. Blend, taste, and repeat if needed.
3.    Pour into one or more wide mouth jars. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before churning or chill in an ice bath until thick and cool to the touch.
4.    Scrape the chilled custard into the canister of your ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
5.    Serve immediately or spoon into several 8- to 16-ounce containers. Cover and freeze for 3 or more hours for a firmer texture.
6.     Soften solidly frozen dessert by placing it in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes or on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Use within 2 months for best results.

1 serving (about 3/4 cup regular): 298 calories, 3 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrate, 23 grams fat, 71 milligrams sodium

1 serving (about 3/4 cup half lite): 253 calories, 2 grams protein, 19 grams carbohydrate, 19 grams fat, 60 milligrams sodium

Variations:

*    Avocado Chocolate Chunk Ice Dream: When the mixture reaches the soft-serve stage, add ¾ to 1 cup malt-sweetened, fruit-sweetened, dairy-free, or bittersweet chocolate chips or a bittersweet dark chocolate bar (70 to 73%), coarsely chopped into ¼-inch pieces. Run the machine for 1 or 2 more minutes.

*    Cocoa Avocado Ice Dream: In step #2, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Taste, and add additional sweetener (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon stevia extract powder or 1 to 2 tablespoons honey at a time) to achieve the desired sweetness.

*    Lite Avocado Ice Dream: Replace half of the coconut milk with lite (reduced fat) coconut milk. Alternatively, use 100% lite coconut milk, but plan to use the batch immediately or within 24 hours before it becomes hard and icy.

Source:  The Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy-Free Ice Dream Alternatives with Gluten-Free Cookies, Compotes and Sauces (Planetary Press, October, 2008)(Planetary Press, October, 2008)
© Copyright 2008 Rachel Albert-Matesz

Organizing Your Recipes

Do you clip recipes from magazines, file them away, then forget to make them or wonder where you put them? Since I’m always looking for new ideas for myself, my cooking classes, and future cookbooks, I needed to find a way to make order of all the recipes I’m collecting. I found two systems that work for me.

Short term files: I use letter size folders with tabs marked “recipes to test.” If I have a lot of recipes in single category, I make separate files, such as “quinoa recipes,” or “dessert recipes.” I keep these in a file cabinet or in an upright metal file rack for easy access.

Long-term keeping: A few years ago I filled several 3-ring binders filled with plastic sheet protectors. I insert divider pages with tabs, then organized the recipes by category: salads, leafy greens, root vegetables, tubers, soups, whole grains, fish, poultry, meat, eggs, condiments, fruits, desserts, beverages.  I cut out short recipes and paste them on paper. If they have pictures, I include those. I slip the pages into a sheet protectors and keep the notebooks on a shelf and continually add to them.  If I'm looking for inspiration or ideas or ways to use a particular food, I pull out a notebook.

Periodically I pull recipes out of a file folder or notebook and place them in an 8 1/2 x 11 plastic envelope––- the kind with a Velcro closure––- and place them in the kitchen ready for action. If I want to make a recipe in the next week or two, I post it on the refrigerator with a magnet. 

Last weekend I pulled this recipe out of my files. I liked it so much I made it twice, once with carrots, once with without. Once with  homemade Bone Building Broth, made from leftover chicken bones I'd saved. I’ll post that recipe in the next week or two. For the second batch I used the liquid saved from cooking a chicken in the crock pot. I hate to waste food and this gelatinous broth added a lot of flavor and cut my food bill.

Here’s the recipe with a few adjustments I made.

Immune Booster Soup

Prep: 20 minutes    Cooking: 20 minutes      Yield: 4 to 6 servings

The original recipe appeared in the December 2008 issue of Yoga Journal and was provided  by Debra Brammer, N.D., associate clinical dean of naturopathic medicine at Bastyr Center for Natural Health.

