Healthier Snacks & Treats

Snacks are part of the American way of life. We are a nation of snackers. Because I work from home, I have no "break room" stocked with drinks and snacks, but that doesn't mean I don't help myself to a nibble now and then. I most frequently indulge in snacks when I'm traveling because it's not always easy to find a satisfying meal in between departure and arrival. In general I prefer healthier snacks, they just taste better to me. Stock up on these for the home, office or on to take the road.

G.H. Cretors

When I pass through Chicago O'Hare, I sometimes buy some "Chicago mix" that wacky sounding but utterly delicious combination of caramel corn and cheese corn. Each bite is salty sweet and so crisp and buttery. I've never found anything as good as what they sell in Chicago, until I got a sample of G.H.Cretors. They offer cheese popcorn and caramel corn separately but trust me, you want to try them combined. So truth be told, these are not the healthiest, but healthier than potato chips, so that's something.

Sahale Snacks

I've been crazy about these creative fruit and nut mixes since I tried them at the Fancy Food Show a few years ago. Not your typical trail mix, they come in amazing flavor combinations like Pomegranate, Pistachios with Almonds, Cherries and Black Pepper or Sing Buri Cashews with pineapple, peanuts, Lemongrass and Mild Chinese Chili. The "Crunchers" come in both sweet and savory formulations like Cranberries, Sesame Seeds or Honey Almond Snack with Parmesan Cheese and Herbs. Depending on the flavor, they are recommended for use on salads, yogurt and oatmeal, rice and pasta. I think they would be  great on stir fried vegetables as well. 

Oren's Kitchen

When putting together a gift for a friend, I remembered how good these nut mixes are and added a pack. They come in flavors like Smoked Paprika Pecans and Coconut Chili Macadamias, but my favorite are the Wild Rosemary Almonds, which are perfectly slow roasted. Good as a snack but they could also be chopped and added to salads or served with a cheese plate.

Snapea Crisps

Perhaps you've come across these cute little snacks that look like snap peas, but are made from legumes like dried red lentils, beans and green peas. They taste like junk food, but they are much healthier than potato chips with almost half as much fat and sodium. They come in different flavors like Tomato Basil, Onion Thyme and Wasabi Ranch. I've enjoyed each of them that I've tried, but I warn you, an open bag is moments away from being an empty bag…

Ocean's Halo
It's hard to describe the flavor of seaweed. It's kind of earthy and briny but herbal too. You probably either love it or hate it. I love it. I like those crisp little seaweed snacks that you find all over these days. But now there's a chip made from seaweed that has a much crunchier thicker texture, but the same intense flavor of the sea. I really like the sea salt flavor and look forward to trying the chile lime and Korean BBQ versions too. Halo snacks are available at select Whole Foods markets. As an added plus, the bag they come in is 100% compostable, though not edible! That would be pretty cool though. 

Crunchies

Recently I got a sample of Crunchies latest flavors Sweet Buttered Corn and BBQ Roasted Vegetables. I like the corn because it's light and sweet. Like the dehydrated fruits and vegetables that I reviewed from Sensible Foods I think you could use it on salads or as a topping on soup. The BBQ version which includes a variety of dehydrated vegetables does not taste much like BBQ at all. And I don't really like the peas which are a bit starchy tasting, but the tomatoes and red peppers are very good. If you're interested in trying this, I'd recommend sticking with the corn.

Disclaimer: I received some (but not all) of these products as review samples, however I was not paid to write this or any other post on Cooking with Amy.

Warm Cauliflower Dip Recipe

Tahini is a very rich sesame seed paste used in hummus. But that's not the only thing you can do with tahini. It adds richness and creaminess to a variety of dishes including salads, fish, grilled meats and vegetables. To make an amazing tahini sauce, all you have to do is combine tahini, mashed garlic, water and lemon juice. You can make it to be thick and creamy or thin and saucy. Either way it is delicious.

Recently I needed to make some appetizers that were lactose free. I looked in my fridge and found a head of cauliflower and some tahini (which is a staple ingredient at my house) and those formed the basis of this luscious warm cauliflower dip. No butter, no cheese. No problem! 

Warm cauliflower dip is vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and lactose free. So pretty much anyone should be able to enjoy it. It's surprisingly rich and creamy, considering it doesn't have any cream. I made it the first time in my Vitamix, but I tested it in the food processor and it came out just great that way too. You could add hot sauce or a splash of lemon juice if you want to customize it. You could also use it as a spread for sandwiches or wraps. It's good at room temperature or warm. 

