Mushrooms - Moral of a failed morel hunt: Enjoy what's at hand

Posted on May 26, 2012 by bilrob

The real Morel Mushroom - edible

Mushrooms – Moral of a failed morel hunt: Enjoy what’s at hand

The scent of green garlic reminds me of tromping through woods and farm fields this spring on a quest for morel mushrooms (ultimately a middling success, but fun, nonetheless, for the hunt). Thin wild onions (or leeks, we weren’t quite sure) grew everywhere, giving off their pungent aroma as we followed my brother Paul around his favorite spots near his country home north of Indianapolis.

We tried pulling up the thin shoots, but they clung stubbornly to the soil. Too much work, and besides, mushrooms were the mission.

A few weeks later, I bought the first green-garlic stalks that popped up at a local farmers market. Chopped, they gave off their mild garlicky scent, a reminder of that morel hunt. Briefly sauteed to preserve flavor and crispness, they formed the inspiration for this spring pasta dish. But now that I think of it, morels would have worked beautifully in this dish.

TIPS:

Look for green garlic at farmers markets and some specialty markets; sub with green onions if unavailable.

Use any short pasta you like, such as penne.

GEMELLI WITH SHRIMP, PEAS AND GREEN GARLIC

Servings: 6

1 pound gemelli pasta

1 tablespoon each: olive oil, unsalted butter

6 green-garlic stalks, chopped (or green onions)

1 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined

2 cups fresh shelled peas (or frozen)

1 cup dry white wine

? to ? teaspoon salt

? teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente; drain, reserving ? cup cooking water.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet until the butter melts and the foam subsides. Add the green garlic; cook, stirring, just until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

Add shrimp to skillet; cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 3 minutes; remove. Stir peas, wine, reserved green garlic, salt and pepper flakes into the skillet. Cook over low heat just until peas are tender, 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Return shrimp to skillet.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet; stir to coat the pasta. Stir in some of the pasta water if mixture seems dry.

Recipes for Mushrooms with Bill & Sheila

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Red Onions, Bag Salads Recalled for Possible Listeria

Posted on May 26, 2012 by bilrob

FOOD SAFETY ALERT – LISTERIA

Red Onions, Bag Salads Recalled for Possible Listeria

The Kane County Health Department sent a press release Monday to keep residents up to date on possible contaminations of red onions and bag salads distributed in the area.

Gills Onions, LLC of Oxnard, CA over the weekend initiated a voluntary recall of 2,360 pounds of diced red onions with lot code 51RDA1A2119 and use-by-dates May 14, 15 and 17, 2012 because it may be contaminated by Listeria monocytogenes. The product is beyond its use-by-date, no illnesses have been reported in connection with this recall, and no other Gills Onions product is affected by this recall. Anyone who has the recalled product in their possession should discard it.

River Ranch Fresh Foods, LLC of Salinas, CA, also announced over the weekend that it is voluntarily recalling retail and foodservice bagged salads because they have the potential of being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Retail salad products under this recall were distributed nationwide under various sizes and packaged under the brand names of River Ranch, Farm Stand, Hy-Vee, Marketside, Shurfresh, and The Farmer’s Market. Foodservice salad products under this recall were distributed nationwide, including Illinois, under various sizes and packaged under the brand names of River Ranch, Cross Valley, Fresh n Easy, Promark, and Sysco.

The recalled retail and foodservice salad bags have either “Best By” code dates between 12MAY2012 and 22MAY2012 or Julian dates between 116 and 125. The code date is typically located in the upper right hand corner of the bags.

There have been NO reported illnesses associated with this recall. Consumers who have purchased this product should not consume it and are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions can contact River Ranch at their 24-hour customer service center at 1-800-762-7708.

The recalled diced red onions were distributed directly from Gills Onions to retailers in Canada and retailers and foodservice distributors in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee, New Jersey, Georgia, and Florida.

The recalled product was sold at retail and packaged in a 7-ounce clear plastic clamshell, labeled Gills Onions with the May 17, 2012, use-by-date and the lot code 51RDA1A2119 stamped on the UPC label. The UPC number in Canada is 643550 00045 0 and the UPC number in the United States is 643550 00041 2.

