Sunday, December 5, 2010

Holiday Cookies with Fruit (kids cooking)



Holiday Cookies with Fruit
contribution by Grandma Chef

Ingredients: 
  • 1 stick of salted/unsalted butter
  • 1 cup of regular sugar of your choice (click here to select a healthy/safe sugar)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (clear one)
  • 1 organic egg
  • 3 cups of flour
  • Fruit/jelly of your choice: cranberry, strawberry, blueberry, mango, peach etc.
Procedure:

In a mixer, by hand or blender add butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, egg blend well.  Now add flour mixer little by little.  Once done make medium balls and place them on the oven tray.  With your thumb, press down making a small hole in the middle of the cookie dough or make slightly small holes with a straw and add the fruit/jelly. Place in the oven 350 degrees F until done.






Sunday, October 3, 2010

Sautéed Broccoli Rabe

Broccoli was developed in Italy and is well established as one of the major anti-cancer foods. Over the past 20 years, numerous studies have concluded again and again that people who eat an abundance of broccoli have fewer cancers of the colon, breast, cervix, lungs, prostate, esophagus, larynx, and bladder. Broccoli contains indoles, which can help inactivate harmful estrogen that can promote the growth of tumors, sulforaphane, which stimulates cells to produce cancer-fighting enzymes, and beta-carotene, another cancer fighter.


Sautéed Broccoli Rabe
from Mike's Deli & Arthur Ave. Cafe

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound broccoli rabe, tough stems trimmed away
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 to 5 garlic cloves
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:

Heat a large pot of water over high heat and prepare a large bowl of ice water for shocking.

Cut the broccoli rabe into 3-inch lengths. Blanch it in the boiling water for about 1 minute.  Remove and shock it for 1 minute in ice water to set the color. Remove and drain. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Sauté the garlic cloves until deep brown on all sides, being careful not to burn them, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Add the broccoli rabe to the pan.  Sauté for about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and serve drizzled with additional olive oil.

Recipe From "The Arthur Avenue Cookbook: Recipes and Memories from the Real Little Italy"

Arthur Avenue winds its way through the heart of the Bronx. Known to many as the "real Little Italy," the storied Arthur Avenue neighborhood has been home to a vibrant community of Italian-Americans for over a hundred years. Today, this area continues to thrive as visitors and residents stop to buy a fresh, crusty loaf of bread; to enjoy a meal at Mario's Restaurant; to dawdle for a while at Randazzo's raw bar on a warm summer afternoon; or to hear Mike's Deli owner Michele Greco belt out an aria from Rigoletto and spellbind his customers with tales of the Avenue's past.


About the Author:
Ann Volkwein is a food and lifestyle writer in New York City. Currently the features manager for AOL CityGuide, she holds a certificate from the Institute for Culinary Education and formerly worked as a culinary producer for the Food Network. She is a frequent contributor to Gotham magazine and a contributing editor for Explorers Journal. Her previous books include New York's 50 Best Places to Have Brunch and, coauthored with Luiz Ratto, The Healthy Table.