Healthy Food & Healthy Living by Dr. Ayala

100% Whole Wheat Waffles

Waffles are one of our not-a-school-day treats. The aroma of baking waffles makes these weekend breakfasts feel like a special occasion – a lovely way to start the day. This recipe uses 100 percent whole wheat. I find that whole-wheat pastry flour, which is made of a soft mellow wheat, and is finely ground, makes amazing, delicate, light waffles – you won’t miss white flour at all.  The wheat germ adds another nutrition and flavor bonus.

One of the downsides of waffle making is that special equipment is needed. I apologize to my dear readers who don’t have access to a waffle iron. I’ll make it up to you with a recipe that needs nothing special next time.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2 tablespoons wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 2 cups milk
• ½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Butter for coating the waffle iron

Preparation

• Arrange 3 bowls
• In one bowl mix the dry ingredients: flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder and salt
• In second bowl whisk together the egg yolks and milk, and then whisk in the butter and the vanilla
• Whisk together the egg yolk mixture with the flour mixture
• In third bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft white peaks form
• With a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter 

Now that your batter is ready, it’s time to warm up your waffle iron. (The batter will keep for a few hours in the fridge, but do take it out of the fridge for a few minutes before using it.)

Coat your waffle maker with a little bit of butter, and with a soup ladle pour enough batter to just cover the waffle grid – this batter rises mightily!

Follow the directions of your waffle iron – waffles usually bake in 2-3 minutes

Serve immediately with an assortment of berries and maple syrup.

Makes about 12 waffles.

Enjoy!

Dr. Ayala

 

Mediterranean potato, onion, tomato and fresh herb bake

This easy, vegan, hearty dish combines the comfort of potatoes, with the light freshness of fresh basil and parsley, and the lovely redness of tomatoes and red spices. Serve with warm rustic bread to soak up the juices at the bottom of the baking dish.

Plan ahead: prep time is short, but for best results this dish may need about 2 hours in the oven, so get things started early.

Ingredients:

• 7 medium potatoes, (preferably Yukon Gold) peeled and sliced
• 5 large tomatoes, sliced
• 4 yellow onion, sliced

• 2 scallions, sliced
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons dry basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Dash of cayenne pepper (to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste (start with 3/4 teaspoon salt)
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Garnish: (optional) ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, taste a tomato slice and correct seasoning as needed.

Arrange in a large, deep baking dish, and bake covered by tin foil for 1.5-2 hours, until golden, and potatoes are nice and soft. Remove tin foil 10 minutes before the dish is ready.

Garnish with some extra chopped basil. 

Serves 6-8 

Enjoy,

Dr. Ayala

Baked carrot, apricot and herb fritters in pistachio dill pesto

One of my favorite restaurants is Zaytinya in Washington DC, where Jose Andres offers an impressive array of Turkish and Lebanese mezze, each blasting with flavor. His Havuc Kofte – carrot fritters served in an amazing pistachio sauce – is a dish we always look forward to.

I tried to recreate this dish at home, and in one of the trials finished them off in three ways: fried the traditional way, and baked with either a brush of olive oil or a sesame seed topping. The unanimous vote was for the baked version, which surprised me – I don’t like frying and eat fried food infrequently, but my kids actually just thought baking really works well for this dish, and voted on flavor only. I wasn’t sure what to call these anymore: Are they still fritters? Fritters are usually fried, not baked. Whatever you call them (suggestions welcome!), they’re delicious.

I have a feeling Andres’s recipe is more involved and has a few more ingredients, while mine is pretty easy, and relies on the food processor as my little helper – we home cooks don’t have the manpower big kitchens do, so I welcome shortcuts.

The leftovers from the pistachio pesto can be used as a dip, bread spread or thinned into a salad dressing.

Ingredients:

For the fritters:

• 5 large carrots, cut into chunks
• ½ cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
• 5 dried apricots, coarsely chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cups parsley or dill, coarsely chopped
• 1 large egg
• Sesame seeds or olive oil for coating/brushing

For pistachio pesto:

• 1 cup toasted pistachio nuts
• ½ cup chopped dill
• 1 clove garlic
• Juice from one lemon
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons water

Preparation:

Fritters:

• In a medium pot steam carrots with a little bit of water until tender. Remove from heat and drain well
• Place carrots in food processor, and pulse until mashed
• Add the breadcrumbs, apricots, green onions, pine nuts, paprika, cayenne, salt, black pepper, parsley and dill and eggs. Pulse until bound together. Mixture should be moist but not too wet. If the mixture is too liquid add more breadcrumbs
• Roll into about 25 balls. Place balls in covered container and refrigerate until ready to bake. The balls keep well for a couple of days.

Pistachio dill pesto:

• Place all the ingredients in a food processor, and process together until the mixture becomes a sauce. Taste and correct with additional lemon juice or spices as needed.
• If you prefer a more liquid consistency add more water.

Baking:

• Heat oven to 400 °F (200 °C)
• Roll carrot balls in sesame seeds, or brush with olive oil, and place on baking sheet
• Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the balls develop a bit of a crust 

To serve:

Spread pistachio pesto on a plate and arrange baked fritters over the sauce.

Serves 4-6.