However, since this number can also be on other products, you can refer to the lot code in order to identify the recalled product. Product sold to foodservice customers was packaged in 5-pound clear plastic bags, identified as Gills Onions Diced Red Onions, and stamped with an expiration date of May 14 or 15, 2012. The lot code 51RDA1A2119 is also stamped on both the bag and box.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

This voluntary recall was initiated as a result of a routine and random test directed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Consumers with questions may contact Gills Onions at 1-800-348-2255. Please visit the website at www.gillsonions.com for updates.

SOURCE: Kane County Health Department

Bill & Sheila’s Food Safety – Bacterial Infections – listeria

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Tempting but toxic mushrooms? Drug promises new cure

Posted on May 26, 2012 by bilrob

Tempting but toxic mushrooms? Drug promises new cure

mushrooms

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The toxic death cap mushrooms, known technically as Amanita phalloides, can destroy the livers of people who eat it. A drug being studied in the U.S. derived from milk thistle seeds may help.

When unusually rainy weather near Washington, D.C., produced a bumper crop of mushrooms last fall, it also sparked a scary surge in mushroom poisonings.

Four people in two weeks showed up at area hospitals with life-threatening liver damage after picking and eating tempting fungi that turned out to be toxic.

“We thought it was a good mushroom because it sprung up in our backyard,” one of the victims, Frank Constantinopla, 49, of Springfield, Va., told reporters at the time.

But the treat Constantinopla plucked and stir-fried with noodles was actually the feared death cap toadstool responsible for most mushroom fatalities worldwide. Within days, he was in a local hospital on the brink of liver failure.

Constantinopla’s liver — and his life — were saved, however, by an investigational drug derived from an old folk remedy: the seeds of the milk thistle plant, a doctor who treated him told an expert panel on Sunday. As mushroom foraging continues through the spring, fungi fans should take note.

“It’s a treatment and well-described in our hepatology [science of the liver] literature, but it’s not readily available,” said Dr. Jacqueline Laurin, a liver transplant specialist at the Georgetown Transplant Institute, part of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. “We need to make it easier for people to get it.”

Known as Legalon, the drug is an intravenous form of silibinin, milk-thistle extract, which may turn out to be an antidote to mushrooms poisonings that sicken hundreds of people in the U.S. every year, sometimes leading to death.

It’s being tested in a clinical trial led by Dr. Todd Mitchell, a California doctor who developed the “Santa Cruz Protocol” for treating mushroom poisoning. The trial is sponsored by German drugmaker Madaus Inc., which already sells the product approved in Europe.

mushrooms

featurepics.com

Silibinin, a drug derived from the seeds of the milk thistle plant, may help save people with toxic mushrooms poisoning.

Nearly 6,000 people reported contact with suspicious mushrooms in 2010, and more than 1,300 people got sick, according to latest figures from the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Some 500 people suffered moderate to major injuries and at least one person died.

Most of the victims were sickened by the Amanita phalloides — death cap — varieties that produce amatoxins, which shut down liver function.

Laurin presented the four cases in quick succession that alarmed Georgetown doctors during Digestive Disease Week, a gathering of experts in the field. The study was conducted through the Georgetown University Medical Center.

When Constantinopla was transferred with incipient (or early stage) liver failure, Laurin and her team got in touch with Mitchell, who is a primary care doctor at Dominican Santa Cruz Hospital in California. Mitchell said he advised Laurin about how best to treat the patient. His protocol recommends aggressive hydration and drainage of the bile duct in addition to IV silibinin.

Stores of the drug were found in Pittsburgh and delivered by plane and courier. Within hours, Constantinopla was treated under an exemption of Food and Drug Administration rules that allow a one-patient, one-time use of an unapproved drug.

But when another victim showed up with dire symptoms after eating mushrooms, followed by two more, the hospital was forced to convene an emergency meeting of its institutional review board to grant approval for those patients to be treated, too.

“We knew it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that another person could show up with mushroom poisoning,” Laurin said.

Mitchell, who has become an expert in amatoxin poisoning, got interested in silibinin in 2007, when he was the emergency room doc who treated six members of a Mexican family who became critically ill after consuming tacos made with toxic mushrooms.

“They had eaten the mushrooms after picking them at a state park outside of Santa Cruz,” he said.

No one in the U.S. had silibinin, so Mitchell had to request that the FDA allow emergency import of enough of the drug to treat the clan. The family’s 82-year-old grandmother died, but others were saved by the milk thistle treatment, including a 25-year-old man who was listed for a liver transplant.

