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Bottled dressings have become the rage over the past couple of decades, especially ranch dressing. But have you ever examined the ingredients or the nutritional label on your favorite goo? Even if the fat content seems reasonable, as in the case of fat free dressing, the serving size is about 2 tablespoons of dressing. So, be honest, how much dressing do you actually pour onto your bowl of greens? And then there’s the salt and sugar. Let’s face it, without sodium and sweetness, your favorite salad sauce would taste pretty bland.

Why not make your own salad dressing, where you are in control of the additives? Who has time for that, you reply. Well, here’s one you’ll enjoy without all the fuss and minus the preservatives, corn syrup, gums and corn starch.

In a wooden bowl, place crisp romaine  or herb lettuce,  then sprinkle with almonds or sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, blueberries or raisins, or fresh fruit like grapes, strawberries, raspberries or mandarin oranges. For the dressing, mix equal parts of extra virgin olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice (preferably Meyer lemons),  a squeeze of honey if you prefer a sweeter dressing, and finally a twist or two of fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste. Herbs from your garden, such as dill, parsley, or thyme might be added according to your taste. Toss the salad until the leaves are coated with the dressing and serve. Enjoy the freshness of your own homemade dressing, and it’s a whole lot healthier!

As is the case with most Southern Californians, when the weather swells to a idyllic 70 degrees, it’s time to think outside the kitchen and light up the BBQ. Not only does it turn down the heat inside, the clean up is minimal. Here’s a colorful version of skewered protein and veggies grilled to mouth-watering perfection.

Fresh squeezed organic Myers lemon juice and an equal amount of quality cold pressed olive oil makes a delightful marinade. You can also add some fresh herbs from your garden, like dill or lemon thyme, and fresh ground pepper.  There’s no need to add salt, which makes this recipe nearly sodium free.

Place organic, free range chicken cut into 2-3″ pieces in a shallow baking pan.* Add any of the following organic vegetables and mix with a wooden spoon to coat with marinade.

• zucchini (cut into 1-2″ long chunks)
• mushrooms (any bite-size fungi will do)
• red, yellow or green bell peppers (halved then quartered)
• jalapenos (sliced in half lengthwise and seeded)
• shallots (peeled and left whole)
• fresh pineapple (2″ chunks)

Leave to marinate 10-20 minutes (refrigerate if marinating longer). Alternate veggies and chicken on skewers.  Roast on medium-high BBQ until chicken is cooked through, turning every five minutes and brushing with remaining marinade left in the pan.

On individual plates, rest a skewer over a bed of hot basmati rice, and then fill the rest of the plate with Perfect Salad Every Time. I guarantee it will please the eyes and tastebuds of everyone, including any carnivores in your midst. 

*For you vegetarians, simply omit the chicken!

Maybe you’ve heard that food heated in a microwave oven can be dangerous. Since there’s no actual heat component involved, food is not cooked. Rather, in brief, micro wavelength radiation interacts with the molecules in your food which, in turn, creates friction that eventually heats up the food. Doesn’t sound all that harmful, does it? After all, 90% of all homes in the US have microwaves, and darn if they aren’t the most convenient appliance in your kitchen!  You can have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes! Naturally, if they were all that bad for our health, wouldn’t they be banned by the FDA? Actually, in Russia, they were banned for a short period of time. The reason, they’re hazardous to you health!

Listed below are just a few results from significant studies concerning microwave ovens and health.

• The human body cannot break down the unknown by-products created in microwaved food

• Cancerous free radicals are formed in vegetables when cooked in microwave ovens
• Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths

• Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, and emotional instability

• Heating breast milk in a microwave can break down natural antibodies and enzymes

• Hemoglobin levels are decreased

• Cholesterol levels increase

• Microwaves cause malfunctions in the lymphatic system 

• Using plastic in a microwave forms xenoestrogens which are linked to low sperm counts in men and to breast cancer in women

Ready to dump your microwave? Still not convinced? Check out these websites and you just might want to rethink dinner prepared in a microwave!

• www.relfe.com/microwave.html
• www.mercola.com/article/microwave/hazards2.htm
• www.geocities.com/soho/gallery/6412/microwave.htm
• www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Lmicrowaveovens.htm

Back in Grandma’s day, baked apples were served up often. Restaurants featured them on their menus as a breakfast item, warmed with a bit of pure cream poured over top. My mother’s baked apples were the absolute best. AfterI married, she would surprise my family with a pan fresh out of the oven. We devoured them almost instantly. They make a satisfying evening snack with a scoop of ice cream or plain yogurt on top. Yum! Though mom never wrote down her recipe, I remember it wasn’t all that hard to make. So after your apples loose their crunch, instead of tossing them out or reducing them to applesauce, why not try baking up a batch. I guarantee you’ll be buying bags of them after this, especially if you love apple pie but hate the calories!

BAKED APPLES

12 apples
organic brown sugar
unsalted butter (never margarine)

Slice off a thin layer at the top of each apple and then core. Stand apples in a 9″x13″ baking pan. Place in each apple cavity, 1 teaspoon brown sugar and 1 teapoon butter. Sprinkle cinnamon on top according to taste. Pour boiling water into the pan to a depth of 1 inch. Cover with foil and bake at 350º for 1 hour. Remove the foil. Baste the apples with the syrup from the bottom of the pan 2-3 times while they continue to bake for a half hour more. Apples are done when you can easily pierce with a fork.  Spoon the remaining syrup over apples when served. Enjoy them warm or cold.

For those of us who don’t eat animal flesh, I’ve thrown together a fabulous mock chicken soup.  It’s low in fat, sodium, and calories, but it’s to die for when you’re feeling under the weather, or whenever. Whether or not it cures the common cold, who knows? Who cares? It’s warm to your tummy and feels downright good. A most definite placebo (see chicken soup recipe).