 

Enjoy,

Dr. Ayala

Healthy, Guilt-free Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Once you’ve got your main dish planned, it’s time to think healthy, colorful, plant-rich and whole-grain sides.

Here’s a collection of my favorite not-so-traditional, but perfectly seasonal and Thanksgiving-color-palette recipes. They’re all vegetarian, and avoid frying, high-fat, high-sugar treatments, so they offer a healthy way to the festive meal.

And with all these sides, who needs a main dish?

Enjoy, Dr. Ayala

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Crispy kale and fresh herb salad with sesame miso dressing

This salad combines my two favorite kale preparations: raw, very thinly sliced (see technique below), and baked to a crisp (or a chip). These two kale variations, combined with dried currant’s sweetness, delicate herbs’ freshness and the miso saltiness make a salad that explodes with flavor.

Which kale to choose? I like them all, but the flat leaf kale such as lacinato or Tuscan kale is much easier to chop than the curly variety.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 20 leaves of kale, stems removed
• Olive oil for brushing
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups thinly sliced stemmed kale (*directions below)
• 1 cup finely chopped parsley, cilantro or dill, or combination of tender fresh herbs
• 3 tablespoons dried currants
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
• optional: 1-2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

For the dressing: 

• 1 tablespoon mild yellow miso paste
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Preparation:

Heat oven to 250°F (120°C)

Brush kale leaves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and arrange in single layer in 2-3 baking sheets

Bake until kale is crisp, 15-25 minutes

Whisk the dressing ingredients.

Mix the chopped kale, currants, Parmesan and parsley (and toasted pine nuts if using) with the dressing

Add the crisp kale, crushed to bitesize pieces, right before serving 

Serves 4-8

* Kale is rather tough and chewy, but this preparation renders it tender and almost delicate: Break or cut off the tough stems.  Wash thoroughly and dry well in a salad spinner or a towel.  Roll a bunch of leaves tightly, jelly-roll fashion. Slice crosswise as thinly as you can, chiffonade style and separate into strips. 

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Butternut squash and chestnut soup with mulling spices

 

This is a terrific fall soup, perfect for the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s easy to make, and requires no pre-prepared soup stock. The aroma of the mulled spices is festive and somewhat surprising in a soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise and cored
• 1 large onion
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 pound peeled roasted chestnuts (you can find peeled chestnuts sold in jars)
• 1-2 tablespoons honey
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the mulling spices:

• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice 
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 5 cardamom pods, bruised
• Orange peel zest (the outer colorful skin of the orange peel)--about half an orange

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the squashes, cut-side down, on a baking pan and bake until tender, about 30-40 minutes. Cut into large chunks.

Gather the mulling spices into a muslin bag, tea ball or cheesecloth pouch. (The orange peel and cinnamon sticks can be allowed to roam free in the pot; they’ll be easy to fish out.)

In a large soup pot, over medium-high heat, sauté onions until translucent.

Add the chunks of roasted squash, honey, salt, pepper, and half the chestnuts.

Add water to cover by 1.5 inch and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.

Add the mulling spices, including the orange peel and cinnamon sticks.

Simmer over moderate heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove the mulling spices, orange peel and cinnamon sticks.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender. (This is an inexpensive kitchen tool that saves a lot of cleanup. Immerse the blender into the pot in which the food has been cooked, and easily puree it with a switch of a button. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a blender or food processor.)

Crumble the remaining chestnuts into the pureed soup.

Taste and correct seasoning by adding ground cinnamon, more salt or some more freshly ground pepper.

To serve:

Garnish with freshly toasted pumpkin seeds (an excellent source of omega 3), and/or a cinnamon stick.

Serves 8-10.

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Roasted red and golden beets, with reduced balsamic vinegar

 

Beets are easy to find, especially between spring and fall. They make for a very simple, delicious, healthy dish that epitomizes fall color to me.
If you can find golden beets, they make for a delightful color contrast with the red beets. They also taste really great.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium red beets, rinsed, not peeled
• 3 medium golden beets, rinsed, not peeled
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar for reduced balsamic glaze
• Fresh herbs to garnish (chives, parsley or tarragon)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Optional - fresh goat cheese (chèvre)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and place in pan in the oven.

Roast until tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and let cool.

When beets are cool enough to handle, peel and slice them. (Red beets can be peeled and sliced in advance. Golden beets change color when exposed to air, so slice just before serving.)

To make reduced balsamic glaze: In a small pan over high heat, bring vinegar to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, and evaporate balsamic until quantity halves and turns to a light syrup.

Drizzle reduced balsamic over the beets.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Garnish with fresh herbs, and add goat cheese if desired.

Serves 8-10 as a side dish.
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Herbed brown rice  

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup parsley
• 1 cup cilantro
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• 1 ½ cup brown rice
• 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper to taste

Preparation: 

Bring the vegetable stock to a boil

Wash the herbs, remove the large stems leaving mostly leaves (you can cheat a little, since it’s all going into the food processor)

Place herbs and ½ a cup of the warm vegetable stock in a blender or food processor and process until you have a smooth chunk-less puree.  Add the puree to the rest of the stock

Wash the rice in a sieve under cold water

In a medium pot heat the oil on medium high, and sauté the onions and the paprika and salt for a few minutes until translucent

Add the rice, and toss around until the rice is aromatic and coated with oil

Add the herbed broth, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a low simmer

Cook rice according to directions – mine cooks for about 1½ hours

Fluff the rice, check seasoning, and serve with a few leftover sprigs of herbs for garnish.