Mitchell was impressed; without good treatment, the mortality rate for amatoxin poisoning can be 50 percent. The toxins basically shut down the protein-making apparatus of cells in the liver, causing the organ to fail.

“The antidote blocks the entry of amatoxin into the liver cell,” he explained.

Despite the fact that Mitchell is not a ???clinical toxicologist (“I’m just a primary care guy,” he said), he decided to try to make sure the drug — and the protocol that goes with it — are available in the U.S.

So far, Mitchell’s trial includes some 44 patients treated with silibinin and the protocol. Of those, five have died, but Mitchell said the procedure wasn’t followed thoroughly in those cases. The others have recovered completely.

“I think we’re actually pretty close to being ready to go to the FDA,” said Mitchell, who noted that he has no financial interest in the drug.

Mushroom experts, known as mycologists, are encouraged by the prospects of silibinin becoming available in the U.S., though they don’t necessarily believe it’s a certain cure – or that all patients need the treatment.

“With good medical care now, 90 percent (of victims) will survive, with or without silibinin,” said Michael Beug, chairman of the toxicology committee of the North American Mycological Association.

But Beug said that having the drug could help avoid the rush to extreme treatments, such as transplants.

“To the extent that this slows down the doctor’s reach for a new liver, it’s a good thing,” he said.

The real question is, if Beug accidentally ate a death cap – he says they’re known to be among the most delicious mushrooms in the world – would he want the milk thistle drug and protocol?

“You bet,” he said.

Related on Vitals:

Poisoned lotion? FDA warns of mercury in cosmetics
Drug poisoning of women may be increasing, study finds
A second chance for faulty food? FDA calls it ‘reconditioning’

In this segment of Curious Medicine, author Nicholas Evans speaks out about accidentally feeding his family wild, poisonous mushrooms and how the experience has affected his outlook on life.

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Leeks play starring role in this quick spring stew

Posted on May 25, 2012 by bilrob

Leeks play starring role in this quick spring stew

This is a fast-cooking stew, which makes it great for warmer days. The dish comes together in about 45 minutes.

It also is easy. The hardest part is cleaning the leeks, which often are filled with sand that needs to be washed away. First, remove and discard the tough green tops. Next, slice each leek in half and run under cold water, fanning the layers. Slice the leeks, then soak the slices in a large bowl or sink filled with cold water. Finally, remove the leeks from the water with a large skimmer or colander. The 10 minutes this will take is well worth it to ensure a sand-free dish.

There are very few ingredients in this stew, so make them count. Use the best, most full-flavored chicken broth you can find; homemade is best. For the potatoes, try one of the many specialty baby or fingerling potatoes available in stores and at farmers markets.

Make ahead: This dish is even better the next day. The potatoes can be cooked in advance, cooled and refrigerated, or you can boil the potatoes right before serving.

SPRING CHICKEN, LEEK AND POTATO STEW

1-1/2 pounds baby white or red potatoes, well scrubbed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound trimmed leeks, sliced in half down the length of the leek, each half thinly sliced (rinsed well)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins

2/3 cup dry white wine

2 cups no-salt-added or homemade chicken broth

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add water to cover. Cook over high heat until the water boils; adjust the heat to maintain a steady boil and cook for 12 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. The cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the potato. Drain the potatoes in a colander.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 4-quart Dutch oven, soup pot or enameled cast-iron casserole over medium heat. Add the leeks. Season with salt and pepper to taste; cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are very soft but not browned. Adjust the heat as needed.

While the leeks are cooking, season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many of the tenderloins as will fit without crowding. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until nicely browned on one side; turn and cook for about 2 minutes until browned on the other side. The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining tenderloins.

When the leeks are soft, add the wine. Increase the heat to high and bring the wine to a boil; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the wine has reduced by half. Add the browned chicken tenderloins and the broth. Once it has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 15 minutes, adjusting the heat so that the liquid is barely bubbling. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.

To serve, divide the potatoes among shallow bowls or pasta dishes. Top with the chicken and leeks, spoon the cooking liquids over the chicken and potatoes, and garnish with the chopped chives.

