Wholesome Whole Grains

As a category whole grains has been growing steadily over the past few years, so it’s not surprising that whole grains appeared in a wide variety of products including breads, tortillas, cereals, cookies, cakes, grain mixtures or blends, pastas and flours.  I was particularly tuned in to ancient grains as I was doing some research in that area, but I didn’t have to look hard, there was quinoa,  einkhorn pasta and sorghum  — the sorghum cookies were delicious too and had amazing texture – you’d never know they didn’t contain wheat.

Gluten-Free Everything

Gluten free went from being a few exhibitors to a gluten-free aisle to now, a gluten-free pavilion.  Products have moved up as well from cakes, cookies and crackers to pasta, pizza with a rice flour crust, veggie burgers, gluten-free energy bars and more.  There was even a gluten-free deli (boasting all gluten-free deli meats).

 Less Sugar

Though “low sugar” and “no added sugar” continue to be big buzz words in the industry, driving a number of products, especially fruit and fruit juices, it was the number of sweeteners, artificial and natural that surprised me.  Here are just a few of the many: high fructose corn syrup, (their message was simple: High fructose corn syrup is the same as sugar), honey in the raw, pure agave, Domino Light (a sugar and stevia blend), Truvia, Sweet n’ Low and new comers Nectress, a no calorie sweetener made from Monk Fruit and Coconut Sugar, a less sweet sugar made from the nectar of the coconut flower.

Bars, Bars and More Bars

This year nut and fruit bars ruled.  Many had specialized product lines like those targeted to children or active adults.  Gluten-free bars were big and there were also bars that boasted organic or high protein ingredients.  Among the many offerings were Kind bars, Paleo bars, SoyJoy bars, Lara bars and a huge exhibit of Cliff bars and Luna bars.  Just a note, this last one was also one of the busiest booths.

 Drinks Galore

Beverages made a big splash and were often featured with different types of sweeteners.  Other interesting finds: Silk Coconut Milk, Silk Fruit and Protein, New and Improved Ovaltine, Welch’s White Light Grape Juice, Corowise Heart Smart Orange Juice with Plant Sterols, Keurig’s Antioxidant Rich Green Tea and SmartBalance Milk with Omega-3’s and Plant Sterols.

Vegetables Every Which Way

Vegetables appeared in a variety of guises. Some of my favorites were Swedish meatballs made with 50 percent mushrooms and 50 percent ground turkey, avocado berry smoothies and Frescada, a cross between a romaine and an ice berg lettuce.

Reduced Sodium

Most of the lower sodium products centered around breads and baked snacks like chips but the one that stood out for me was the Tortilla Factories’ low-calorie, low-sodium wraps.

Individual Serving Sizes

Anything that can help people choose appropriate portion sizes is good news. Individual sized frozen meals, oatmeal, cottage cheese, even lite cream cheese containers control calorie levels and help consumers get an idea of how much they should be consuming as a meal or snack.  These products are easy to use, convenient and portable, not to mention affordable.  What more could you want?    

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Sweet n Sour Beef Buns with Sauerkraut

Recipe Redux:  Fermented Foods

 Sweet n Sour Beef Buns with Sauerkraut 

I have to admit this month’s recipe redux, “fermented foods” was a hard one for me.  Although I’m a big fan of kimchi, yogurt, vinegar, wine and beer, I’ve never made them before, nor have I known many people who have. And, while the article in Saveur on preserving by fermenting foods was enlighting and inspiring I knew I just wasn’t going to have the time to do it. So instead I opted for using one of my favorite fermented foods sauerkraut.

Most of my sauerkraut experiences were from a can, consequently it wasn’t one of my top picks tasting tinny and well, sour, until a few years ago. It was then I happened to have the good luck to stumble unpon a farmer who had some overactive cabbage plants, resulting in some delicious homemade sauerkraut. I had, never had fresh sauerkraut before the the difference was quite amazing.  I was hooked.  The best part about it however, was the fact that kept in its brine and placed in the back of the refrigerator this mild-tasting, fresh sauerkraut could actually last a year or more.  Good-bye can!

This recipe is a take on Asian Pork Buns except instead of the sweet pork filling, I created one inspired by German origins with dill or sweet pickles (another fermented product) sauerkraut, mushrooms coriander, nutmeg and worcestershire.  The mushrooms and sauerkraut keep the meat moist, so when you bite into them they are like little juicy pockets of meat. I’d probably up the spices a bit more, but I kept them mild for my family.

Sweet n Sour Beef Buns with Sauerkraut

The dough is easy to handle and easy to make. Since it uses baking powder instead of yeast it can be ready in just 10 minutes.

