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Guest Post By: Karly Berezowsky
Baba Ganoush is an old world dish made predominately out of eggplant is a refreshing and simple dish to make with origins in the Middle East. It is still eaten today by the Turkish, Armenian, Greek, Romanian people, along with many of Mediterranean origin. Eggplant or aubergine is a popular ingredient in many Italian dishes as well, so this might be something worth trying out. This dish is especially superb for a vegetarian or for someone who is just trying to eat a little healthier.
One may describe it as an eggplant dip. Some people pair it with pita bread; but it is good enough to eat right off of the plate.
The list of ingredients is as follows:
1 pound of eggplant
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 handful fresh parsley, minced
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Prick eggplant with a fork and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake the eggplant until it is soft inside, for approximately 20 minutes. Let the eggplant cool. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, drain off the liquid. Scoop out the pulp and place into a food processor. Process the eggplant until smooth and transfer to a medium bowl. On a cutting board, mince garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt together with the flat side of a knife, until it forms a paste. Add the garlic-salt mixture to the eggplant. Stir in the parsley, tahini, and lemon juice. Season with more salt, to taste. Garnish with additional parsley.
For more great recipes get your copy of the Award Winning Book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition winner of the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA by Gourmand World Cookbook Awards
Celebrity Chef Maria Liberati & The Basic Art of Italian Cooking are touring the USA and Canada, upcoming appearances schedule:
Sept 11 & 12-Hudson Valley Wine Fest-Rhinebeck, NY, Dutchess County Fairgrounds. Maria will take center stage at 2 PM on both days and share recipes, stories from her new award winning book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions-2nd edition recipes. Maria will be signing copies of the latest book throughout the weekend event.
For more info email: events@marialiberati.com
Showing posts with label eating healthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eating healthy. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Grilling For Your Health
Grilling for Your Health
Done right, grilling can be one of the healthiest ways to cook. While there has been some talk in recent years associating grilling with cancer causing agents, there are steps that can be taken to reduce that risk. The risk is actually associated with the formation of certain cancer causing substances on food exposed to high heat and flame, which can occur with other cooking methods as well.
The good news is that it has been found that the use of certain herbs, popular in the Mediterranean diet, such as basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, oregano and sage, dramatically reduced the formation of some of these substances. These herbs are also commonly found in marinades, which add flavor and reduce the formation of the free radicals that have been associated with an increased risk of cancer, when the meat is exposed to a high degree of heat.
Of course, selecting healthier foods from the get-go can make grilling an even healthier option for your family, and an enjoyable activity in the warmer months of the year. While experts are now recommending a reduction in the amount of red meat in the diet to no more than 18 ounces per week, leaner meats, such as chicken and fish, are also excellent cooked on the grill. You should trim any excess fat from your meat before cooking (regardless of your cooking method, really). Choose fresh meat over frozen whenever possible (one of the key principles of the Mediterranean diet, remember?), and try to avoid processed meats such as hot dogs or sausage.
We know that fish is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, those wonderful cholesterol-reducing agents. Eating three meals of fish per week can reduce blood clotting, boost your immune function and help reduce heart disease.
Vegetables are also an excellent choice for a cook-out. As always, fresh local produce is best and richest in nutrients. Try to slice your vegetables so that the most surface area will be in contact with the grill surface. This will cause vegetables to be the most flavorful.
Do you have any great grilling ideas to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
May 15th & 16th- Hope to see you at Bethesda Row's (in Bethesda, Maryland)Stylish Events. I will be discussing my bestselling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking and doing a cooking demo eac hday from the book at Bella Italia-the stylish store inside Bethesda Row. Free and open. Email events@marialiberati.com ro go to Bethesda Row for more info..See you then
For more recipes and articles
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Thursday, April 3, 2008
Tiramisu light
One of my favorite desserts is tiramisu. It reminds me of along afternoons at the coffee bars in Italy..a great mid afternoon dessert to have as a pick me up.
Here is my own lighter version of the recipe. The original version does contain mascarpone cheese..which is reallya 'scrumptious' cheese and it is an artisanal cheese but becasue it has such a high fat content I have decided to make a still healthy but lower calorie version of this dessert.
here it is..
Tiramisu (light version)
(copyright, 2005,2006,2007, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking, Maria Liberati)
*16 ounce package of savoiardi or ladyfingers
*1 cup espresso coffee with 1 tablespoon sugar
* ¼ cup powdered unsweetened cocoa
*1 tsp amaretto or anisette liqueur
*8 ounces of fat free coffee flavored yogurt
*8 ounces fat free cream cheese
*small piece of dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa)
Place espresso coffee with 1 tblsp of sugar or 2 packets of artificial sweetener in shallow bowl. Dip each ladyfinger in the coffee mixture for about 2 seconds. Then arrange biscotti-side by side to on a plate.
Place yogurt and cream cheese in bowl and whip together till well belndedwith hand mixer. Blend in liqueur.. Spread about 3/4 of yogurt mixture on top of ladyfingers. Repeat again and top with ladyfingers and then top with remaining yogurt mixture. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour. Right before serving, dust with powdered cocoa and shave some dark chocolate on top.