Nutrition per serving: 320 calories, 30 grams protein, 29 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 75 milligrams cholesterol, 190 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber, 4 grams sugar

Servings: 6

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A Grilled Salad Adds Healthy Flavor To Outdoor Dining

Posted on May 25, 2012 by bilrob

A Grilled Salad Adds Healthy Flavor To Outdoor Dining

It’s grilling season and I’m looking forward to a lot of burgers, brats, steaks, and more coming hot off my grill. But, I also enjoy experimenting on the grill and trying some some lighter fare as well. I was recently in Tiburon, California, and my friend, Azi Najafi, prepared a very tasty grilled salad for dinner one evening. Her salad had a combination of greens, including radicchio and baby lettuce. I’m actually a big fan of romaine lettuce, so I decided to vary the recipe a bit. If you read my note at the end of this recipe, though, you’ll see there are a lot of options you can explore when you make for one of your summer salad meals.

3 lg Romain Hearts, I purchase the three pack, about 18oz size
1 can Large Artichokes Hearts, I purchased the 6-8 count size, 14oz size
1/2 of a bunch of Asparagus (about 9 oz), medium thickness, cut into 1″ pieces
3 Green Onions, chopped
1 cu Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half
2 tbl Olive Oil
4 oz Shaved Parmiggiano-Reggiano

Dressing

1 tbl Shallots, finelly minced
1 tbl Dijon Mustard
1 tbl Lemon Juice
zest of 1 Lemon
2-3 tbl Olive Oil
Salt Pepper, to taste

Prepare your grill so that the surface is very hot. Because temperatures vary greatly with grills, the times below are meant to be more of guide. Monitor everything closely.

Slice the Romain lengthwise. The root end should keep the leaves together. Brush the cut surface with some of the olive oil. Place the cut side down on the grill and char the surface of the romaine for about 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to keep it on the grill too long or the leaves will wilt. You want a nice crunch to most of the lettuce. Once removed from the grill, set the romaine aside.

Slice the artichokes in half and place them in a bowl. Add the asparagus, green onions and tomatoes. Pour the remaining olive oil over vegetables and toss to combine. Place a grilling pan or mesh screen on the grill and add the vegetables. Grill the vegetables until they are just tender and have a slight char, about 2-3 minutes, tossing while grilling. Remove from the grill and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Slice off the root end of the romaine leaves and discard. Roughly chop the rest of the leaves crosswise and add to the other vegetables.

Meanwhile, place shallots, mustard, lemon juice and zest in a medium sized bowl. Whisk together the ingredients while slowly pouring 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over the mixture. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the vegetables. Toss to combine, check for seasoning, and then top with shaved parmesan to serve.

This recipe makes a great vegetarian appetizer or first course. You can vary the greens a bit with endive, radicchio, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce or a combination of any of them. Experiment and you’ll get a different flavor each time.

For an entree salad, you can grill one chicken breast per serving, thinly slice it after grilling and add it to the salad. Croutons make a nice touch as well.

Thanks again to Azi Najafi for this great recipe. It’ll become a permanent part of my summer dining.

If you have any comments or questions, please send me an email at [email protected] or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

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Rice salads for summer

Posted on May 25, 2012 by bilrob

Rice salads for summer

I’m always a bit amused when friends elsewhere groan about the great unpacking of the next season’s clothes. Our clothes don’t vary much season to season here in Northern California. You’re a tourist if you don’t pack a sweatshirt or sweater any time you travel near the coast, yet my kids wear shorts to school year-round.

The changing of the seasons sneaks up on you here, but the days do lengthen, and we find ourselves migrating outside more and more. One day last weekend, my family simply didn’t come inside. Afternoon rolled into a pleasant evening, so we grilled, grabbed some plastic picnic ware and lingered until the stars came out.

Slowly but surely, summer is coming — and there’s a shift in how we eat. We want recipes that travel well, dishes that appeal in warmer weather and prepare-ahead foods that free us for fun; a number of you sent rice salad recipes that deliver on all those fronts.

Plates regular Ro Taylor relies on several rice salads to relieve the tedium of the usual summer side dishes. “They are a great change from potato and macaroni salad and can accompany anything from hot dogs to barbecue chicken or tri-tip,” she says.

Taylor’s Mexican rice salad includes all sorts of goodies — diced tomatoes, kidney beans, green bell peppers, red onions and sliced black olives — with a zippy dressing that uses green taco sauce. You also can doctor the recipe to add other Mexican flavors you enjoy, such as cumin,

cilantro or minced jalapeños.

Lisa Scott-Ponce, another longtime Plates regular, sent her favorite wild rice salad. “This is a wonderful rice salad,” she says. “The recipe was given to me years ago by Julie Plank, and it’s great for luncheons and potlucks, especially during warm weather. It can be made in advance, too.”