Serves 8-10 as a side dish.

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Wheat berry salad

 

The trick with hard wheat berries is to plan ahead and soak them overnight. These grains are very hard indeed, and will require a very long cooking time if they’re not pre-soaked.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup wheat berries, soaked overnight
• 1 large ripe mango (can be replaced with oranges or persimmon), cut into cubes
• 3-4 celery stalks, (fibery outer parts peeled) diced
• 10 dates, pitted and finely chopped (can be replaced by another dried fruit) 
• A handful of dry cranberries
• A handful of nuts, such as roasted almonds, candied pecans or walnuts 

Dressing: 

• 1 tablespoon of a fine sweet and interesting marmalade. I use organic Adriatic fig spread (sold at Whole Foods) 
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 sprig of thyme, finely chopped

Preparation:

Cook the wheat berries by covering them with two inches of water, then bring them to a boil, lower the temperature to simmer, and cook until chewy—about 20-30 minutes. Drain and let cool.

Add all other salad ingredients besides the nuts.

Combine dressing ingredients.

Add the nuts and dressing right before serving.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

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Black rice with roasted butternut squash

Black rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups black rice (I use “Forbidden Rice” from Lotus Foods, sold at Whole Foods in small packages) 
• 2 and 1/4 cups water (this does not conform to the package instructions.  I find that using less water results in better flavor and texture)
• 1-2  tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• Optional: chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.

Preparation:

Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds

Heat the oil in a medium pot, over medium-high heat 

Stir in the onion and sauté until golden 

Stir in rice and toss around until coated with oil and fragrant

Add salt and water and bring to a boil

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. By the time the water is absorbed the rice should be done

Garnish with freshly chopped parsley or cilantro and serve hot.

Roasted butternut squash

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash, seeded and diced to 1/2’’ cubes
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper 
• Optional: chopped sage.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Toss butternut squash cubes with the rest of the ingredients

Spread the cubes out on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until they are tender and slightly caramelized. This will take 25-35 minutes.

Finishing touches:

You can combine the rice and butternut squash, or (my preference) serve them in a large platter where the rice creates the outer circle, and the squash is placed in the center. I like this presentation visually, and it also allows each diner to choose how much of each of the platter components he wants to eat.

Serves 8-10 as a side dish.

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Roasted French string beans with toasted sesame

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound French string beans, both ends removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
• A pinch or two of red pepper flakes (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with the oven pan in the oven.

Toss the string beans with the oil and spices.

Spread the beans in one layer on the pre-warmed oven pan.

Bake for 3-5 minutes, until beans become slightly brown and are sizzling, but are still very crunchy and vibrant.

Correct the seasoning by adding salt or pepper.

Serve hot, or at room temperature.

Serves 8-10 as a side dish.
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Roasted root vegetables and pearled barley soup recipe

After Superstorm Sandy (I hope you all have power, and are safe and warm!) and a stormy election season, I thought it would be nice to share a comforting, earthy soup.

Root vegetables become magical when they meet the high heat of the oven. They develop caramelized and mellow flavors, and are so much richer. This soup is the perfect little meal on a cold day.

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes, diced
• 4 potatoes, diced
• 5 carrots, diced
• 2 parsnips, diced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup pearled barley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup parsley, finely chopped

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)
• In a large baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots and parsnips with 2 tablespoons olive oil, honey, and some salt and pepper
• Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring the veggies occasionally, until the vegetables are soft but still chewy and slightly caramelized
• In a large pot, over high heat sauté the onion and the 1 tablespoon of olive oil until golden
• Add the roasted vegetables, vegetable stock, paprika, dill, tomato paste, pearled barley and some salt and pepper, cover the pot, and bring to a boil
• Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking until the barley is soft (about 20-30 minutes)
• Add the parsley and correct seasoning

This soup is now ready to serve, but will taste even better the day after, and will keep in the fridge for 5 days.

Yield: serves many (10-12 easy).

Enjoy,

Dr. Ayala

Crunchy crispy kale and fresh herb salad with sesame miso dressing

Suddenly, humble kale is the star veggie, and it’s well deserved stardom: Kale tastes wonderful when properly prepared and is a nutritional powerhouse.

This salad combines my two favorite kale preparations: raw, very thinly sliced (see technique below), and baked to a crisp (or a chip). These two kale variations, combined with dried currant’s sweetness, delicate herbs’ freshness and the miso saltiness make a salad that explodes with flavor.

Which kale to choose? I like them all, but the flat leaf kale such as lacinato or Tuscan kale is much easier to chop than the curly variety.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 20 leaves of kale, stems removed
• Olive oil for brushing
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups thinly sliced stemmed kale (*directions below)
• 1 cup finely chopped parsley, cilantro or dill, or combination of tender fresh herbs
• 3 tablespoons dried currants
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
• optional: 1-2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

For the dressing: 

• 1 tablespoon mild yellow miso paste
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Preparation:

Heat oven to 250°F (120°C)

Brush kale leaves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and arrange in single layer in 2-3 baking sheets

Bake until kale is crisp, 15-25 minutes

Whisk the dressing ingredients.