I added quick cooking wakame sea vegetables and miso to her recipe. Sea vegetables add important trace minerals to your diet. They nourish your thyroid gland and help chelate (detoxify) heavy metals. I used quick cooking wakame, sold in the Asian food section of natural foods stores. If you use regular wakame or alaria, you will need to soak it, finely chop it, and simmer it for 15 to 20 minutes before you add the other ingredients.

Note: Since I used unsalted homemade broth, I seasoned the soup with miso just before serving. Read labels carefully. You want unpasteurized, refrigerated miso, a Japanese seasoning paste that makes a great substitute for salt or soy sauce in soups. If you avoid gluten, select a brand and flavor of miso that does not contain barley, such as Westbrae. Or, try some of the gluten-free, wood-fired, handmade miso from South River Miso Company. Miso lasts for years if kept in a cool dry place. I'll give you more tips for using it in future posts.

Ingredients:
4 cups mushroom or chicken broth or homemade Bone-Building Broth
1 small yellow or white onion, cut into thin half-moons or crescents (about 1 cup)
4 to 10 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
1 medium carrot, grated or cut into thin rounds or half moon slices
4 to 8 fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 to 3 tablespoons peeled and grated gingerroot or to taste
3 tablespoons Emerald Cove Ready-to-Use Pacific Wakame or Eden Wakame Flakes
1 fresh lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or scallions
4 to 6 teaspoons unpasteurized miso: white, yellow, mellow, or red miso (see note above), optional (omit if using salted broth)


1. If using dried mushrooms, place them in a bowl. Add hot water to barely cover. Put a smaller bowl on top to submerge them in the liquid. Let soak until tender, at least 15 minutes, then thinly slice with a knife or kitchen shears. Discard the tough end of the stem. Strain the soaking liquid to remove sediment and add it to the soup.

2. Cover and bring the broth, onion, garlic, carrot, mushrooms, and ginger to a slow boil in a 2-quart pot.

3. Add instant or quick cooking wakame sea vegetable. Reduce the heat, and simmer on low, covered, for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables become tender.

3. Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and parsley. Cover and let steep for 5 minutes. If you did not use salted broth, add 1 teaspoon of miso to each soup bowl. Ladle in some of the soup broth, mash to dissolve the miso, then add more soup to the bowl. Stir, taste, and adjust as needed.

4. Refrigerate leftovers in glass jars. Heat gently before serving. Season with miso if desired.

The Yamwich

A sandwich is a sandwich and a Yamwich makes a more nutritious meal. It’s even more nutritious than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. What’s wrong with a PBJ? Well for starters it doesn’t contain any vegetables and most people make it with jam rich in sugar, peanut butter that contains hydrogenated fat, and bread made from refined flour and a long list of preservatives and additives. Then there's the whole issue of wheat (in the bread) that many people are allergic or intolerant of.

A Yamwich is more nutritious. It’s a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. For years I used to eat Yamwichs for many of my lunches at home and on car trips, plane trips, hiking trips, and afternoon outings. I taught many of my students how to make them and some taught their kids.

 The origins of the Yamwich
I didn’t invent the Yamwich. Don Matesz did. It was one of his favorite pack lunches during his stint as a part-time philosophy professor at a college and university spaced 50 miles apart. Anyway, eighteen years ago he introduced me to this unusual sandwich comprised of a whole wheat tortilla or chapatti spread with peanut or almond butter, topped with a juicy baked sweet potato or yam, rolled up burrito style, and eaten cold or at room temperature with a heaping cup of coleslaw and a cup of plain yogurt. During my vegan days I used to serve it with a cup of plain soy milk. 

When I followed a grain-free paleo diet I didn’t eat Yamwiches, then when I added grains back to my diet I rarely made them because I preferred meals that provided more protein. I started thinking about Yamwich recently because some of my clients and cooking students asked me about how to make gluten free sandwiches and roll-ups. If you purchased brown rice tortillas, you how hard they are to roll. They break easily frustrating your efforts. But don’t give up.