Cooked wild rice is tossed with celery, pineapple, grapes and chicken breasts, then combined with a dressing of mayonnaise and apricot-pineapple preserves. Add chopped cashews for crunch right before serving, but I also like Scott-Ponce’s suggestion of substituting sliced or chopped almonds.

Finally, Taylor and several other Plates readers sent a community cookbook standby, a Rice-A-Roni salad that includes the chicken-flavored pilaf, marinated artichoke hearts, olives, green onions and celery. Combine mayonnaise with the marinade from the artichoke hearts to make the dressing.

“If I’m out shopping in a new town, I always look for their local cookbook or the local church cookbook,” says Dona Dickie, of Livermore. “You know the ones: They are spiral-bound and were generally put together for a fundraising event. I have a big collection and often peruse them when I need something that sounds comforting.”

Dickie’s version of the Rice-A-Roni salad came from a Cambria cookbook and includes a can of diced water chestnuts. Barbara Nielsen, of Dublin, includes chopped green peppers and a teaspoon of curry powder in her Rice-A-Roni salad.

“You can eliminate and/or add other ingredients,” she says. “I have prepared this recipe without the green pepper and added chunks of cooked chicken. Be creative!”

But don’t tinker with one ingredient, Carole Korp cautions. “The Cara Mia brand of marinated artichokes is important, as their marinade makes a really good-tasting dressing,” Korp says.

Request line

The book club is ready for our next great recipe test session. We’re looking for your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Many of you have already sent in recipes, but if you haven’t yet, now’s the time. (And if you prefer a certain brand of chocolate chips or butter, let us know that, too.)
Contact Kim Boatman at [email protected]. Find recent Home Plates recipes online at www.mercurynews.com/home-plates.

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Red bulb onions worth P1.4M, imported without permit from India, destroyed

Posted on May 25, 2012 by bilrob

Red bulb onions worth P1.4M, imported without permit from India, destroyed

By Elias O. Baquero

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Red onions, sometimes called purple onions, are cultivars of the onion with purplish red skin and white flesh tinged with red. These onions tend to be medium to large in size and have a mild to sweet flavor. They are often consumed raw, grilled or lightly cooked with other foods, or added as color to salads. They tend to lose their redness when cooked.

Red onions are available throughout the year. The red color comes from anthocyanidins such as cyanidin. Red onions are high in flavonoids. They can be stored 3 to 4 months at room temperature.

The red onion from Turda (Cluj County, Central Romania) (Romanian: “Ceapa de Turda”) is a local variety of red onion with light sweeter taste and particular aroma. The area of cultivation encompass the lower Arie? valley and the middle Mure? valley. Turda onion bulbs are traditionally intertwined into long strings (1–2 m) for marketing purposes and can be found at the traditional markets all over central Romania. “Turda Red Onion” is usually served fresh, as a salad or part of mixed salads and especially as a compulsory garnish for the traditional bean-and-smoked ham soups. Red onions helps by not getting a heart attack or cancer. They are used as a medicine. They are treatments for colds, diarrhea, intestinal parasites, gallstones, and rheumatism.

The red onion from Tropea, Italy, (Italian: “Cipolla Rossa di Tropea”) is a particular variety of red onion which grows in a small area of Calabria in southern Italy named “Capo Vaticano” near the city of Tropea. This onion has a stronger and sweeter aroma and the inner part is juicier and whiter than other red onions and it is possible to make a marmalade with it. In March 2008, the European Union registered the Protected Designation of Origin mark for the onions produced in this particular area.

Illegal Importation

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Cebu destroyed yesterday P1.4 million worth of red bulb onions from India, which were not covered by a phytosanitary certification from their port of origin.

The shipment of Red Creole onions arrived in Cebu from India last March 3 yet. The BOC said the cargo violated Presidential Decree 1433 or the Plant Quarantine Law of the Philippines.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

In his report to District Collector Ronnie Silvestre, BOC auction and cargo disposal unit officer-in-charge Dante Maranan said the imported onions were placed in a 20-foot container van.

Maranan said the onions were condemned and destroyed at the organic fertilizer division of the Bureau of Plant industry in Mandaue City.

Silvestre ordered the Customs Police Division and the Run After the Smugglers (Rats) team to investigate and file charges against those involved in the shipment of the onions.