Mix the chopped kale, currants, Parmesan and parsley (and toasted pine nuts if using) with the dressing

Add the crisp kale, crushed to bitesize pieces, right before serving 

Serves 4-8

* Kale is rather tough and chewy, but this preparation renders it tender and almost delicate: Break or cut off the tough stems.  Wash thoroughly and dry well in a salad spinner or a towel.  Roll a bunch of leaves tightly, jelly-roll fashion. Slice crosswise as thinly as you can, chiffonade style and separate into strips. 

Enjoy, Dr. Ayala

Healthy summer frozen treats and the dreaded brain freeze

I'll be taking a few weeks off to spend time with my family and travel, and will write infrequently during this time. Meantime, I'll be reposting some of the more popular posts I’ve written over the past years so that new readers have a chance to catch up.  Have a good summer!

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My dear kids bought me an ice cream maker for Mother's Day—they know my favorite gifts are connected to the kitchen and food. To their delight, I’ve been experimenting with frozen healthy treats for the past few weeks, and they get to sit on the sunny steps outside our kitchen where they taste, comment and compare.

These recipes call for an ice cream maker. Not every kitchen has or needs one—I give instructions for making these fruit treats without one—but if you have the space in your kitchen these small appliances aren’t expensive (under $50), and will probably earn their keep.

When making frozen desserts at home you’ll be using pure fresh ingredients, and none of the stabilizers, gums, colors and preservatives that are often found in the in prepared versions from the frozen food section of your supermarket.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Lemon, Verbena and Geranium Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5-8 leaves of rose geranium* (can be replaced by French tarragon or 1 teaspoon lavender flowers)
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh Lemon Verbena 
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon peel (yellow part only)

*Another option is to replace rose geranium with 1 bottle of Ayala’s Herbal Water Lemon Verbena Geranium. If you do this, use just ½ cup of boiling water to melt the sugar.

To prepare:

Stir the sugar and rose geranium leaves in the boiling water until sugar is dissolved. Chill completely. Remove leaves just before making the sorbet.

Add the lemon juice, lemon Verbena and lemon peel.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions 25-30 minutes.

If you do not have an ice cream maker

 Place mixture in freezer-proof container 
 Freeze for one hour
 Remove from the freezer and beat the mixture using an electric mixer 
 Repeat this entire process two more times (it’s worth it)

In case you’re wondering how I make the lemon zest spirals--it’s really easy, use a lemon zester in a circular motion around a washed lemon (see picture).

 

Very Berry Sherbet

Ingredients:

• 1 pound mixed berries. I like using a combination of sweet and tart berries: blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Frozen berries also work; let them thaw just a little before preparation
• 2-4 tablespoons sugar or agave (depending on berry sweetness)
• 1 cup milk (I use 2%)

To prepare:
Process all the ingredients coarsely in a food processor or blender.
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions, 20-25 minutes.

If you do not have an ice cream maker:

 Place mixture in freezer-proof container
 Freeze for one hour
 Remove from the freezer and beat the mixture using an electric mixer 
 Repeat this entire process two more times

Watermelon Mint Slurpee

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sweet ripe watermelon 
• 10 mint leaves, finely chopped
• Lime juice from half a lime
• a pinch of salt

To prepare:

Process all the ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions for about 10-15 minutes. The consistency needs to be slurpable through a straw, so this one’s not supposed to completely freeze.

If you do not have an ice cream maker:

 Place mixture in freezer-proof container
 Freeze for one hour
 Remove from the freezer and beat the mixture using an electric mixer
 Repeat this entire process one more time 

Serve in tall glass, with a wide straw.

Serving suggestions

These recipes serve 4-6 people

Sorbets may be served as a dessert or between courses to refresh the palate.

The texture of the sorbets varies by ingredients, preparation and temperature. These recipes are designed to be served immediately. If you do store the sorbet in the freezer, make sure you allow a short time to thaw before serving.

The dreaded brain freeze

Ice cream can teach us a very important healthy eating lesson—eat slowly. Although it’s always good advice to pace our meals, allow satiety to sink in and give ourselves time to really enjoy our food, ice cream, sorbets and other very cold foods often provide a very clear reminder to slow down: The dreaded ice-cream headache. This “brain freeze” not only causes us to momentarily stop our own eating, but if anyone else happens to cry out as they suffer this stinging pain, we all almost instinctively slow down in order to avoid it ourselves.

According to an editorial by neurologist Joseph Hulihan in the British Medical Journal, the ice cream headache is the most common cause of head pain, and affects a third of the population. It has no connection to other forms of headache. The pain begins a few seconds after gulping down cold foods or beverages--when really cold food touches the roof of the mouth--and peaks in 30-60 seconds. The good news is that it doesn’t last long.

Scientists aren’t sure about what causes this pain. One leading theory suggests that the cold food or drink may temporarily constrict blood vessels and cause pain in much the same way a migraine does. In any case, no need to worry. Hulihan concludes with:

“No treatment is usually required, and sufferers rarely seek medical attention. Since the posterior aspect of the palate is most likely to produce the referred pain of ice cream headache, avoiding contact of the cold food with this area can effectively eliminate the symptoms. Most people arrive at such preventive measures without the advice of doctors. Ice cream abstinence is not indicated.”