Last week I showed you brown rice tortilla roll-ups; the week before I shared my secret for making tortillas moist and tender using steam. Check out that post for a visual.

A couple of months ago I made a Yamwich using a steamed brown rice tortilla. Instead of coleslaw, I served a crisp green salad with scallions, peeled, seeded, and sliced cucumber, grated radishes, and minced scallions. Instead of yogurt, milk, or soy milk on the side, I added thinly sliced chicken breast to my salad for protein and a dash of vinaigrette. I enjoyed the meal and think you might too. In place of chicken you could use turkey or at least crumble a couple of ounces of part skim goat milk feta over your salad.

YamWiches

Prep: 20 minutes      Yield: 4 roll-ups     Serves: 4 roll ups

Try this roll up for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Figure one or two roll ups per person depending upon their activity level and energy needs. Guys usually need two, women often feel satisfied with just one of these. Add a side of coleslaw or a green salad and a cup of plain yogurt, kefir, milk, or a few ounces of chicken, turkey, or some feta in your salad. Experiment with different kinds of sweet potatoes. I especially like the cream colored sweet potatoes; they have a denser texture and less mushy taste than red garnet and jewel yams.

Shopping tip: Look for small, firm, unblemished sweet potatoes and “yams.” They shold be narrow enough for your to wrap your fingers around them. Don’t buy fat, overgrown yams or sweet potaotes; they usually taste mealy. Smaller tastes better.

By the way what most people call yams (red garnet and jewel yams) are botanically speaking actually sweet potatoes. I doubt anyone we will succeed in changing the way they’re labeled or referred to, so call them what you like.

Cooking tip: Bake enough yams or sweet potatoes to serve three days in a row. That means if you’re cooking for one, bake three sweet potatoes. If you’re cooking for two, bake six. (I use a toaster oven and bake them first thing in the morning or before sitting down to dinner.) If you bake them ahead they’ll be ready when you want them and if you bake a big batch, even if you get a dud (a bland and watery one), you can throw it out and you’ll still have enough to make Yamwiches for a couple of days or have a starchy vegetable to incorporate into lunch or dinner meals.

Ingredients:
2 medium to large (4- to 6-ounce) red garnet or jewel yams, Japanese sweet potatoes,
    or white sweet potatoes (Jersey Sweets), about 1 1/2 to 2 cups
4 (9-inch) brown rice tortillas*
4 tablespoons unsweetened, roasted almond, cashew, or peanut butter, at room temp
4 teaspoons honey or 4 to 6 drops stevia extract powder if the tubers don’t taste sweet

3 to 4 cups coleslaw or 4 to 6 cups green salad with assorted vegetables and dressing

Note: If you tolerate gluten, you can use (7- to 9-inch) 100% whole wheat or spelt tortillas or chapattis used in the original Yamwich recipe. Whole foods makes a good one.

1. Wash sweet potatoes and place on a dry baking sheet (line with parchment if desired) in a 400˚ F oven. Bake 4 to 8 ounce tubers for approximately 1 hour, 8 to 12 ounce sweet potatoes for 1 ¼ hours, and larger tubers for 1 ½ hours, or until soft and squishy.
2. Brush a tortilla very lightly with coconut oil, soft butter or ghee and rub it against another tortilla. Repeat as needed to oil both sides of the tortillas. Separate each with a piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking. Wrap one a stack of tortillas in a clean, white cotton or linen (not paper) napkin and steam on a rack over boiling water for 3 minutes to moisten.
3. Taste your sweet potatoes or yams; if bland, mash with honey, agave nectar, or a few drops of stevia extract liquid.
4. Spread 1 tablespoon of nut butter (or twice as much Fluffy Nut Butter from The Garden of Eating cookbook) across the center of one tortilla to make a 4-inch circle. Top with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sweet potato or yma and flatten with a fork. Fold the right edge of the tortilla over the filling, then the left side, then fold in the top and bottom edges to create a burrito. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
5. Serve now or cover and refrigerate for up to 72 hours. Serve at room temperature.

