Homemade Mustard

Homemade Mustard













A good grainy mustard can instantly gussy up a wide assortment of foods from burgers to potato salads. But made-with-love artisanal mustards can be pricey. Surprisingly, crafting your own is simple and delicious. Here’s a recipe I came up with that has all the flavor of any of the best brands on the market.

Balsamic Beer Mustard












½ cup dark beer
½ cup brown or yellow mustard seeds (brown seeds will yield mustard with more of a kick)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp each cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, allspice (don’t fret too much if you don’t have all these on hand)
Pinch of brown sugar
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a jar and secure lid. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 1–2 days to soften the seeds and blend the flavors. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until the seeds are coarsely ground and the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. You may have to stop the machine occasionally to wipe down the sides. For Vita-mix users like myself, process the mixture on high and use the plunger to help grind the mixture into a grainy paste. The mustard should keep in the fridge for a couple months.

Stevia Powder

Navitas Naturals Stevia
www.navitasnaturals.com

Why this product rocks

North Americans love sugar. Our sugar consumption has been steadily rising (thanks high fructose corn syrup) for the last few decades with a corresponding rise in obesity and diabetes. One way to curb intake is to try cooking with stevia powder.

Stevia is a white flowered herb indigenous to South America, where it has been used as a natural sweetener for centuries. Consider it a natural alternative to sketchy artificial zero-calorie sweeteners.

Though it is 300 times sweeter than white sugar, the body does not metabolize the sweet glycosides from the stevia leaf or any of its processed forms - so there is no caloric intake or spike in blood sugar.

When cooking with stevia keep in mind that for every cup of regular sugar that the recipe calls for only about 1 teaspoon of stevia powder is used. Using too much stevia can produce bitter flavors. Stevia may also be diluted with water to decrease its intensity. Expect some trial and error.

Body Benefits

With no calories and no impact on blood sugar levels, stevia powder could have beneficial impacts on body weight and diabetes.

Stevia powder may also have some antioxidant properties.

Who will dig it

Bake-aholics

Who will toss it

Corn Refiners Association

Find it at

Health/Natural Food Stores or online at www.navitasnaturals.com

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins











With almost no fat or sugar, it’s hard to believe that these muffins still taste sinful. A great way to use in-season zucchini that is dirt cheap at this time of year.

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ginger powder
1 ripe banana, mashed
1.5 tsp stevia powder
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup plain cow or non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or other nut (optional)

Preheat oven 350F. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices together. In another bowl, mix together mashed banana with applesauce and stevia. Add in milk, vanilla, zucchini and nuts to wet mixture and mix. Add flour mixture to the wet mix in 3-4 batches and stir until combined and mixture is moist. Spoon into a greased muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Sweet Potato Brownies









Yes, sweet potatoes. Try it and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Makes 12 smallish brownies

4 tablespoons melted Navitas Naturals cacao butter or regular butter
2/3 cup cocoa powder
½ cup whole-wheat flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
1 teaspoon stevia powder
1 largish sweet potato, peeled
1 whole egg
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract

Slice sweet potato and steam it until very soft. Mash it well with a fork or potato masher. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small pan over very low heat melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder. Set aside. In a bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in stevia and sweet potato puree. Mix in egg. Add vanilla to cocoa mixture and then add cocoa mixture to flour mixture and stir well. Spoon the chocolate goodness into an 8-inch lightly greased square pan. Smooth the top and bake for about 20 minutes or until an inserted knife emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool.

Food Labels - Lost in Translation

Here's a new article that just came out in Runner's World that I wrote about confusing food labels. Think whole-grain means just that? Better read on then.
Empty Promises

It's Kohlrabi Season

I’ve noticed this season more and more farmers are bringing kohlrabi to the market. Here’s why you should grab them while you can:
Kohlrabi is a whimsical extra-terrestrial looking vegetable with a bulbous base covered with multi-directional offshoots. Of the same ilk as cabbage, it has a similar flavor with a crisp texture. Not to mention plenty of dietary fiber and more than a days worth of vitamin C per cup. Acting as an antioxidant, vitamin C reduces stroke risk and pro-inflammatory free radical damage.