Warm Cauliflower Dip

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower
Head of garlic
Olive oil
2 Tablespoons tahini
2-3 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Black sesame seeds, optional

Instructions

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice about 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic clove, just enough to expose the cloves. Cut away the core of the cauliflower and break it into small pieces. Place the cauliflower and whole head of garlic on a rimmed baking sheet (I line mine with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up). Drizzle the vegetables with a little oil, about a tablespoon or so. Roast for 45 minutes or until tender and beginning to brown in spots.

Transfer the cauliflower to the food processor. When the garlic is cooled enough to handle, squeeze it from the skins and add as much of it as you'd like into the food processor. I use about 5 cloves (save the rest to add to mashed potatoes). Add the tahini, salt and cumin. Puree, adding as much water as you need to form a  very thick and creamy dip. Taste for seasonings. You may need to add more salt or tahini, it really depends on the size and flavor of the cauliflower. Garnish with black sesame seeds. Serve with crudités, endive leaves or chips. You can keep this in the refrigerator for several days and gently reheat in the microwave (or serve at room temperature). 

Enjoy! 

Nightstand Cookbooks & Giveaway

For a while the memoir with recipes was a very popular genre. These days there are quite a few memoir cookbooks that offer much more than just a recipe per chapter. They are books you may or may not actually cook from, but you will read them and savor every page because their authors are compelling characters with fascinating journeys and stories to tell. 

Top of the list for me is Coi. If Daniel Patterson is equal parts culinary genius and awkward social misfit, this book gets to the root of it, in a very soul baring way. He also just happens to be a fantastic writer. The format of the book is completely unique. Long essays on each page are paired with stunning photos and recipes written “longhand” I’d say, with the pesky details like measurements relegated to the index. Sure, it’s tweezer food that you might never cook, but that's beside the point. Each dish comes with so much background and story, it’s a fascinating ride. I really adore this book. Take a look at this preview of the book from Eater to get a better feel for it. 

Nigel Slater’s Notes from the Larder is described as a kitchen diary. It’s organized chronologically, almost day by day. Each day gets a journal like entry and a recipe. It’s nearly impossible to use in a conventional manner, unless you resort to the index. But it’s well worth reading nonetheless. Perfect bed time reading really, because you can take in little bits at a time and be inspired and entertained by the wit, wisdom and insight of Slater, along with the heavenly photos and mostly easy peasy recipes for things like Lamb and Mushroom Flatbread, Five Spice Chicken and Pea Shoot Salad, Apricot Couscous, and Blackberry and Hazelnut Cakes (only 7 ingredients!). That should make for sweet dreams. 

I met Ivan Orkin, the author of Ivan Ramen and was lucky enough to try his food at the CIA Worlds of Flavor conference in Napa a few years ago. His ramen shops are a sensation in Tokyo, and now he is opening a shop in NYC. But if his ramen is a revelation, so is his story with lots of drama and twists and turns. I don’t want to give away even the tiniest bit of his saga. Just read this book! You can also make his recipes, but honestly, even if you don’t, you won’t be able to put this book down. Enough said. 

Another fascinating character I met at a CIA Worlds of Flavor conference was Roy Choi of Kogi BBQ and Korean taco fame. A classically trained chef, it was when he reconnected with his roots that he went from struggling corporate chef to finding his true calling. His story told in L.A Son: My Life, My City, My Food is about growing up as an immigrant in LA, flirting with drugs and gambling and the roller coaster ride of food trucks and restaurants. The recipes fall into the categories of Mexican, Korean and guilty pleasure. Carne Asada, Korean Carpaccio, Ghetto Pillsbury Fried Donuts, Korean-Style Braised Short-Rib Stew, Perfect Instant Ramen, Coconut Clam Chowder. Really the whole book is a guilty pleasure. 

While Orkin and Choi are very much on trend and of the moment, Anne Willan is old school. The founder of the famed La Varenne cooking school in France, she is an accomplished cooking teacher, food writer and cookbook author. Her latest book, One Souffle at a Time, is a memoir with recipes, fifty of them in all. It’s a book for Francophiles and those who enjoy anecdotes about Julia Child, James Beard, Craig Claiborne, and other American, French and British food writers and luminaries primarily from the 70’s and 80’s. It turns out Willan is not just a great cooking teacher, but a great story teller as well. 