And you can always call on the classic trick to speed up recovery from brain freeze: press your tongue to the roof of your mouth until the pain subsides.

Your comments on summer treats or brain freezes are as always welcome.

Enjoy the warm weather in good health.

Dr. Ayala

 

Valentine’s Day Recipe: The Most Chocolatey Cookies Ever

If you’re looking for a homemade gift for Valentine’s Day (reminder: it’s this coming Tuesday) these cookies are perfect – textbook for the serious chocolate lover and great for cookie fans too. I’ve received a recipe request from every recipient of this cookie gift who dares to bake. 

Chocolate's my favorite treat.  Chocolate is, to me, pure pleasure.  These cookies are as close as it comes to eating pure chocolate while still serving a dessert.  They’re rich, chunky, delicious and decadent and hit the chocolate craving spot right on. 

Ingredients:

• 500 grams/17.6 ounces 72% dark chocolate, broken into cubes or pieces
• 500 grams/17.6 ounces milk chocolate, broken into cubes or pieces
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F

In double boiler over hot water, melt bittersweet and milk chocolate

While the chocolate is melting sift together flour, baking powder and salt

Using an electric mixer or a whisk, cream the sugar and butter.  Add the eggs one at a time, and then the vanilla extract, and continue beating until well combined

Beat in the flour mixture, and then mix in the melted chocolate and nuts if using.  The final batter is thick and dark.

Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat (or you can bake the cookies in batches using fewer pans).  Using two tablespoons drop 12 cookies in each pan, spreading them 2 inches apart. 

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cookie tops get glossy and crack a bit.  Cool the cookies for a few minutes before removing from the pan.

Store in an airtight container.  The cookies are best fresh, but will keep well for a good 5 days.

Makes enough large cookies for a crowd — 48 is my average.

Enjoy, 

Dr. Ayala

"Forget love... I'd rather fall in chocolate." ~source unknown, to me at least.

 

*Reposted as part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.

My Mom’s Super Comforting Vegetable Soup

This is the vegetarian version of the all-healing chicken soup.  Works just as well, I think, if not better.

Made of simple, inexpensive ingredients, and requiring very little chopping (thanks to my loyal helper, the food processor) this vegetable soup is one of the best ways to get a lot of the veggies you need all in one dish, and the whole grains in the soup add substance, richness and protein to the mix.  Nothing like a big pot of soup for the cold days ahead!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2-3 celery stalks, stringy tough outer parts peeled, diced
• 2-3 zucchini, peeled
• 4 potatoes, peeled
• 3 carrots, peeled
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled
• 1 parsnip, peeled (optional)
• 1/3 cup pearled barley, rinsed
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 8 cups good-tasting vegetable broth
• Finely chopped parsley or chives, to serve

Preparation:

In a large soup pot heat the canola oil over medium-high heat, add the onions and leeks and the seasoning: paprika, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 5 to 8 minutes.

While the onions and leeks are sweating in the pot, using a food processor, grate all the other vegetables -- zucchini, potatoes, sweet potato, carrots and parsnip – using the course grating plate.

Add the diced celery and the all the grated vegetables. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are a bit tender and start to brown.  You may need to add a touch of water if your pot looks too dry.

Add the pearled barley and the oatmeal and stir.

Add the broth and bring the pot to a simmer.

Cook until the barley is soft, about 20 minutes.

Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Finish with chopped herbs and serve

Serves many, and is even better the next day.  Keeps well for 5 days in the fridge.

 

Enjoy in good health,

Dr. Ayala

Reposted in Fight Back Friday

Herbed Brown Rice

My mother-in-law is the queen of rice.  She has at least a dozen fabulous rice dishes, which she’ll often cook on a bed of crispy potatoes her many grandkids fight over.  Her dill-rice dish inspired this recipe.  I use an assortment of herbs that complement each other, and have replaced white rice with an aromatic and delicious – I kid you not – short grain brown rice.

How to fall in love with brown rice

I wanted to prefer brown rice -- brown rice has the bran and germ of the grain, and contains more vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals than the white, refined version -- but feeling the love was a challenge at first.

I was facing two obstacles: Long cooking time and the rice's taste.

Brown rice takes two to three times longer to cook, but once I became familiar with the grain's behavior, the long cooking time became an advantage, and I now enjoy the slow rhythm it enables.  Provided you’re around, you can leave your pot of cooking rice on a slow simmer, and forget about it while you’re doing something else.  Another upside: Brown rice is more forgiving to overcooking and will retain its shape and texture. 

Do you like the taste of white rice, and find the brown varieties coarse and unappealing?  So did I. I liked aromatic long grain rice and the basmati and jasmine whites were a staple in my home.  When I tried the long grain brown rice I was very disappointed.  But then I saw that there were so many other varieties to try, and hope resurged. 

My current favorite is the short grain brown rice; it is one of the most full-flavored rices out there, it has a beautiful nutty aroma, it is plump and pretty and oh so tasty.  Try it!  Here’s my advice: If you haven’t found your darling brown rice yet stop by a store that sells brown rice varieties in bulk – most Whole Foods Markets do – buy just a cup of each and give them a try. 