What to look for: Smaller kohlrabi are sweeter and tenderer. The balls should be free of cracks with lively, green leaves if attached. Most often, kohlrabi is green but sometimes purple kohlrabi is available. The leaves are edible and contain a wealth of nutrients that do good deeds for the body. They taste like a combo of collard greens and kale and are best sautéed with sesame oil and garlic.

Handle with care: Store kohlrabi without the leaves in the fridge in a perforated plastic bag for up to 1 week. The leaves will stay fresh for a couple days refrigerated in a plastic bag. Kohlrabi also freezes well – just chop, blanch and freeze.

Here are a couple recipes that make good use of this underappreciated veggie. Kohlrabi is also excellent simply peeled, sliced and plunged into your favorite dip.

Kohlrabi stuffed with Curry Spelt and Seasonal Vegetables












This is my entry in the FoodieFights competition. A kindof online Iron Chef thing where food bloggers are assigned two ingredients (this week it was kohlrabi and rosemary)and must come up with recipes that make them shine.

Stuffed red bell peppers are fairly common. Stuffed kohlrabi? Not so much. This recipe will make more stuffing than can be packed in each kohlrabi cup. That’s great, because it makes a wonderful side-dish for the next meal. Once you’ve devoured the stuffing, don’t forget to dig into the flesh of your edible bowl.

1 cup spelt berries (brown rice would work as well)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium kohlrabi
1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Ground black pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, bring two cups of water to a boil. Add in spelt berries, cover, reduce heat and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes. If excess water remains once the berries are cooked drain it out.
Trim kohlrabi of its antennas. Slice about a half inch off the bottom of each kohlrabi so it stands up straight. Slice 1-inch off the top. To hollow out kohlrabies, scoop out pulp with melon baller or large spoon, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells; chop pulp and reserve. Blanch kohlrabi cups in a pot of boiling salted water for about 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Rinse under cold water and drain on a paper towel or in a colander. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add kohlrabi pulp, zucchini, red pepper and carrot. Sauté until tender, about seven minutes. Add tomatoes, curry powder and rosemary and cook for an additional two minutes. Mix in spelt berries and heat through. Add spelt mixture to each kohlrabi cup, top with black pepper and bake on a baking sheet for 10 minutes. Top each cup with Parmesan cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Curry Zucchini Kohlrabi Pancakes














Makes 4 patties

2 medium zucchini, peeled and finely shredded
1 small-medium kohlrabi, peeled and finely shredded
1 cup spinach, finely chopped
1 Tbsp curry powder
¼ tsp salt
Dash of black pepper
2 eggs
1/3 cup whole wheat flour

In a bowl combine all the ingredients. Form into patties (they will be slimy but will harden up when cooked). Cook for about 4 minutes per side. Top with salsa, if desired.

Veggie Madness

Veggie Madness

Beyond the environmental benefits of scaling back on your meat intake, research is piling up that occasionally swapping out your Prime Rib for a hunk of tofu can help stave off various chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Here’s an easy, very tasty recipe to get you started.

Grilled Pesto Stuffed Tofu













1 brick firm tofu (preferably organic as to avoid genetically modified soy)
1/3 cup olive or hemp oil
3 Tbsp hemp seeds (optional)
Juice from 1 lemon
1/3 cup walnuts or pine nuts
Pinch of salt
2 garlic scapes, chopped or 2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup fresh basil or cilantro leaves

To prepare the pesto, add oil, hemp seeds, lemon juice, nuts, salt, garlic and basil to a blender or food processor and blend until well mixed but not too smooth. You want the pesto to be slightly grainy. Add more oil if necessary.
Cut tofu in half horizontally and then each half lengthwise to make four pieces. Using a small knife cut a deep pocket in each piece. Using a small spoon, stuff each pocket with pesto mixture (keep leftover pesto in the fridge). Brush tofu with oil and season with salt and pepper. Preheat grill and cook tofu for about 4 minutes per side, or until browned with grill marks.

Ingredient note: Available at most health food stores, nutritionally packed hempseeds lend this pesto a wonderful nuttier flavor.