Last but not least is a “not cookbook” 50 Foods, The Essentials of Good Taste by Edward Behr, one of the best food writers around. But don't take my word for it, read an excerpt. Equally authoritative and opinionated, you can’t help but learn something when reading what Behr has to say. In this encyclopedic style reference book he shares his picks for favored ingredients along with how to buy, what complements the ingredient and “notes on wine.” His picks? Things like Asparagus, Cabbage, Chestnuts, Goose, Honey, Lemons, Pears, Potatoes, Strawberries and Sweetbreads. No recipes, but lots of useful information that will make you a better cook. The illustrations are really appealing in this book.

Giveaway! 

I am giving away one copy of 50 Foods, The Essentials of Good Taste by Edward Behr, courtesy of the publisher, Penguin Press. Leave me a comment telling me your favorite nightstand cookbook or culinary memoir. One entry per person and mailing address must be in the US. Winner will be chosen at random on January 10, 2014 noon PST. 

Disclaimer: Some of these books were provided as review copies. This post contains affiliate links. 

More Vegetable Cookbooks

So many wonderful vegetable and vegetarian cookbooks have come out recently, it’s hard to keep track of all of them. I wrote about many of my favorite vegetable cookbooks in April, here are some more perfect for starting the new year. Note: a couple of these are not strictly vegetarian, but have so many great vegetable recipes I included them anyway. 

For a food writer and editor to go vegetarian, means some really serious work had to happen, adapting and creating new bold recipes. That’s exactly what Joe Yonan has done in his latest book, Eat Your Vegetables. It’s the second in a series for the single cook/diner. But if you are not single, don’t let that deter you. First of all there are times when all of us are dining alone, and most of the recipes are easy to multiply or adapt for larger groups. This is vegetarian food for someone who knows how meat tastes, if that makes any sense. Curried Mushroom Bean Burgers, Pomegranate-Glazed Eggplant, Spaghetti with Root-to-Leaf Radish. Good stuff! 

River Cottage Veg is the latest in a series of River Cottage cookbooks on single subjects, everything from fish to preserves to bread. The book has some classics like Eggplant Parmigiana and Poached Egg on Toast, but also very fresh vegetarian recipes, like Warm Salad of Mushrooms and Roasted Squash, Beet and Walnut Hummus, Tahini-dressed Zucchini and Green Bean Salad, Green Onion Galette and Kohlrahbi “carpaccio.” It’s simple but very appealing and approachable vegetarian food for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. 

Le Pain Quotidien is a book that seems to have remained under the radar. I didn’t see it on one “best of” list this year. But with 200 bakery/cafe locations around the world, you know they are doing something right. And they are. Le Pain Quotidien makes delicious, mostly organic, and often healthy food including lots of open face “tartine” sandwiches, soups and salads, breads and more.  The cookbook is an extension of the brand, in the best possible way. There are some very unexpected but enticing recipes like Mocha & Caper Butter with Crostini, Pea, Pancetta & Radish Tartine, Soba, Cauliflower & Blood Orange Salad and Pearl Barley Paella. The photography is beautiful and the recipes are all really straight forward and easy to do. You can create lovely little picture perfect snacks with this book. 

The New Persian Kitchen isn’t a vegetarian cookbook, but the majority of the recipes just happen to be vegetarian. They are also exotic, often healthy and very approachable, though not strictly traditional Persian. The book pleasantly surprises with new-to-me ways to prepare things like Roasted Stuffed Artichokes with Mint Oil, Radish, Rhubarb and Strawberry Salad, No-Bake Persimmon and Goat Cheese Cheesecake and Fig Mustard. I became a big fan of Louisa Shafia after reading her first book, Lucid Food and am happy to add this one to my collection. 

The Heart of the Plate is Mollie Katzen’s latest cookbook. If you loved the Moosewood Cookbook, this is a much more modern book. Though I prefer the illustrations over the somewhat boring photos in this book, the recipes themselves are bound to become classics. Her twists, like adding pomegranate to tabouli in Pomegranate Tabouli, adding to quinoa to pancakes in Tiny Quinoa-Speckled Buttermilk Cornmeal Cakes, Bulgur and Spaghetti and Kale Caesar Salad are genius! Another keeper.

Disclaimer: Some of these books were review copies, and this post includes affiliate links. 

Chestnut and Celery Root Soup Recipe

My CSA or community supported agriculture box of produce from Eatwell Farms challenges me with every delivery this season. Bok choy? Cabbage? Celery root? Sure I have a recipe or two for each of those, but week after week and I get bored and need to find something new. As much as I love celery root salad and mash I think I've discovered a recipe I like even better, Chestnut and Celery Root Soup. It would be perfect to serve on Christmas or on New Year's Eve. 

