pumpkins

IRON CHEF PUMPKINS

I know that you just about have to be an iron chef to cut up a Queensland Blue pumpkin but this title has more to do with the challenge of preparing a meal using pumpkin as a star for every course.  This is not as difficult as it sounds because pumpkin is a very versatile vegetable, and a little goes a long way.  Of course you can serve Hogwarts style pumpkin juice if you like or you can roast it, mash it, use it to make pumpkin soup, scones, dampers and loaves, add it to risotto, use it in frittatas, pasta and bakes and because it is rather sweet in tagines and the old American favourite pumpkin pie. But when you have twenty odd large butternut pumpkins to dispose of, as I do, you might like a larger range of dishes.  Here are some suggestions for a banquet of pumpkins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

weight loss, eggplants

Weight Loss - I have been a bit tardy with my post lately because I have injured my back and had to rest a lot.  Weight this week was 80.4kg so still hovering around 80kg and time is ticking.

Eggplants - it has a great year for this magnificent vegetables - hot and dry as they like it.

Weight loss, more on onions

Weight loss - 81.8kg (see diary of a food addict)

More on Onions

It is time to use and preserve your home grown onions,  Here are some tips.

ONIONS AND SHALLOTS

Dry onions

These are left in the ground to mature. Look for firm, dry onions with no soft patches.  They have dry, papery skins and varieties include:

 

White

·       A mild onion with a slightly sweet flavour that's great for cooking or for adding raw to salads.

Brown

·       Stronger in flavour than the white onion, brown onion are a good choice for soups, stir-fries or stews or baked.

Red

·       Also called a Spanish onion, this onion has a mild, sweet flavour. It's ideal for eating raw in salsas and salads or for barbecuing or roasting.

 

Pickling

·       Smaller than the brown onion, the pickling onion can be added whole to casseroles or pickled in vinegar. It's sometimes referred to as a pearl onion.

 

Eschalots

·       With small clusters of bulbs, eschalots look similar to garlic. They can be brown, purple or grey in colour and have a mild flavour and aroma. Used extensively in French and Asian cooking, they're sometimes called French shallots and are great in casseroles or added to sauces for steak. Purple (Asian) eschalots can be chopped and used in curry pastes. To prepare place them in a bowl of hot water then transfer to a plate to cool and remove the skins. Thinly slice and add to stir-fries. Shallow-fry sliced shallots until crisp and use to garnish Asian dishes.

Green onions

These are pulled out of the ground before the bulb has time to develop.

 

Green shallots

·       are also called scallions, these are long, green shoots with a white section and roots at the base. The green tops are quite mild and can be used in salads and dips or as a garnish. The white section has a stronger flavour and can be sliced and eaten raw or used in stir-fries.

Spring onions

·       more mature version of green shallots, these have a small bulb at the base. Both the bulbs and the tops can be added raw to salads or cooked whole in casseroles.

 

PRESERVING ONIONS

Sweet onions tend to have a water content and therefore do not store as well as more pungent  brown onions  Some varieties are bred to be keepers. After pulling from the ground allow the onion to dry out, clip the roots and cut the tops back to about 6cm.  If the onions have thin necks, bend the necks over and tie down with string.  This will help prevent the onion from rotting.  If the onions have thick necks or no necks, if they are soft or immature, use them up as soon as you can.

 

You need to keep onions for storing in a cool, dry place and do not let them touch. Good quality onions can be kept in the refrigerator for a long time if they are individually wrapped in paper towel or foil.  Check them from time to time.  This is a good way of storing red and white onions which do not dry as well as brown onions.

 

You can store keeping-quality brown onions in a nylon stocking or pantyhose.  Tie a knot or put a plastic tie between the onions and continue until the stocking is full. Hang them up in a cool dry place and remove one onion at a time as required.  Alternatively spread the onions out on a screen or mesh to allow air to circulate, but keep them separated.  Check your onions regularly especially as spring approaches as they will start to sprout, use them or preserve them before they get to this stage.

 

A word of warning when using onions, make sure the onions you are preparing are not contaminated with soil.  Wipe or brush them over the sink first.  Then take a little bit of extra care when peeling them and cutting off their roots not to get any soil on the preparation board or utensils.  It is possible, although quite rare, to get botulism from soil contamination especially with vegetables that are preserved in oil which creates an anaerobic environment for the deadly microbe.  See http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Botulism

 

Drying

·       Onions are easy to dry, and reconstitute easily. Peel and slice them into thin rings, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes. Dry on paper towel and put them in a dehydrator until dry. When cool put them in plastic bags, vacuum seal and store in a cool, dry place.

 

Freezing

·       Peel and wash the onions, slice them into rings, and blanch in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Cool, drain and put the onion rings on a baking tray, and place the sheets in the freezer. After they're frozen, put the onions in a plastic bag and vacuum seal.  

 

Cooking and freezing

·       You can freeze carmelised onions.  To carmelise the onions, slice them into rings and cook them very slowly with butter until they turn a rich brown colour but don’t let them burn.  This will take a while so give them a stir every now and again.  You can add a little brown sugar or balsamic vinegar for flavour.  Put them into small snap lock bags, squeeze out the air and freeze when cool.  They have many uses and are a great base for French onion soup.

