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April 2nd
Here finally are some of the pictures from the 2/24 Herbs and Spices class and the 3/16 Veg-out! Enjoy! I will be making a picture gallery at the bottom of this page to put pictures from past classes. If you are interested in any of them, let me know via email and I will send you a J-peg.
Check out our events page! We are starting a new series of classes and field trips for Spring, so if you're interested sign up!!
Happy Vegged-out chefs!
March 18th
We finally finished the Veggie 101 course! You all did a great job!! I think Chef Chris' simple but tasty veggie dishes have shown everyone that it's easy to add avariety of grains and vegetables to their everyday cooking, and to take what they have learned in their own kitchens!
I will be posting a selection of pictures we took and some of the food info you requested towards the end of next week. As always, you can contact me at the email address above!
what a feast!
This tastes good!!
so that's how you do it!
salmon pink!
some serious bananas!
happy campers
Chef Zazzi and her gang
February 2nd
Look in the photo gallery for some pics from our January Souped Up! class!
Everyone had a great time making Chef Chris's healthy take on creamy, satisfying winter soups! The soups and the wonderful salads he created were full of simple ideas, really easy to use at home! And as for the scones, we'll never have to eat store-bought again!
December 18th
Christmas is almost here. This year has gone by way too fast!
At the beginning of December I went away with my husband for a week to go on a Zen retreat at Dai Bosatsu monastery in the Catskills. It was at the same time a grueling and a wonderful experience! Although I've done these retreats many times, each time I go, it feels like I'm starting anew. It takes a lot to get a clear, calm space in one's head it seems!
Since my chemo, my joints don't take kindly to the prolonged stints of stillness, required for zazen (meditation) at these retreats, so I practice through working in the Tenzo (kitchen). I've learnt a lot from cooking there. All the food we make during the retreat is vegetarian. My friend Seigan Ed Glassing was Tenzo (which also, incidentally, means cook as well as kitchen - makes sense!).
Ed is a Zen monk. I love working with him. He spent over 4 years at a monastery in Japan. He is a great vegetarian cook and knows a lot about all styles of vegetarian cuisine. We incorporated as much as we could into our daily menus. Since the Abbott is Japanese, we had several Japanese days, plus an Indian day, a Chinese day and, of course some good old American days!
I was a card carrying vegetarian for many years who gradually became more omnivorous as free range eggs and poultry became more readily available. Like many people, I look to chicken breasts to make a quick dinner. The experience in the Tenzo with Ed has reinvigorated my interest in vegetarian cooking. Ed pointed out to me that it was no coincidence that I found myself working in the Tenzo just a few weeks before my Veggie 101 classes, though I honestly hadn't put the two together. Duh! you could say!
Happy Holidays!
Ann
November 16th 2007
We had our Healthy Thanksgiving Feast last night at ICE. I of course managed to get laid low with the flu and couldn't go, but my Cook for your Life partner Bruce joined Bridget and Sandy from Beth Israel for what was by all accounts a really great, fun evening! A good time was had by all! Even though I couldn't be there in person, I was there in spirit, and at least got to taste all the dishes the class made from the plate that ICE made up for me! Everything was absolutely delicious! Well done!
Bruce and Bridget took photos during the evening, some of which I'm going to post below in our picture gallery. There are more, so if any of you are interested in having copies, please email us on info@cookforyourlife.org putting "11/15 photos" in the subject line, and we will send you jpegs to download.
See you all soon!
Ann
Picture Gallery
Souped Up!!
Thanksgiving 2007  
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I'm a Brit and I must have been feeling a bit homesick lately - perhaps it was the endless cold grey rainy weather before the gloriousness of the Memorial Day weekend! In any case I've been baking cookies. Here's one of my homeland's faves plus a healthily delicious sugarless cookie from my friend Atsumi Hara ! Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Ginger Snap Cookies
These ginger snaps are a British tea time favorite! They are really quick and easy to make - you can have them done in about 35 minutes total, start to finish! Syrup holds them together, and granulated brown sugar gives them crunch! Traditionally they're made with Lyle's Golden Syrup*, a thick, golden cane sugar syrup that is used a lot in English home cooking - it's the Brit version of pancake syrup! To make a slightly healthier version, you could try using liquid honey or maple syrup instead, but the cookies would have a very different taste. I find dark Agave nectar is a good substitute. You get the same taste and a cookie that's a little lower on the glycemic index. Made with agave, the cookies don't spread quite as much, and come out thicker with a more crumbly less 'snappy' texture and are quite delicious!