CHICKEN-LESS CHICKEN SOUP

1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot (chopped)
2 gloves garlic (minced)
4 cups no-chicken chicken broth
4 cups vegetable broth
8 ounce package lemon-pepper egg noodles
1 can hearts of palm (drained)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn

In a 6 quart stock pot, sauté onion in butter. Slice hearts of palm and add to pan. Add garlic; cook for about a minute,  careful not to brown the onion or garlic. Add the broth, cover and bring to a boil. Add frozen vegetables and noodles; cook according to package directions. Season with a little parmesan if you think you need more salt.

Comfort food, comfort zone and comfort shoes all have one thing in common, a feel-good state of mind; a placebo, if you will. The term is generally applied to medical science, healing effects of inert medicines. In other words, a patient claims he has a medical problem, the doctor prescribes a sugar pill and the patient is cured. Is that possible? In one study, patients who had their wisdom teeth extracted were given salt-solution injections and told that this would ease the pain. One third of the patients reported their pain was dramatically reduced. It was decided that positive thinking was responsible along with endorphins, the brain’s natural pain-killing chemical.

So when it comes to chicken soup, the ultimate comfort food, does it really cure the common cold? Or does it just make you feel warm and comfy inside? Jewish Grandmothers swear it’s a cure-all, and now there’s proof in the pot, Granny! Chicken soup does indeed have important benefits to cold and flu sufferers, according to Dr. Marvin A. Sackner, a specialist in pulmonary disease. He claims chicken soup speeds up the removal of the organisms that cause colds, and though hot liquids in general provide a measure of relief, chicken soup contains ‘something special.’

With that in mind, here’s a chicken soup recipe that’s souper simple. You can whip up a batch of this sniffle medicine for your family in less than a half hour, or you might bottle it in quart jars and drop it off to neighbors or friends who need some TLC.

CHICKEN SOUP

1 small onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups cooked chicken (shredded into bite-size pieces)
pinch of cinnamon
4 cups organic chicken broth
4 cups organic vegetable broth
8 ounce package of egg noodles (I prefer whole-wheat)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
grated romano cheese

In a a large cooking pot, sauté onion in butter just until soft but not brown. Add garlic and chicken and stir together with the onion. Drop a pinch of cinnamon into the mixture and stir around allowing the cinnamon to toast. Add both chicken and vegetable broth to pan. Bring to boil. Drop in the corn, peas and parsley. Add the noodles and cook according to package. Serve up in individual bowls. Garnish with cheese, salt and pepper to taste.

I love cooking with little ones. They’re so eager to help and they don’t question your cooking skills or your recipes. Last month, while visiting my granddaughters in Connecticut, we made home-made applesauce together. We used a simple 3-step process, and everyone lent a hand, even four-year-old Ryenn.

APPLESAUCE

6 - 8 organic apples
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Peel, core and chop apples into bite-size pieces. (We used the incredible Pampered Chef food chopper. Under close supervision, it’s easy enough for a child to use.

Place apples in a heavy-duty pan and add all the other ingredients, then stir to blend. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 - 30 minutes, uncovered. Store applesauce in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use within 2-3 days, though I doubt it will last that long!

HEALTHY HINT
Serve warm applesauce with vanilla ice cream or plain yogurt á la mode-style, or add chopped walnuts or granola on top to give it some crunch.

Why not try making your own tomato soup recipe? This one I found in an old cookbook from the 1800’s. Cooking back then was a full-time job, but this one’s pretty simple. You can use tomatoes that are pureed, canned or fresh. And you might top off your bowl (I prefer drinking it out of a mug) of steamy red with shredded cheese, croutons, sour cream or salsa. Oh, and my husband likes his served up with a wholesome grilled cheese sammie and bread and butter pickles on the side. I have to admit, the three distinct flavors really do compliment each other.

TOMATO SOUP

1-quart peeled and chopped tomatoes
1-quart water
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 onion (peeled and left whole)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix the cornstarch with the water in a pan. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Cook for 30 minutes.

Blend together:
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon flour

Add to soup and cook 10 minutes more. Remove the onion and serve.

NOTE: For variation, add cooked rice, pasta, beans, peas, or other cooked vegetables.

Here’s a quick and wholesome way to prepare yams.

First, be sure to purchase yams that are fresh and not too large
Scrub the skins with a brush, then poke a couple of holes with a fork tine in each potato
Brush each yam with olive oil, then sprinkle lightly garlic salt
Place them on a baking sheet lined with foil for easy clean-up
Bake them in a 400 degree oven for approximately 45-60 minutes, or until a fork pricks the skins easily
Serve immediately by making a slit down the center of the yam
Add butter or a bit of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste

If you’re in a hurry (an understatement), or if you’re feeding a large group of people, my cousin Nancy, in Patterson, New York, says you can slice the yams about a half-inch thick and place them on a baking sheet, brushing and sprinkling the potato rounds with the same ingredients noted above. In about 35 minutes, you can serve your family a nutritious treat that’s sweet and delicious. Just don’t tell them it’s a vegetable, tell them it’s pie filling without the crust. On second thought, don’t lie. It’s time we tell our children the truth about what they’re consuming, and how it’s going to affect them when they grow up and have to make important decisions that involve healthy brain cells!!!

For those of you who prefer a more ooey, gooey dish of yams, here’s a recipe my family has enjoyed for years.

PRALINE YAMS

29-ounce can cut yams (drained) or 8-10 fresh yams, baked and peeled
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup coconut
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter (melted)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place yams in ungreased 1-1/2 quart casserole or baking dish. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; blend well. Sprinkle over yams. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until bubbly.