A Short note about cooking rice in measured water:  I use much less than what most recipes call for.  The onion adds a lot of fluids to the pot (and I use a lot of onion), and I find that when the rice absorbs less water it is tastier.  For 1-½ cups of short grain brown rice I use 2 cups of fluids.  For 2 cups I’d use 2 ¼ cups of fluids.

Herbed brown rice recipe 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup parsley
• 1 cup cilantro
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• 1 ½ cup brown rice
• 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper to taste

Preparation: 

• Bring the vegetable stock to a boil
• Wash the herbs, remove the large stems leaving mostly leaves (you can cheat a little, since it’s all going into the food processor)
• Place herbs and ½ a cup of the warm vegetable stock in a blender or food processor and process until you have a smooth chunk-less puree.  Add the puree to the rest of the stock
• Wash the rice in a sieve under cold water
• In a medium pot heat the oil on medium high, and sauté the onions and the paprika and salt for a few minutes until translucent
• Add the rice, and toss around until the rice is aromatic and coated with oil
• Add the herbed broth, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a low simmer
• Cook rice according to directions – mine cooks for about 1½ hours
• Fluff the rice, check seasoning, and serve with a few leftover sprigs of herbs for garnish.

Enjoy,

Dr. Ayala

Related posts: Delicious, nutritious Halloween rice  

How to pick a tasty watermelon (and what to do if all tricks fail)

One of the best things to enjoy on a warm summer day is a cold watermelon. What could be better? Sweet, crisp, refreshing, red (what a beautiful color!) and nutritious.

My husband sees it as a personal failure when we open a watermelon and find a pinkish disappointment that tastes like a cucumber. He feels there must be a fool-proof way to pick the perfect fruit.

Alas, there’s no fail-proof method, but I can offer a few tips for choosing a good watermelon:

Tapping: Tap the watermelon with the pads of your fingers. A winning watermelon will typically have a slightly hollow sound, like the sound you get when tapping your head rather than tapping your chest.

The all important yellow spot: At the bottom of the watermelon -- where it rested on the ground -- you want to find a yellow or cream-colored spot. If the spot is still white, the watermelon isn’t ripe.  Some say this is the most important clue to watermelon goodness.

Firmness: Press your fingers and thumbs into the watermelon’s skin. A good one should be hard all around with no soft spots.

Weight for size: A good watermelon feels heavy for its size.

I’ve been using these methods for years. Still, I have to admit I’m not convinced that digging through the watermelon bin using these tricks gets you a better success rate than randomly picking the first watermelon your hand touches with your eyes closed. I occasionally end up with disappointing watermelons no matter how hard I try. It just happens!

The good news: a not-so-sweet watermelon makes a wonderful and easy-to-prepare cold soup. (The cucumber in the recipe masks the cucumberness of the not-so-great watermelon.) It looks like a gazpacho, but is even more refreshing.

Watermelon and mint cold soup

Ingredients

6 cups seedless watermelon, diced
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint
1 cup cucumber, peeled and finely diced
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeds removed, minced
1 red onion, diced
1/2 cup young celery stalks, diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste 

Preparation

Puree the watermelon in a food processor, using the “pulse” setting; pulse several times until the watermelon is still chunky and not too smooth.

Transfer the puree to large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until cold (at least an hour).

Garnish with a few leaves of fresh mint and serve.

What’s so good about watermelons?

First and most important – it’s a fruit and it tastes good. And of course its color brightens up the table.

Watermelon is a low calorie nutritious treat: a one-cup serving of watermelon has only about 50 calories.

It’s an excellent source of vitamins C and A. It’s also a good source of vitamins B6 and B1, and minerals such as potassium and magnesium. Red watermelon (yes, there’s a yellow-orange type too!) is also a good source of lycopene (a carotenoid antioxidant). In fact, watermelons are a richer source of this beneficial antioxidant than tomatoes.

Watermelon is 92 percent water so it’s very good for hydration.

While we mostly eat the flesh of the watermelon, all parts are actually edible. The rinds can be stir-fried, stewed or pickled. Watermelon seeds are rich in fat and protein, and can be eaten as a snack (roasted), or made into an oilseed.

Enjoy!

Dr. Ayala

*I am taking a summer break for a few weeks to spend time with my family and travel. Meantime, I'm reposting some of the more popular posts I’ve written over the past almost two years  so that new readers have a chance to catch up. Enjoy this post! - Dr. Ayala

 

Whole wheat banana bread with mint sauce

I’ve always wondered why banana bread is called banana bread and not banana cake.

Is it because it’s baked in a bread pan, and not in a round pan? Is the name designed to make us feel better about eating it—bread’s a necessity and cake’s an indulgence?

To be honest, this recipe, although a more nutritious version than your ordinary banana bread, still should be filed in the dessert section due to the sugar and fat content. (To me, bread is flour, yeast, salt and water, with maybe trace amounts of added fat and sugar.)

Having said that, I do love banana bread. Like most banana-loving families, I find over-ripe bananas in my fruit bowl quite often. Bananas are a tricky fruit: They’re at their best when just ripe, and if you happen to look away for a few hours and neglect to consume them in time, you’re in banana bread territory with over-ripe bananas—still delicious, but not lunchbox material.