 

Pickling

·       You can pickle whole onions or sliced onions.  Use the small pickling or pearl onions.

 

RECIPE LINKS

Great recipes from taste.com.au where the onion is the hero of the dish.

• Red onion jam
• Red onion soup with goats' cheese croutons
• Balsamic baby onions
• Pickled onions
• Caramelised French shallot tarte tatin
• Spring onion tarte tatin
• Baked onions
• Mushroom-filled baked onions
• Sweet baked onions
• Lamb-stuffed onions with parmesan breadcrumbs
• Baked onions stuffed with pistachios & dried cranberries

 

caramelised onions, weight loss

 

Weight loss - 80.4kg - weight seems to have stablised, at least it hasn't gone up. Now the silly season is just about over I need to get back on the straight and narrow.

 

 

 

weight loss, sour cherries

Weight loss campaign - 81.1kg, still the lowest I have been for years but I need to continue my downward spiral if I want to reach a normal healthy weight any time this century.

Sour Cherries - new wonder food or something we have know about for ages?

Sour cherries don’t sound very appetising but they are the best cherries for cooking.  They hold their shape and have good texture and great flavour whereas sweet cherries can be a bit insipid.  Sour cherries are very good for you containing a good dose of antioxidants and other substances that improve well-being.  While sour cherries are usually smaller than their sweet cousins they are easy to pit using a simple cherry or olive pitter.  But a word of warning, don’t wear good clothes as ripe red sour cherries produce heaps of staining purple red juice.  If you have a juicer you can drink this wonderful liquid for a health boost.

 

Sour cherry trees are usually prolific so what do you do with all those little red nuggets of goodness once you have washed and pitted them? 

 

1.       Put some on trays lined with freezer film and freeze them individually.  Then pack them into special bags with spoonful or two of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice, vacuum seal them and put them in the freezer until needed.  They are good as topping for ice cream, cheese cake, used in clafoutis or for a pie.  You can marinate them with a little alcohol and add them to cocktails.

2.       Cook some of them with some spices and sugar. To every pitted 500 g of sour cherries add 150 g of sugar, a pinch of salt, a big pinch cinnamon, the zest of half a lemon and a cup of water.  Bring to a simmer and cook for ten minutes or so, add a teaspoon of cornflour and cook until thickened a little.  Let the mixture cool and pack into plastic containers and freeze. This is delicious as a desert or as a sauce for duck or pork.  It is a great topping for pancakes, waffles even French toast. It can be used as a base for a Hungarian cherry soup (just thin with 2 cups water and add 1/2 cup of sour cream).  It can be used as a layer in a chocolate cake or a topping for a Black Forest cake.

3.       I put some in my dehydrator and dry and then vacuum pack. These are great in muesli, dried fruit mix or in cakes.

4.       If you have enough you can make jam.

5.       Of course you can bottle them.

 

·      See http://mypersiankitchen.com/albaloo-polow-persian-rice-with-sour-cherries for a great recipe for Albaloo Polow ~ Persian Rice with Sour Cherries - which uses fresh sour cherries.

·      Check out http://www.thekitchn.com/in-season-right-now-sour-cherr-119568 for some good ways to use sour cherries and there is a link to a recipe for making your own maraschino cherries.

·      This website has a great recipe for making a really non-hassle sour cherry jam.  http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/06/norecipe-yikes/

·      You can also pickle sour cherries.  Delicious! Try the recipe at the following web site http://www.savory.tv/2011/06/16/pickled-cherries-recipe/

weight loss, a slimming Christmas

 

WEIGHT LOSS - 80.6kg - see diary of a food addict 

 

 

 

 

HAVE YOURSELF A VERY HEALTHY CHRISTMAS AND A GUILT FREE NEW YEAR

 

Has your brain turned to mush and your digestive system to slush?  Do you feel you have just been through a tumble drier?  Is your greatest desire to just lie around like a beached whale watching the cricket? Do you find yourself taking naps in the afternoon? 

 

Have your eyes deteriorated so much that you have trouble reading the scales – your weight couldn’t have gone up that much?  Is your fridge full of left-overs you feel obliged to eat?  Is your laundry full of empties and your garbage bin overflowing?  Does the thought of eating another piece of chocolate make you want to throw up? 

 

Then you have chrismasitis – a common complaint at this time of year.  You have overindulged in sweet, fatty food and alcohol.  

 

You have suffered a health set-back, every part of your body is suffering.  It will take time and a lot of effort to recover but hopefully you will avoid the onset of diabetes, heart disease, obesity and depression that can sometimes accompany this condition. 

 

Tips for avoiding christmasitis and having a healthy Christmas and guilt free New Year next year are given below.