(copyright, 2005,2006,2007, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking, Maria Liberati)
*16 ounce package of savoiardi or ladyfingers
*1 cup espresso coffee with 1 tablespoon sugar
* ¼ cup powdered unsweetened cocoa
*1 tsp amaretto or anisette liqueur
*8 ounces of fat free coffee flavored yogurt
*8 ounces fat free cream cheese
*small piece of dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa)
Place espresso coffee with 1 tblsp of sugar or 2 packets of artificial sweetener in shallow bowl. Dip each ladyfinger in the coffee mixture for about 2 seconds. Then arrange biscotti-side by side to on a plate.
Place yogurt and cream cheese in bowl and whip together till well belndedwith hand mixer. Blend in liqueur.. Spread about 3/4 of yogurt mixture on top of ladyfingers. Repeat again and top with ladyfingers and then top with remaining yogurt mixture. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour. Right before serving, dust with powdered cocoa and shave some dark chocolate on top.
For more recipes get the bestselling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com/ for $5 off retial price and free shippping now!!see what everyone is talking about..
Ciao for now,
Maria
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Eggplant Arrostite ...and oh those herbs!!
I do love my eggplant and am always coming up with more ways than the typical eggplant parmigiano to serve it. It is so healthy for you so why not come up with some different ways to enjoy this 'purple jewel of the earth'. This recipe also combines some of my favorite fresh herbs to make this so naturally tasty.
Hope you enjoy this recipe we have come up with from my new book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking -Holidays and Special Occasions, copyright 2008, Maria Liberati
(release date -2009)
Arrostite alle Erbe (Herbed Roasted Eggplant)
copyright, 2008 Maria Liberati
1 lb of fresh eggplant
1 fresh hot red pepper
1 small handful of each of these fresh herbs-thyme,basil,marjoram
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
Pinch of salt
Wash eggplant, cut off both ends. Then slice thinly
Prepare a marinade using 1 tblsp olive oil, half of the herbs chopped finely,half of the red pepper cut into small cubes.
Place eggplant in plate and marinate with oil mixture.
Slice garlic clove in half lengthwise, in a separate bowl place remaining olive oil with sliced garlic and remaining chopped herbs, remaining hot pepper chopped into small cubes. Blend, cover bowl with plastic wrap, set aside
Heat electric grill. Grill eggplant on both sides.
Arrange eggplant slices on plate. Remove garlic from olive oil mixture and pour on top of grilled eggplant slices. Salt to taste. Serve eggplant slices on grilled slices of crusty bread.
1 lb of fresh eggplant
1 fresh hot red pepper
1 small handful of each of these fresh herbs-thyme,basil,marjoram
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
Pinch of salt
Wash eggplant, cut off both ends. Then slice thinly
Prepare a marinade using 1 tblsp olive oil, half of the herbs chopped finely,half of the red pepper cut into small cubes.
Place eggplant in plate and marinate with oil mixture.
Slice garlic clove in half lengthwise, in a separate bowl place remaining olive oil with sliced garlic and remaining chopped herbs, remaining hot pepper chopped into small cubes. Blend, cover bowl with plastic wrap, set aside
Heat electric grill. Grill eggplant on both sides.
Arrange eggplant slices on plate. Remove garlic from olive oil mixture and pour on top of grilled eggplant slices. Salt to taste. Serve eggplant slices on grilled slices of crusty bread.
Ciao for now,
Maria
For more recipes get your copy of my best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking at http://www.marialiberati.com/ at $5 off retial price and no shipping charges now.
Join our free newsletter at http://www.marialiberati.com/ and receive free recipes and a free excerpt from the book.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Women and Healthy Eating....
I was asked to day about a topic that many people alwyas ask me about- How do I think the media and women's magazines are affecting women's eating disorders..I am going t oshare some of my answers with you here..Eat healthy and you will have a wealth of health....
Even though we seem to have recognized that there is a problem with the media encouraging women and younger and younger women eating disorders and claim to be toning down magazine content and using not emaciated models,, there is still extremely mixed messages.
There is also an extreme difference between just staying healthy and eating healthy and eating to stay in shape and healthy and starving yourself to lose weight. We have grown to think that starving to lose weight is also a way to eat to stay healthy and fit. But the two have nothing in common. However, women’s’ magazines seem to play upon this- and- in one article tell us about taking the right amount of vitamins and minerals and in the next two pages may be giving us a way to lose 10 pounds in a week ( a sure way to deplete your body of vitamins and minerals). And then the next page could be a double chocolate brownie that most women will eat and then feel guilty. The worst part is that most will eat a miniscule amount of calories the next day to punish themselves for eating that brownie. .
However, what the magazines need to do is to connect these topics in a healthy way. For instance if you eat in moderation you can have a small piece of double chocolate brownie and still stay healthy and happy and in shape. You won’t feel so deprived that you are going to gobble down the first chocolate brownie that comes your way.