I write and speak often about the poor eating habits most of us have, especially related to fruit and vegetable consumption. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week that fewer than ten percent of U.S. high-school students eat the combined minimum five-a-day daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, with some states such as Arkansas and North Carolina faring significantly below those averages and some New England states, particularly Vermont, doing notably better.

Combining bananas and mint into a bread or cake isn’t the answer to our kids’ low intake of fruits and veggies—not at all. But it is another fine use for these plant-based foods we should have in plenty at home and in our kids’ lunchboxes, available for snacking and ready to eat. And, just to be clear, I recommend eating most fruit raw.

However, this bread/cake is a delightful exception-—moist, scented, full of fruit and really delicious! Try it.

INGREDIENTS 

For the mint sauce:

1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup almonds 
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract  

For the banana bread:

3 or 4 very ripe mashed bananas 
1½ cups of whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup sugar 
½ cup dark raisins
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt

PREPARATION 

• Make the mint sauce: puree all ingredients to a thick paste using a food processor (or blender) fitted with the steel blade.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.

• In a large bowl, combine all of the banana bread ingredients. You don’t need a mixer, but feel free to use one.

• Pour the banana bread mixture into the buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan.

• Swirl the mint sauce into the banana bread (Transfer the mint sauce into a small plastic bag with a corner snipped off. Drizzle it on in parallel lines and then run a knife through the lines from the other direction to swirl.)

• Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean and the bread is golden brown.

• Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Tip: The mint pesto will keep in a tight container for a week or so, and will pair up nicely with any chocolate dessert. Double the quantity and you’ll look like a pro when you serve chocolate ice cream or cake with a few dollops of this home-made mint sauce on the side.

For more of my whole wheat recipes go here and here.
Enjoy, 
Dr. Ayala

*I'll be taking a few weeks off to spend time with my family and travel and will be writing infrequenly during August. Meantime, I'll be reposting some of the most popular posts I’ve written over the past years so that new readers have a chance to catch up.  Happy summer!

The Family Dinner: A healthy ritual to look forward to every day

I have been making dinner pretty much every day for the past 16 years. I’d be lying if I said cooking, serving, participating and cleaning-up have been the highlight of each of my days. After a hectic day at work, the question “what’s for dinner” often felt like an accusation, reminding me that despite my efforts I’m still much behind. And not every meal has been peaceful. When my kids were very little (my kids are so close in age that at some point all three were toddlers — an age group you can expect very little table manners from) dinner was so hectic I could hardly taste the food. I often thought that perhaps we adults should eat our meal after we put the little ones to bed, so that we can feel half civilized. But we persisted, and I’m proud to say that I think we all, as a family, look forward to dinner together, and see it as an institution that renews our “familyness” every day.

This brings me to a Laurie David’s book. If you’re still in search of a realistic resolution for this new year this book may lead you to it. Laurie David is an environmental activist. I’ve been reading her newsletter for years. Food is an environmental issue, so it probably isn’t a huge surprise to see David publish a food book. The focus of David’s book – The Family Dinner — is, I believe, one of the most important, effective and fun lifestyle changes we should all enhance, in order to achieve a long list of good outcomes, and since kids imitate us more readily than they listen to us, family dinner is an opportunity to model to kids what we believe to be the right way to eat, share and interact. Dinner together is time to nourish our bodies, but it’s so much more than that. Dinner is time to reconnect, a time to slow down and share, a time to talk and listen — it’s, as David writes, “an island of calm in a sea of change”.

The book starts with an introduction that will motivate you, providing all the rationale to invest in dinner-time (many studies associate family dinner with lots of desired outcomes: less abuse of drugs and alcohol, lower obesity rates, better grades, better language skills etc.) The rest of the book is a lovely resource for everything you need to make dinner time easy, educational, fun and memorable.

David invited a diverse group of thought leaders — including Jamie Oliver, Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, Billy Collins, Jonathan Safran Foer and Mark Bittman — to share their family dinner wisdom and memories. But my favorite parts of the book were those around table talk and the creation of good conversation. David suggests various ways to get the family interacting, from word games to discussion topics to resources such as commencement speeches (these are published in newspapers yearly, and provide well written, valuable life lessons).

The recipes, by Kirsten Uhrenholdt, are practical without being dumbed down. They offer good, healthy food, and a wide range of flavor, texture and experience, and a plan that gets the whole family together, working in the kitchen and sharing the pleasure and responsibility of making food. Many of the recipes are meatless, and David devotes a whole chapter to her reasons for eating more vegetarian meals. Many of the dishes offer opportunities for personalizing the dish—from ‘choose your toppings’ to different final touches — which kids, I’m sure, will adore.

To give you a taste for the books’ approach to cooking together, I asked the authors for permission to share one of the recipes from the “kids in the kitchen” chapter. In this recipe the kid is boss, and is empowered to pick and choose garnishes, adjust and fine tune the sauce to his liking, and even boss the parents, and sent them off to clean their room, set the table and wash their hands. I tried this recipe with my 11 year-old a few days ago. It was enormous fun. The pictures above reflect my daughter’s creation and choices (the pictures in The Family Dinner, by Maryellen Baker, are much lovelier.)