Marina Hermoso, head of the Bureau of Plant Service, said the government does not allow the importation of onions. This makes all imported onions for sale in different markets and grocery stores illegal, she added.

Difficult

But she admitted it is difficult to determine whether an onion is imported or not, unless shipment documents are checked.

She said farmers in Luzon and Mindanao also grow Red Creole bulb onions.

Bernadith Bunado of the Plant Quarantine Service said Siquijor also has a seven-hectare Red Creole bulb onion plantation and its produce is sent to Cebu.

Hermoso said shipment contained two tons or 20,000 kilos of onions, valued at P60 to 70 per kilo.

“How we wish we could sell these onions through public auction so that the Port of Cebu will have non-traditional income. However, we cannot sell prohibited importations and we have no other choice but to destroy them,” Maranan said.

The destruction of the onions was witnessed by representatives from the Commission on Audit (COA), Intelligence Officer Rico Mongaya of the Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) and the Bureau of Plant Service.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 24, 2012.

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Healthy summer potato salad can be creamy, too

Posted on May 25, 2012 by bilrob

Healthy summer potato salad can be creamy, too

So you’re having a barbecue and you want to keep it at least a little healthy.

You’ve got the lean chicken breasts marinating and ready for the grill. You’ve got a colorful tossed salad filled with the season’s bounty. You’ve got corn on the cob for grilling and fresh watermelon and strawberries for nibbling. That’s a good start.

But you also know that no American summer barbecue is complete without a creamy and rich potato salad. Except you also know just how unhealthy a potato salad smothered in mayonnaise can be. The good news is that you can enjoy a great potato salad without sacrificing your commitment to healthy eating.

Here are our tips for making that happen.

First, make sure you leave the skins on the potatoes. Potato skins contain much of the potatoes’ fiber, as well heaps of vitamins and minerals, including a crazy amount of potassium (even more than bananas).

Second, replace the commonly added hard-boiled egg. While eggs do add plenty of protein, if you’re barbecuing it’s unlikely that protein deprivation is your problem. And egg yolks also add plenty of unnecessary fat. So we replaced the egg with chopped canned artichoke hearts, which have a similar texture and a wonderfully subtle flavor that complements the potatoes.

Third, and possibly most important, you need to overhaul the mayonnaise dressing. Adding just 1/2 cup of regular mayonnaise can add 800 calories and 90 grams of fat to the salad. And really, who stops at just 1/2 cup? You certainly could dress a potato salad in a light vinaigrette, but we wanted to stick to the traditional creamy salad for this recipe.

So we reached for one of our favorite non-fat creamy dairy products, Greek yogurt. It is a versatile, healthy ingredient that adds significant creamy flavor and texture.

We finished with a handful of fresh herbs and some tangy vinegar to punch up the flavor, then we had a potato salad we could be proud of setting out on our (healthy!) barbecue table.

Creamy potato salad with artichokes and herbs

Start to finish: 1 hour (20 minutes active)

Servings: 6

2 pounds red potatoes, cubed

Salt

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

5.3-ounce container fat-free plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons minced fresh dill

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Ground black pepper

4-ounce jar chopped pimentos

14-ounce can artichoke bottoms, drained

2 ribs celery, diced

Place the potatoes in a large pot, then add enough cool water to cover by 1 inch. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, then bring to a boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until just tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with the vinegar and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sour cream, scallions, mustard, dill, thyme and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the pimentos, artichoke bottoms and celery. Once the potatoes have cooled, gently stir in until thoroughly coated. Chill until ready to serve.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 190 calories; 10 calories from fat (5 percent of total calories); 1 g fat (0.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 5 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 7 g fiber; 670 mg sodium.

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Soup - Meals to warm you up (+recipes)

Posted on May 21, 2012 by bilrob

Roasted parsnip and spinach soup. Photo / Babiche Martens

Soup – Delicious winter warmers are but a pot away.

As I walk to work each day enjoying the crisp fresh feel of the start of winter, my thoughts have turned towards planning simple warming meals that are nourishing and tasty but take little time to get on the table at the end of the day.

Slow cooking is delicious but needs a bit of preparation and faffing about which can be too much effort when everyone is trying to get out the door by 8am. So soups have been getting my attention. Be sure to have some good home-made stock in the freezer, then all you need to do is grab a few veges or tasty extras, along with some crusty bread, on the way home and you pretty much have it sorted.