For 16 - 20 cookies
I cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
1 rounded teaspoon of ground ginger
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 cup organic granulated brown sugar
2 oz unsalted organic butter
2 Tbsps + 1/2 tsp dark agave nectar or Lyle's Golden Syrup*
Preheat the oven to 375F
Lightly grease 1 large or 2 small cookie sheets.
1. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and ginger together into a large bowl
2. Stir in the sugar, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs
3. Add the Golden Syrup and mix together to form a thick paste.
4. Roll the mixture out into a sausage shape with the flats of your hands, then cut it into slices about 1/4" thick
5. Gently roll each slice into a ball and place on a cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each as the cookies will spread out during baking
6. Slightly flatten each ball with the back of a spoon, and bake in the center of the oven for 10-15minutes - they will be golden brown and look cracked at the edges.
7. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on their baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
8. Store in an airtight tin.
*How to get Lyle's Golden Syrup
In New York City you can find it at Fairway Markets in their British foods section, or from Myers of Keswick in the Village. You can also order it online from:
www.myersofkeswick.com
www.lylesgoldensyrup.com
www.jollygrub.com
Atsumi's Sugarless Cookies
These are fabulous chewy cookies that you could eat for breakfast or even as a snack instead of a cereal bar. They are really simple to make! If you are allergic to peanuts, you can substitute the peanut oil with a good vegetable oil. If the mixture seems too wet, add a handful more oats.
Dry Ingredients
1/2 C Whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 C Almond meal
1/2 C Flax seed meal
2 C Rolled oats - crushed
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 C Walnut pieces – toasted
Wet Ingredients
1 egg, beaten
1/4 C. Olive oil
1/8 C Peanut or vegetable oil
1/8 C Grapeseed oil
1/4 C. milk
1 C Dates - diced
1 C Prunes - diced
A small handful of Raisins
1 C water
Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
Pre-heat the oven to 350F
Makes 25-30 cookies
1. Cook the dates, prunes and raisins in the water until tender. Puree the fruit and any remaining water in a food processor (there shouldn't be very much cooking water left) If you don't have a food processor, just roughly chop the fruit and mix with the remaining cooking water. Set aside.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
3. In a separate bowl or measuring jug, mix the wet ingredients together.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until blended then add the dried fruit puree. Mix until well combined. You will have a loose sticky dough.
5. Using a dessert spoon, put spoonfuls of the dough onto the greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the back of the spoon. Wet the spoon with cold water if the dough sticks to it too much.
6. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 min or so or until done. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight tin.
Posted May 28th
Mustard Vinaigrette
This is one of my favorite salad dressings. It's perfect with the crunchier salad greens like romaine or belgian endive. It's also great with the new season's steamed asparagus and artichokes.
I like to make it French style, directly in the bottom of the salad bowl I'm going to be using. I can just tip the salad on top of it ready to be turned just before serving, but that's me. The sauce can be made in any bowl you choose!
Here it is:
for 4-6
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp cold water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
1. Spoon the mustard into a large salad bowl. Add a pinch of salt and a grind or two of black pepper.
2. Using a small balloon whisk, beat the vinegar into the mustard until it is completely blended and smooth.
3. Beating all the time, slowly add the oil into the mustard mixture until it is all combined and you have a thick smooth cream.
4. Add 1/2 the water and beat to blend. Check for sharpness. If it is still too sharp, beat in the rest of the water, or a little more oil, depending on how light you like your dressing.
5. Taste for salt and pepper. It's ready!
Tip: if you like your dressing to have a garlicky taste, cut a clove of garlic in half and rub the cut sides of the clove around the bowl you'll be using to make the dressing in. This will give your dressing a light taste of garlic!
Posted May 2nd 2008
Here's something good to eat with your vinaigrette...........