Makes 12 buns

Ingredients:

Filling:

2 tsp olive oil

½ pound lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

3 large cremini mushrooms chopped (about 1 cup)

1 garlic clove

1 large dill or sweet pickle spear or 1 small pickle

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp hot Hungarian paprika

1 TB Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup sauerkraut, drained

Pinch nutmeg

2 TB all-purpose flour

½ cup water

Dough:

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 TB baking powder

½ tsp sea salt

3 TB honey

2 TB olive oil

1 1/3 cup water

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 F. Make filling first. Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Add ground beef and sautee over medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from pan. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms, sautee about 5 to 10 minutes until onions are soft and translucent. Mix in pickle, spices, sauerkraut and Worcestershire sauce.  Mix and cook for another minute or so. Then stir in flour, let cook for a minute and add water until mixture begins to thicken, cook another 2 or 3 minutes, set aside in bowl to cool.

While mixture is cooling, make dough by whisking flour with baking powder and salt. Then in separate bowl mix honey, olive oil and water until blended. Pour into flour mixture and form into dough.  Knead for about five minutes until smooth and elastic. Then let rest for 5 minutes. Roll out into a 12 by 16 rectangle and cut into 4-inch squares.  Top each square with ¼ cup beef filling. Fold up corners of the edges, place on stone or baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.

Optional:  before baking brush the tops of the rolls with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

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1. Pay Attention to Your Diet

            EAT MORE:

• Foods high in complex carbohydrates like whole grains, beans, peas and lentils
• High fiber vegetables & fruits (mainly apples, pears and berries, leafy greens, vegetables), I would recommend being heavy on the vegetables here. 
• Lean protein like fish (particularly those fish high in omega-3 fatty acids), chicken, eggs and lean beef and pork.
• Good Fats – monounsaturated fats like olive oil, avocado, nuts and peanuts

            AVOID THE BELLY BLOATERS – foods that make you gain weight

• Simple sugars like soft drinks, coffee drinks, energy drinks and sweets like  doughnuts, cookies, cupcakes, pastries  (often paired with fats)
• Refined carbohydrates like white pasta, white bread, white rice – eat too much and less nutrients than whole counterparts. Research shows that people who eat a diet high in refined carbs typically have larger waistlines. Processed foods like frozen dinners, are usually high in refined starches and salt.
• Salty foods – salt retains water, salty foods generally fall into the category of snack foods, potato chips, corn chips but also includes prepared breaded and fried items, fast food and convenience foods like rotisserie chicken, deli meats and burritos.

If I had to pick one thing for you to remember it would be this:

            Don’t Overeat and Don’t Skip Meals – This sets you up for belly fat and eating too many calories even good calories can add up. As a general rule you don’t want to eat more than 400 or 500 calories at a sitting.

2.   Don’t Stress

3.   Get Enough Sleep  - 7 to 8 hours a night

Both stress and sleep affect what we eat and how much we eat.

Stress leads to overeating or undereating and poor food choices. It  raises cortisol level which enhance our desire for high calorie, high fat foods and promotes storage of belly fat.

Sleep –  also leads to overeating and poor food choices – think pizza, fast food.  In addition it upsets our hormonal balance, increasing the hormone gherlin (known as the hunger hormone) and decreases the hormone leptin. Leptin tells us when we’re full, gherlin tells us to eat.  Gherlin, not only makes us eat more but also reduces our energy expenditure and promotes belly fat.  People who don’t get enough sleep often eat more — as much as 30 to 40 percent more — throughout the next day because of high levels of gherlin.

4.  Move It!

When it comes to physical activity aerobic activity is particularly important because it burns fat. You need to get those those arms and legs moving and your heart rate up with brisk walking, biking, swimming, running.  Ideally two hours of aerobic activity a week is enough to burn belly fat. This can be 3 40-minutes sessions a week, 4 30-minutes a day or 6 20- minute sessions a week.

To build  core muscles, which helps slim down your stomach and look lean, you need to include some core and strength training.  This type of exercise is good for posture, relieves and prevents back problems and improves balance. Yoga, pilates and core exercises like sit-ups and planks are good for this type of workout. There are five really good core exercises (with photos) listed in the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Belly Fat Weight Loss.  All it takes is 10 to 20 minutes a night.

Later in the season will come the more hardy vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and sweet potatoes. In the way of dairy, cheese and eggs, you can still find fresh eggs, fresh meat and fresh cheese, but production is slowing. A chicken’s egg-laying capacity is based on the amount of sunlight in the day, so as the days get shorter egg-laying decreases, still most chickens won’t stop laying until November or so (again depending on where you live). And since fresh cheeses will be turned into wonderful aged cheddars, blues, fetas, Gouda, and dozens of other styles of hard or semi-soft cheeses you still have a wealth of choices.

Want to find out more about Eating Local? Enter to win a copy of my book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local at myhalakitchen.

Watermelon cucumber tomato salad

Beat the Heat with “No Cook” Meals!

