What's cookin'?

I love to cook. I have always loved being in the kitchen, first as a child where it was the center of the family; later, I enjoyed creating my own recipes and recreating meals I had enjoyed in restaurants. Growing up in the '60s and '70s in an Italian family, macaroni was dinner at least twice a week. We also learned to love Jiffy-Pop, Cheez-Whiz and other assorted "healthy" fare. Vegetables were never center stage, and salad was often just iceberg, cukes and tomatoes. Weight was never a problem for me either, but as the years go by,I find that the old metabolism isn't what it used to be. In my twenties, I could skip a few Twinkies and lose 5 pounds to get into that cute outfit for a weekend date. Now, in my very, very, VERY late 20's, losing 5 pounds takes nothing short of a miracle! I used my love of cooking and interest in healthy eating to cultivate a repertoire of healthy and delicious new recipes, as well as healthier dishes inspired by old favorites. My project last summer was to research and develop ways to increase my collection of vegetable recipes. Not vegetarian, but vegetable-centered, I have tried to use spices, herbs, and various cultural styles to keep dinner interesting, exciting and worth going back for seconds. I am not a nutritionist, but I have done a good amount of reading, and think I have a handle on what's good for me and what should be avoided. Welcome to my first blog. Feel free to try any recipes that interest you, and share your own! Together we can answer the question....What's healthy for dinner?!!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Salsa Verde

The invention of salsa was a wonderful thing.  It is spicy, flavorful, and exciting, yet it is surprisingly healthy and low in calories and fat.  You can add it to something that has a bad reputation, like tortilla chips or a baked potato, and feel like your sins have been forgiven, at least a little bit.  Salsa even has a point value of zero on the Weight Watchers scale.  If you find a jarred sauce that has little or no preservatives, and no sugar, you are surely the champ.  If you have a little extra time, you can prepare your own and the taste is fresh and delicious, even better than anything from a jar.

Salsa verde is a green salsa, as the name implies, made with tomatillos rather than tomatoes.  It turns out that the tomatillo has even more health benefits than the tomato, who knew?  I always passed them by in the vegetable aisles, admittedly intimidated by their papery husks.  Well, I was in for a surprise when I took a bunch home last summer,  peeled off the husks, washed them and grilled them.  Tonight we roasted them, as I am still too cold to go outside to barbeque. Just cut them in half,  place on a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes.  When done, put them in a food processor along with a 1/2 chopped onion, a few cloves of garlic, one or two jalapenos, (seeds included if you dare), juice of a lime, and a handful of cilantro.  Add salt to taste as you pulse the mixture to a chunky consistency.  Most recipes call for a pinch of sugar, but I don't think it is necessary.  You can substitute a drop of agave nectar if you want.

If you research any one of the ingredients in the above recipe, you will find that they all have disease-fighting properties.  The mixture is healthful, plus it is loaded with fiber.  Top your chicken or pork with this for dinner, add it to vegetables or a baked potato, or use it as a dip for raw veggies or tortilla chips. 


Tonight this was the crown atop my grilled pork chop, and it shared a plate with roasted cauliflower and kale chips.  To keep the Mexican flavor of the meal, I added a small salad of avocado and tomato.  My plate was overflowing with vegetables, but each one was exciting in its own way.  The good news is that there is leftover avocado salad and salsa verde for tomorrow or the next day, to use in a different and creative way.
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