Steamed Artichokes
This is really simple and delicious way to eat artichokes. I call them the strip-tease vegetable! Why? Because you have to pull away all the outer leaves to get to its succulent heart, eating the tender leaf bottoms as you go!
Artichokes are a member of the thistle family and what we are eating is the bud. The hairy choke that covers the heart is the unformed flower. When you get near the center, remove the crown of tiny pale green leaves to get to the choke. Pull or cut the hairy fibers away to reveal the delicious cup shaped heart underneath that is the end of the tease! A tangy mustard vinaigrette is the perfect accompaniment to an artichoke's green, earthy taste.
Pick medium to large artichokes with a soft green color and firm, tight, unblemished leaves. Pass on any with loose, bruised, dry looking outer leaves. They won't be as good.
for 4
4 large artichokes
sea salt to taste
1 recipe Mustard Vinaigrette
1. Trim the stalks off the artichokes so that they can sit upright on a plate. Rinse.
2. Arrange them in a pan large enough to hold them in a single layer .
3. Pour enough cold water over them to come 1/3 the way up their sides. Sprinkle a little sea salt over them
4. Bring them to a boil over a high heat. Once boiling, cover and turn the heat down to low.
5. Simmer for 30 minutes until tender, or until the outer leaves easily come away when pulled.
6. Cover a platter in absorbent kitchen paper and using tongs, lift the artichokes from the pan onto the paper. Leave them to drain and cool.
7. Artichokes are best eaten at room temperature. When they are ready, remove from the platter, disgard the paper and dry the platter. Rearrange the artichokes on the platter and serve with Mustard Vinaigrette.
Tip: Remember to put a large bowl on the table for the remains of the leaves and the chokes.
Posted May 2nd 2008
Asparagus and Pine Nut Pasta
Spring is here, and the first sweet new asparagus are starting to come into the Farmers' markets from New Jersey! Here's a simple pasta recipe using the thin green asparagus stems that are the most common. It's basically a version of an olio, aglio, pepperoncino pasta. You can get this together in the time it takes to boil the pasta! If you like, you can add 1/2 cup of frozen peas with the aparagus. Serve it with a chunk of Parmigiano on the table ready to be grated over the pasta. A crunchy Belgian endive salad with a mustardy dressing would be good with this.
For 4 people
1 bunch of thin green asparagus ( about 1lb)
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled and thinly sliced lengthways
1 dried cayenne pepper pod,seeds removed or other dried chili (optional)
3 tbsp dry toasted pine nuts (pignolis)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
8 oz whole wheat penne rigate or rigatoni (allow 2oz per person dry weight)
1 Tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 Tbsp sea salt for the pasta water + salt and black pepper to taste.
1. Put the pasta water on to boil over a high heat. Do not salt - it will take longer to boil if you do! While the water is heating through...................
2. Rinse the asparagus.
If you get the odd thick one, cut it in half lengthwise so it cooks at the same speed as the rest! Snap off the tough root ends and starting from the tips, cut them into lengths roughly the same size as the pasta you're using.
3. Break the cayenne pepper pod into several largish pieces.
4. Measure out the pasta and set aside
By the time you've finished these steps, the pasta water should be boiling. Add the salt, bring back to a boil then add the pasta. Give the pan a stir, and set your kitchen or cooker timer to 7 minutes. Now you start cooking the sauce!
5. Heat the olive oil over a medium high heat in a wide deep frying pan or a wok (my fave).When the oil is hot, add the garlic and the chili pepper and stir fry it until the garlic is golden, about 5-8 mins. Take care not to burn it. Turn down the heat if it's cooking too fast.
6. While you're doing this, listen for the timer. When it pings, add the asparagus in with the pasta and cook them together for 2 minutes. Use the timer again!
7. Add the parsley to the oil and garlic in the frying pan and stir fry for a minute. Add a ladleful of pasta water to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add the pine nuts. Turn down heat to medium. Don't let the pan get dry.
8. When the timer pings after 2 minutes, drain pasta and asparagus, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water - this will moisten your sauce without your adding a lot of extra oil. Both the pasta and the asparagus will be a little undercooked. They will finish cooking in the sauce.