 

SNACKING

Avoid snacking as much as possible because high fat, high sugar snack foods can do much more damage to your aim for a healthy holiday period that your actual Christmas dinner itself.  Banish chips and sweets and the like from your house and instead enjoy healthy dips (hummus, beetroot and low fat sour cream, low-fat yoghurt, cucumber and dill, purred beans and spices) with vegetable sticks instead of crackers.  Try Japanese crackers and wasabi peas instead of the normal snack food.  Nuts, while fattening in large quantities, have lots of health benefits, especially if you buy whole nuts which are not salted and take time to crack open.  For a sweet snack try dates, dried fruit, strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, and fruit of all kinds.  Cherries are great at this time of year.

 

DRINKING

Alcohol packs a punch in more ways than one.  Do yourself a favour and only drink moderately over Christmas.  For every glass of alcohol you drink try drinking a glass of water, soda water, mineral water or low-joule soft drink in between.  Try out wine and champagne that has had the alcohol removed but still tastes like a real drink.

 

TAKE THE LOW-JOULE OPTION

Often the main components of a Christmas meal are not particularly fattening if eaten in moderation – turkey and ham are not particularly high in joules if you avoid eating their fat, roast vegetables are not that bad for you if not saturated in fat, salads should be good for you if not wallowing in high fat dressings.   So reduce the fat and sugar load on your body by taking advantage on lower joule options such as reduced fat mayonnaise, dressing, yoghurts, cream, sour cream, cream cheese, cheese, custards, ice creams etc.  Instead of a full-blown seafood sauce try a low joule one or skip it altogether and just have a squeeze of lemon or lime.

 

SWAP TRADITIONAL FOR SEAFOOD

Seafood is a wonderful luxury to indulge in at Christmas time and it comes pre-cooked so that you don’t have to sweat over a hot stove when it is over 30°C outside.  It is good for you too providing you don’t swamp it with high-joule sauces and butter.  Just serve with a twist of citrus and a light dressing if needs be.  Try poaching a fish or serving prawns in an ice bowl so they stay fresh and sweet. 

 

MAKE VEGETABLES THE HERO OF THE MEAL

At Christmas we tend to buy mountains of protein which is fine if you are spending summer in Antarctica but we don’t need to eat a whole turkey or ham to get us through the winter.  Buy a smaller sized ham and turkey than you think you will need – then you won’t be feeding prime cuts of meat to the dog or feeding king prawns to the cat.  Dried up turkey breast is pretty unappealing on Boxing Day and after a week of eating ham you never want to touch it again.  Even Bridget Jones turned her nose up at curried turkey.  Try making vegetables a real feature of your meal.  But don’t load them down with fattening sauces.  Try parboiling your roast vegetables then crisping them up in a hot pan with just a little oil in the bottom.  Drain the on paper towel before serving.   Use an oil spray to get good coverage without saturating the food with fat.  Try the following ratio – three vegetables (including salads) to two starchy foods (potatoes, rice, pasta etc) to one protein (eg. roasts, fish, seafood, ham).  For desserts try three fruit to two of dessert (eg pudding) to one indulgence (eg. cream, chocolate etc).

 

SPREAD IT OUT

Instead of eating all your favourite foods on Christmas Day, and stuffing yourselves silly, indulge in them moderately over three or four days of celebrating. It will reduce your stress levels for one thing because your cooking and serving will be simplified and it will also be much easier on your digestive system.   For example, have a roast turkey by itself for one meal with a few roast vegetables.  You will appreciate its flavour a lot more.  Have a baked ham and salad another day, and seafood on yet another day.

 

GO EASY ON HIGH-JOULE INDULGENCES

Desserts, cheeses, chocolates and other treats are usually high energy foods which can quickly pack on the kilograms.  Try to reduce their impact by only eating small amounts of them.  Reduce the impact of desserts on your waistline and digestive health by substituting lower-joule options.  For example, use a low-joule sugar substitute when making desserts including cakes and puddings, use lower fat creams, use low-joule yoghurt and low-joule custards instead of cream, try low-joule jellies with luscious fruit.  Use lots of natural fruit in your desserts and only a serve a small portion of the indulgent component of the dessert course.  Fill up the cheese platter with lots of nuts, dried and fresh fruit rather than a pile of cheese.  Lower-fat cheeses are now available and try substituting a hard cheese with a herbed ricotta.  For sweet things that go with coffee try using indulgences that really pack a punch for their size because they are packed with flavour (for example chocolate coated coffee beans, very dark chocolate, strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, glacé fruit cut up into cubes, use diabetic sweets instead of ones loaded with sugar).

 

GO FOR A WALK

After every meal go for a walk it is pleasantly relaxing and gets rid of some of the kilojoules gained by over-indulging.   Try some more vigorous exercise to burn off unwanted kilojoules – cricket,   badminton, throwing frizzbies, swimming, volleyball, etc will help a great deal and are great fun.  Build them into your Christmas entertainment program.

 

Give your body a present next Christmas – eat well, play well.



snowflakes and icicles Christmas theme

Snowflakes and icicles

make a good theme for Christmas celebrations - see the tab Special Occasions for more details

Weight loss - 81.0kg this week - See Diary of a Food Addict