Pea Nutty Noodles
Adapted from “The Family Dinner”

You Need

For the peanut sauce

• 1 pound of your favorite shaped pasta


• 1 cup peanut butter


• 1/2 cup soy sauce


• 2/3 cup warm water


• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger


• 2 cloves garlic, chopped


• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil


• 1 tablespoon honey


• 3 tablespoons white (rice or wine) vinegar

Garnishes: Pick and choose any you please and as much as you want

• Chopped peanuts
• Diced cucumbers
• Diced apples
• Sliced scallions
• Limes cut into quarters
• Sliced cabbage
• Asian chili sauce, if you are brave
• Chopped fresh cilantro or mint
• Shredded carrots

To Make 6 Servings

• Pick out the garnishes you want to serve with the noodles and chop, dice, and slice them. Put them in little bowls.
• Ask your parents, nicely, to boil the pasta until it is al dente (not too mushy). Remind them gently that the pasta water should have enough salt to taste like the sea.
• When it’s done, have them quickly rinse the pasta in cold water. Thank them for helping you.
• Now mix all the ingredients for the peanut sauce together in a big bowl with a big spoon. You will have to stir, stir, stir, until it is all mixed together and smooth (or you could get a parent to mix it all in a blender).
• Taste the sauce…is it perfect? When it is, toss in the pasta and pour into a pile on a big platter or bowl. Put the little bowls of garnishes around the platter, and yell diiiinner!

Enjoy, and do fill me in on your best family dinner moments.

Dr. Ayala

Further resources: http://thefamilydinnerproject.org/

Reposted as part of Food Renegate's Fight Back Fridays--go join the food fight!

Delicious, nutritious Halloween rice

It is the season for black and orange, and I can’t resist this occasion for sharing with you my favorite rice: black rice. Oh, how I love this dark, fragrant whole grain. In this dish I combine black rice with orange butternut squash. Orange is the color that epitomizes harvest and fall, and black and orange do work wonders on the eye.

Halloween is just around the corner. Try this dish for the pre-Halloween dinner. In my home we eat dinner before trick-or-treat. Sadly enough, my kids don’t take me along anymore; I stay home and clear the dishes. My junk-on-Halloween philosophy is eat-whatever-you-want on October 31st but Halloween is just one day. We used to picnic on a cushy pile of leaves under our favorite tree at the end of the evening, picking out the best of the loot. The rest – I feel a little uncomfortable admitting this – we threw away. I think that eating a sack full of candy for weeks to come is a bit much, and I try not to have junk-a-plenty at home. And while I hate throwing away things, especially food, in the case of Halloween candy I’d feel worse giving it away: If I don’t want it for my own kids I don’t want to give it to the kids of others.

Back to black rice. Black rice is rice variant with a deep dark purple-black outer bran layer. The dark color is due to antioxidants known as anthocyanins, which are also found in blueberries, acai and grapes. I don’t much care for the antioxidant wars between the so-called super-foods, but I think the take home message is simple: Black rice is a good addition to your diet. Black rice is a good source of protein, minerals (including iron) and fiber, much like brown rice. The anthyocyanins are a nutritional bonus.

But even forgetting the nutritional benefits, black rice’s taste is reason enough to fall in love with it. It has a nutty aroma that fills the house, a full bodied fruity/nutty taste, and a really nice texture. Compared to it, white rice is plain and boring. And mind you, I think there is some terrific tasting brown rice, but not all whole rice tastes great to me, so if you’ve tried switching from white to brown and found the rice-bowl rejected, please don’t give up, there are many varieties to try.

I find my black rice at Whole Foods, which sells Lotus Foods’ black rice in small packages branded “Forbidden Rice”. Why forbidden? Legend has it that this rice was originally considered the Emperor's rice and was forbidden for anyone else.

This is a really easy recipe. The hardest part is cutting the butternut squash – you’ll need a sharp knife and determination. Black rice cooks in 30 minutes – pretty fast.

Here goes:

Black rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups black rice
• 2 and 1/4 cups water (this does not conform to the package instructions. I find that using less water results in better flavor and texture)
• 1-2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• Optional: chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.

Preparation

• Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds.
• Heat the oil in a medium pot, over medium-high heat.
• Stir in the onion and sauté until golden.
• Stir in rice and toss around until coated with oil and fragrant.
• Add salt and water and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. By the time the water is absorbed the rice should be done.
• Garnish with freshly chopped parsley or cilantro and serve hot.

Roasted butternut squash

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, seeded and diced to 1/2’’ cubes
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Optional: chopped sage.

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Toss butternut squash cubes with the rest of the ingredients.
• Spread the cubes out on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until they are tender and slightly caramelized. This will take 25-35 minutes.

Finishing touches

You can combine the rice and butternut squash, or (my preference) serve them in a large platter where the rice creates the outer circle, and the squash is placed in the center. I like this presentation visually, and it also allows each diner to choose how much of each of the platter components he wants to eat.

Happy Halloween,
Dr. Ayala

Reposted as part of Food Renegate's Fight Back Fridays--go join the food fight!

Dr. Ayala's Baba Ganoush Video Recipe

This recipe is a Mediterranean favorite. Really easy. Keeps well refrigerated for 5 to 7 days. Let me know what you think of this visual recipe and enjoy!

Dr. Ayala