9. Add the pasta and asparagus to the frying pan/wok and coat well with the garlic, parsley & oil. Add about 1/3 of the reserved water turn up the heat and bring to a boil, stirring all the time. There should always be a little liquid in the pan to finish off cooking the pasta, so top it up as needed.
10. Add the grated cheese and a grind or two of black pepper mixing in well. Cook stirring for 1 minute. It's ready! Check for salt. Serve.
Tip: If your asparagus get wilted, cut the root ends off and plunge them into a vase of cold water for 30minutes to revive them.
Posted March 30th 2008
Tomato & Sweet Potato Soup
Here's another use for sweet potatoes! My friend Gaye Sandler first made this for me when I was recovering from my first cancer. This is an easy soup for a cold day - and it's pretty to look at, delicious and would you believe good for you!
1 large spanish onion roughly diced
11/2 lbs sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 28oz can of diced organic tomatoes (no seasonings!)
4 cups of stock, chicken or vegetable
1 bay leaf
1 dried red chili - seeds removed (optional)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp olive oil
strained greek yoghurt or sour cream (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat the oil over a medium high heat .
2. Add the onions, chili, bay leaf and sweet potato and saute until both the onion and sweet potato look slightly caramelized and golden, about 15 mins. Lower the heat slightly about halfway through if the veggies look like they are cooking too fast, aka burning!
3. Add the tomatoes and cook over a medium/high heat stirring from time to time until the tomatoes have turned orangey red, about 10 mins
4. Add the stock and salt to taste. Stir well to mix and let the soup cook for another 20 minute or so until the flavors are blended.
5. Remove the bay leaf and puree the soup with an immersion blender.
6. If the soup seems too thick add a little extra stock or some milk or soy milk to get it to the right consistency for you. Check the seasonings. Reheat gently.
7. To serve. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle each bowl with a couple of tsp of the chopped cilantro then add a dollop of yoghurt or sour cream to each if desired.
Posted 2/1/2008
Perfect Rice
You will need a heavy bottomed saucepan with a tight fitting lid. If your lid is a little loose, cut a square of foil big enough to comfortably cover the pan. When it is time to put the lid on, first put the foil on top of the pot, then push down the lid onto it. Use the visible edges of the foil to seal the lid tight.
1 cup of brown rice (either long or short grain)
11/4-11/3 cups water
soy sauce or salt to taste
For 3-4 people.
Wash the rice until the water becomes clear. Drain
Put the rice into a pot with the water and seasoning (I use the smaller quantity of water with long grain rice).
Bring to a rolling boil uncovered. When the pot is boiling, put on the lid tightly and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Leave to simmer for 35 minutes. Do not open the lid!
After 35 minutes, turn the heat off completely. Do not open the lid!
Leave the rice to steam in it's own heat for at least 10 minutes. After 10 minutes are up, the rice should be perfectly 'al dente'.
Do not open the lid to check the rice until the final 10 minutes steaming are up however tempted you are!
Fluff the rice with a fork. Sometimes the rice scorches at the bottom of the pan depending on how hot your stove is so take care to avoid any burnt rice on the bottom of the pan. Turn out into a serving dish and serve.
Tip:
You can use this technique with white rice too, only cook it for just 15 minutes after it has come to the boil. The steam time is the same, and keeping the lid on is the same!
Posted 12/19/2007
Baked Sweet Potatoes:
Here's an easy recipe to give a citrus zing to baked sweet potatoes. The sharpness of the lime and the cilantro works well with the sweetness of the potato.
for 4 people as a side:
Preheat the oven to 400F
2lbs sweet potatoes, left whole in their skins and well scrubbed
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsps chopped cilantro
1 tbsp finely chopped chives or 1 finely sliced & chopped scallion (optional)
butter to taste (optional)
1. Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and put on the middle shelf
of the oven on a cookie sheet.
2. Bake the potatoes until they are soft and are easily pierced with a
fork, about 45mins to 1hr depending on their size
3. Split the potatoes longways and quickly scoop out the flesh into a
bowl.
4. Dot the potatoes with nuts of butter, mashing it in lightly with a
fork.
5. Fluff the potatoes up with the fork and sprinkle with the lime juice,
chopped cilantro and chives if using.
6. Serve immediately!
Posted 11/10/2007
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