This is the epitome of a shortcut recipe with few ingredients and a reliance on a couple of convenience items namely roasted, peeled and vacuum packed chestnuts I find at Trader Joe's and canned chicken broth. I've mentioned it before, but when I don't have homemade chicken broth, I find Swanson's to be the next best thing. The prep for this soup takes more time than the cooking and it's just a matter of peeling, slicing and dicing onions, celery root and an apple pear. 

Chestnut and Celery Root Soup is really very elegant and rich despite the fact that it has no cream in it. I took my inspiration from a Daniel Boulud recipe I found on Dorie Greenspan's blog, In the Kitchen and on the Road with Dorie Greenspan. That recipe is much more of a chef recipe than mine, but trust me, mine is delicious! It has lots of depth and  a nice balance of sweetness and earthy flavors. 

Chestnut and Celery Root Soup

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon oil

1 small onion, peeled and sliced thinly 

1 apple pear (you could use an apple or a pear if you prefer), peeled and diced

1 celery root, peeled and diced 

1 14.5 ounce can chicken broth or homemade

1/2 cup cooked and peeled chestnuts

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Nutmeg

Cream or sour cream, optional for garnish

Instructions

Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan. When the butter melts, add the onion. Cook gently for 5 minutes or until soft, then ad the pear and celery root and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, then fill the can with water and add that as well. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes or until the celery root is very tender. 

Add the chestnuts to the soup and puree in the blender in batches until creamy. Season with salt and add a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg. Serve with a swirl of sour cream or cream and a few bits of chestnut if desired. 

Enjoy! 

Christmas Cakes & Drink Like a Kiwi and more

My latest stories on Recipe.com and 7x7.com

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The America's Cup is over, but our love affair with New Zealand is far from finished.

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Stuart Brioza chef owner of State Bird Provisions, which won the James Beard award for Best New Restaurant, was a presenter at the CIA Worlds of Flavor conference earlier this month. We sat down to talk to him about one of the themes of the conference, creativity. 

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Cool Gifts for Cooks 2013

Here are my picks for things that cooks will find particularly useful:

AnySharp bills itself at the world's best knife sharpener. I'd say it has the world's best knife sharpening video ever. I can't say if it's the best, but it is definitely the smallest, most convenient and easy to use sharpener. It uses a powerful suction cup to keep it in place and lets you sharpen serrated knives as well as scissors. The Pro model is $26.97 on Amazon

I have gone through more kitchen shears than I can count. They just don't seem to hold up very well. But so far I am having great success with the Smart Sizzors (from the makers of the AnySharp) They have lots of nifty features that allow you to open bottles, crack nuts or even crush garlic. Mainly I like the feel of them and how well they work on poultry. $20 on Amazon. 

Once you become a customer of Thermoworks, you may find you want a little bit of everything in their product line. I have been using and abusing the Thermapen for months and it is a trooper. It's my favorite instant read thermometer of all times. It is splash proof, shuts off automatically and easy to use and clean. Expensive, but awesome. $96.

Another item I got a chance to test from Thermoworks is the ChefAlarm with high temp cooking probe. This does not have a remote, like the older model I had from another manufacturer, but it is much better quality and has a loud alarm when it reaches temperature. It also has a second probe for sous vide if you need that. It's designed for commercial kitchens. $59.00

ProCook cast iron cookware. I wrote about this earlier in the year and for anyone who wants to invest in a piece, the prices are simply unbeatable and the styling very attractive. I use my cast iron cookware for sautéing, braising, frying, baking, roasting--you name it. I always leave a piece on the stove because I use it so often. I love that you can use it on the stove or in the oven. It's also great for serving because it holds the heat so well. You can buy a set or just one piece. Right now an 8 inch 3.1 inch round casserole is $50 and there's a additional 20% off coupon if you use the code Extra20 and free shipping! You simply won't find cast iron cookware at a better price than that. $40 with discount

Berry Breeze is a very practical gift. Instead of placing a box of baking soda in your refrigerator, the Berry Breeze uses activated oxygen to help keep food fresher much longer. It's battery operated and takes up very little space. I definitely have noticed a difference since I started using it. Produce stays fresher longer and there is no odor. $49.95 

Last but not least, in the practical but also fun category, check out these great SealedWithaCase iPhone cases available on Etsy that are not only very real looking, but brilliantly mirror the shape of real-life items including sushi, chocolates, matzah, pop-tart and a TV dinner. I'm torn between the ice cream sandwich and the tin of sardines! $17.99 each

Disclaimer: I received some of these items as review samples. I was not paid to write this or any other post, however this post does include some affiliate links.