1 Yamwich (analysis w/ whole wheat tortilla): 257 calories, 8 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrate (7 g fiber), 10 grams fat, 375 mg sodium

Variation:

*    SquashWiches: Replace sweet potato with 1 to 2 cups of baked (not steamed) winter squash, such as delicata, sweet dumpling, buttercup or kabocha. (See page 000 for cooking tips.)

© Copyright 2008, Chef Rachel

A Good Strong Breakfast

I’m a firm believer in the benefits of breakfast, but not just any breakfast. I advocate and eat what my friend Heather Crimson, also a blogger, calls, "a good strong breakfast." This is a substantial meals comprised of a complete protein, a generous serving of fresh vegetables and fruit, and some friendly fat. It beaks my overnight fast of 12 or more hours, fuels my morning activities, keeps hunger at bay for four to five hours, and provides 3 to 5 USDA servings of produce. All that and it tastes great!

My typical breakfast
It usually consists of eggs, leftover fish, poultry, or meat, or a combination of the two, with cooked leafy green vegetables, a starchy or dense vegetable or whole grain, a fresh raw or cooked fruit, and 1 or 2 condiments.

Recently I’ve been making gluten-free breakfast roll ups
I start with a brown rice tortilla. You can buy these at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods Markets. I steam it to warm it and make it more pliable (see the previous posts for how-to's), then I add the following

1) a thin spread of Grapeseed Vegenaise:  This is best tasting commercial mayo I have found (it contains trace amounts of soy protein, but not enough to add even 1 gram of soy protein to a serving; it contains higher quality oil than other brands I’ve tried)

2) a thin spread of prepared mustard: I usually use True Natural Taste Creamy White, Honey Mustard, or Jalapeno flavor (this brand contains simple and pure ingredients, it’s gluten free, and packaged in a glass bottle)

3) 2 to 3 soft boiled, poached, or scrambled omega-3 eggs or 2 eggs + 1/4 cup liquid egg whites:
If I scramble the eggs I add herbs or spices to flavor them and add antioxidants

4) 1 heaping cup of cooked leafy greens: kale, collards, mustard or turnip greens, Brussels sprouts, or bok choy, usually cooked with onions and herbs, or blanched  broccoli or broccoli and cauliflower

Sometimes I add the greens to the tortilla wrap with the eggs, which makes for a very fat wrap. Sometimes I serve the greens on the side. I find the brown rice tortillas thinner and harder to pick up and eat with my hands when they’re stuffed with a lot of filling and I like to eat a bite of the cooked greens with the egg and tortilla mixture, so I eat this with a knife and fork. If you make a smaller burrito wrap to envelop the filling you can pick it up and eat it with your hands. I’ll show you how to do that in a future post.

About those greens
Vegetables for breakfast might sound strange if you're not used to eating them, but I guarantee that you can get used to it and even enjoy eating them first thing in the morning. It’s great way to get more green foods into your diet and get a jump on meeting your daily vegetable requirements. Many of my students have started eating greens for breakfast and within a couple of weeks they often tell me they crave greens and enjoy them more than ever before.

You’ve probably eating vegetables for breakfast in a quiche, vegetable omelet, or frittata. Dark leafy greens are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants found in primitive diets but lacking in most modern diets. They add a refreshing taste, texture, and color to meals. Eating greens for breakfast is habit work cultivating. I’ve been doing it for at least 20 years. It would feel odd to me not to eat them.

5) I serve fresh fruit on the side: a sliced fresh fruit, a cup of berries or cubed melon, or sometimes a poached or baked fruit, served solo or sprinkled with flaked, unsweetened coconut or chopped toasted nuts

SOURCE: Chef Rachel, The Healthy Cooking Coach © Copyright 2008