We should not be made to feel guilty for eating that small piece of brownie. So even though there are stories about losing weight and then a heavy recipe in the same issue, they are still sending mixed messages.
We are definitely sending the wrong message and trying to provide a quick panacea that will sell magazines. But there is never a quick fix without repercussions. Losing a lot of weight in short periods of time is a sure way to make you unhealthy.
I have noticed some magazines like Prevention using ‘real looking models’ in their recent issues-that is refreshing!
People need to get in touch with food and learn about it and not abuse it. We need more articles on how to ‘know’ food and not just dump a bunch of ingredients in a bowl or open up a vacuum sealed pack and call that a meal.
Many European countries are trying to spread positive messages to young women. In Spain, they banned overly thin models from participating in Fashion Week.
In Italy, eating disorders are a growing problem, they are organizing initiatives to promote healthy eating .One recent program during fashion week in Milan was a cook off with fashion models presenting cooking classes of gourmet Italian foods. The press is trying to begin to send messages to the public to equate food with staying healthy and eating healthy.
If you want any more on this topic just send me an email, I would love to hearthoughts and ideaso nthis topic form all of you out there. You can email me at maria@marialiberati.com
Modeling and living in Europe for some time led to my interest and studying of nutrition and the culinary arts. I got caught up in the unhealthy eating practices so common in the modeling industry and was not feeling so healthy. At the same time I was also learning the real Itlain way fo eating . Spending some time in Italy while modeling there I began to also study the culinary arts and eventually coupled that with my education in nutrition. I then began to eat healthy, stay active, eat more than what I was normally eating but I was not gaining weight and feeling better. It is the Mediterranean diet..all things in moderation…pasta, freshly made cheese, fresh breads, fish, fruits, nuts, veggies, olive oil, wine and an occasional gelato. I could not believe that I was actually eating the most luscious food in the world and still eating healthy, staying fit and not gaining weight.
Ciao for now..Maria
http://www.marialiberati.com/
http://www.marialiberati.com.blog2/
http://mliberati.diaryland.com/
Even though we seem to have recognized that there is a problem with the media encouraging women and younger and younger women eating disorders and claim to be toning down magazine content and using not emaciated models,, there is still extremely mixed messages.
There is also an extreme difference between just staying healthy and eating healthy and eating to stay in shape and healthy and starving yourself to lose weight. We have grown to think that starving to lose weight is also a way to eat to stay healthy and fit. But the two have nothing in common. However, women’s’ magazines seem to play upon this- and- in one article tell us about taking the right amount of vitamins and minerals and in the next two pages may be giving us a way to lose 10 pounds in a week ( a sure way to deplete your body of vitamins and minerals). And then the next page could be a double chocolate brownie that most women will eat and then feel guilty. The worst part is that most will eat a miniscule amount of calories the next day to punish themselves for eating that brownie. .
However, what the magazines need to do is to connect these topics in a healthy way. For instance if you eat in moderation you can have a small piece of double chocolate brownie and still stay healthy and happy and in shape. You won’t feel so deprived that you are going to gobble down the first chocolate brownie that comes your way.
We should not be made to feel guilty for eating that small piece of brownie. So even though there are stories about losing weight and then a heavy recipe in the same issue, they are still sending mixed messages.
We are definitely sending the wrong message and trying to provide a quick panacea that will sell magazines. But there is never a quick fix without repercussions. Losing a lot of weight in short periods of time is a sure way to make you unhealthy.
I have noticed some magazines like Prevention using ‘real looking models’ in their recent issues-that is refreshing!
People need to get in touch with food and learn about it and not abuse it. We need more articles on how to ‘know’ food and not just dump a bunch of ingredients in a bowl or open up a vacuum sealed pack and call that a meal.
Many European countries are trying to spread positive messages to young women. In Spain, they banned overly thin models from participating in Fashion Week.
In Italy, eating disorders are a growing problem, they are organizing initiatives to promote healthy eating .One recent program during fashion week in Milan was a cook off with fashion models presenting cooking classes of gourmet Italian foods. The press is trying to begin to send messages to the public to equate food with staying healthy and eating healthy.
If you want any more on this topic just send me an email, I would love to hearthoughts and ideaso nthis topic form all of you out there. You can email me at maria@marialiberati.com
Modeling and living in Europe for some time led to my interest and studying of nutrition and the culinary arts. I got caught up in the unhealthy eating practices so common in the modeling industry and was not feeling so healthy. At the same time I was also learning the real Itlain way fo eating . Spending some time in Italy while modeling there I began to also study the culinary arts and eventually coupled that with my education in nutrition. I then began to eat healthy, stay active, eat more than what I was normally eating but I was not gaining weight and feeling better. It is the Mediterranean diet..all things in moderation…pasta, freshly made cheese, fresh breads, fish, fruits, nuts, veggies, olive oil, wine and an occasional gelato. I could not believe that I was actually eating the most luscious food in the world and still eating healthy, staying fit and not gaining weight.
Ciao for now..Maria
http://www.marialiberati.com/
http://www.marialiberati.com.blog2/
http://mliberati.diaryland.com/
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