First up is a chowder simply made with kumara, a little wine, garlic, a splash of fish sauce and a squeeze of lime. Top with chopped up steamed mussels and finish with a drizzle of chilli sauce – robust, warming and delicious. This recipe is also good made with a combination of mussels, pipis and cockles.

Soup number two is a classic mushroom but made only with the portobello variety because of their strength of flavour – leave the buttons out of this one.

You can use a selection of true field varieties if you are lucky enough to have a secret location from which to forage, but the commercial portobello work fine.

Soup always needs a chunk of crusty bread so with this recipe I also have made whole grain toasties filled with blue cheese. Toast these in a pan until crisp and the cheese is melting on the inside and then dunk in the soup – yum.

For the tasty parsnip and spinach soup, roast the vegetables first to create a robust base before blending with well flavoured stock. Grate in a little fresh nutmeg and then puree. Add fresh spinach leaves to the hot soup so the leaves gently wilt and all the nutrients are retained. Top with extra rounds of roasted parsnips and a drizzle of the best olive oil you can get your hands on.

Chef’s tip

Make a large pot of stock by throwing in bones, vegetable ends and peelings. Some people like to roast the bones first for a deeper flavour. Cover with water and simmer. Don’t add salt because the flavour of what you are adding the stock to may be compromised.

There are excellent New Zealand-made chilli sauce products on the market – look out for Kaitaia Fire and Hot Samoan Boys, both excellent.

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By Amanda Laird | Email Amanda

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Chicken Salad

Posted on May 18, 2012 by bilrob

Chicken Salad

With summer around the corner I start looking for something different to serve for dinner; dishes to take the place of hearty, cool weather stews and casseroles.

My family likes main-course salads beefed up with protein of some kind, which in our case is often chicken. The problem is everyone likes their chicken salad a little different, so I needed a basic recipe I could adjust based on who I was serving. Sure finding a recipe with this flexibility might prove frustrating, but I was up for the challenge.

Chicken Salad Supreme

2½ cups diced poached chicken breasts

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup seedless grapes, red or green, cut in half

2 tablespoons minced parsley

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup sliced toasted almonds

Combine chicken, celery, grapes and parsley in large bowl.

In another bowl. whip the heavy cream to soft peaks; gently fold in the mayonnaise into whipped cream. Add to chicken mixture and stir gently. Add salt and almonds and stir gently. Garnish with additional almonds and chopped parsley.

Serves six.

I started my search on the Internet and discovered the general idea of chicken salad, pieces of chicken mixed with a variety of spices and tied together by a binding substance, has been around a long time. The Chinese deserve the credit for being the first to serve a variation of what we know today, but it is Liam Gray of Town Meats in Wakefield, Rhode Island, who,in 1863 combined leftover chicken with mayonnaise, spices and grapes to create the iconic American version. It was such a hit that the meat market became a deli and operated until just a few years ago.

The first recipe I stumbled upon dated from the 19th century and called for shredded chicken, chopped celery and filberts held together with either an oil and vinegar or sweet mayonnaise-like dressing. Intriguing, but not really what I had in mind.

Further research unearthed salads with an Asian twist containing grilled meat, almonds and mandarin oranges tossed with a sesame dressing and others that started with store-bought rotisserie chicken and mayonnaise. While these recipes sounded good they had distinctive flavor profiles, not the “blank canvas” I sought.

My search lead me back to my own recipe box and the Chicken Salad Supreme a friend shared with me many years ago. This tried-and-true recipe features diced, poached chicken, the crunch of celery and almonds and a burst of sweetness from seedless grapes and it fit my needs perfectly.

You may think this sounds like that old-time chicken salad, but the dressing sets it apart from the rest. Whipped cream combined with mayonnaise creates a light, silky dressing that holds it all together. This dressing and the tender poached chicken create the perfect base to build upon.

The best part about this recipe is that I can easily change out ingredients, adding pecans or walnuts for those who don’t like almonds or tossing in dried cranberries, diced apples or mandarin oranges instead of grapes. The key is selecting ingredients with different textures, as well as a touch of sweetness.

Consider serving the salad in a pineapple half, or tucked into a flaky croissant. Or simply enjoy it on a bed of lettuce with a slice of melon and roll on the side.

So far my family enjoys this salad any way I serve it, and I hope yours will too.

• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the Daily Herald’s 2011 Cook of the Week Challenge.

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