After being away from Recipe Redux for the last two months because of a book project —  my book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the TLC Diet is due out in January 2013 – I am glad to be back.  There’s nothing like working 24-7 for a while to make you appreciate the little things and the big things in life like family, friends and going out.

When I saw the theme for this month’s Redux “No Cook” Meals I immediately thought watermelon.  I met Stephanie from the National Watermelon Board at Eat Write Retreat a few months ago and was so impressed with the watermelon I ate there and brought home, I developed a watermelon recipe for my book right on the spot – Watermelon Feta Salad. It was fabulous!

I also recently participated in a watermelon chat with the NutritionTwins and surprisingly won this adorable watermelon cutting board. Love it!

watermelon cutting board

Now with my CSA and farmers’ markets in full swing my fridge is bursting with cucumbers, zucchini and tomatoes, I knew I had to use them and I had to act fast – cucumbers don’t last long. I put together this salad in just a few minutes with everything I had on hand and it is amazing if I don’t say so myself and perfect for the unbearable hot weather we’ve been having in the East. 

The watermelon satisfies my cravings for sweet-and-savory, the pumpkin seeds add crunch along with the cucumber and the mixed greens make it a complete meal.  If you want you can salt the cucumber for 30 minutes and then rinse,  to remove some of the liquid but I didn’t.  I also had it for lunch the next day – the extra liquid just makes more salad dressing (you can drain it if you like).  This salad also would be great topped with avocado, but I didn’t have any at the time. 

Here it is and be sure and check out all the other recipe redux’ers below:

Watermelon, Cucumber Tomato Salad

Watermelon-cucumber-tomato salad

I included avocado in the recipe, though it’s not in the photo.  With a smooth, creamy texture it adds more color, flavor and texture.

About 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups diced cucumber, peeled and seeded (about 1 medium)
2 cups diced seedless watermelon (about 10 oz)
2 cups diced tomato (about 2 medium tomatoes)
1 cup loosely packed parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, finely chopped
1 TB chopped green onion, green part
½ avocado diced (optional)
1 TB plus 1 tsp unsalted pumpkin seeds

8 cups mixed salad greens

1/8 tsp sea salt
Black pepper to taste

 Dressing:

½ lemon juice and zest (about 1 TB juice and 1 tsp zest)
1 TB white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
2 tsp olive oil

In large bowl toss together cucumber, watermelon, tomato, parsley, basil and green onion. In small separate bowl whisk together dressing ingredients (you can also mix this right into the salad if you want). Pour into salad and toss. Top with pumpkin seeds, avocado and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. (Don’t skimp on the salt it makes the salad pop!).

Serve on top of salad greens. Enjoy!

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Amber waves of grain

What better way to celebrate July and this country’s birthday than with one if it’s most famous crops: wheat.  Wheat the main ingredient of bread, the staff of life, not to mention pasta, biscuits, cakes, muffins, pastry, pie dough, pizza dough and many, many other foods. Americans love wheat.

I was lucky enough to be invited to be on a Wheat Safari with more than two dozen other nutrition bloggers and communicators to learn about wheat last month and see how it is transformed from a tiny kernel in the fields of Kansas to the loaf of bread we know it as. It was an amazing experience and I will not look at this whole grain the same way.  Yes, wheat is a whole grain.

Me in a field of wheat - Dorothy would be proud

In the supermarket there are two types: whole wheat white or whole wheat flour. The best way to think about these flours is like a red apple and a green apple. Both apples are similar nutritionally and used in the same way, yet their taste and their performance in the kitchen is a little different.  The same holds true for whole wheat white and whole wheat regular. While there are slight nutritional differences and they do have different tastes – white is milder and less “wheaty” or bitter tasting, they are still the same – a whole grain.

Aside from tasting fabulous breads, cookies and salads, here are a few other interesting tidbits I learned:

• The higher the protein the more liquid the flour will absorb. Consequently when switching from all-purpose flour to whole wheat you need to increase the liquid or decrease the flour.
• Most people don’t knead their dough enough when making pizza, bread or rolls.  Takes about 8 to 10 minutes of punching to get a smooth, supple, elastic dough .
  

  Kneaded whole wheat dough resting - smooth as silk

• After dough has risen and you punch it down, let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before shaping. 
• Adding vital wheat gluten to whole wheat flour can improve the rise for breads. 
   
•  Cake flour is always bleached, not because of the color but because it changes the protein molecule in the grain and allows it to absorb more liquid and sugar, giving you a moist, tender crumb (and better cake-like texture).
•  There are six classes of wheat: hard, soft, red, white, spring and winter 
•  Whole wheat flour is often more “processed” than white.  During the milling process whole wheat is turned into white flour and then “processed” again to have the bran and germ added back in.
  

  Top row two sizes of bran and the germ. Second row various levels of flour with the bran and germ the one on the right being similar to all-purpose, pure endosperm (starch)

•  Over the years yeast has gotten more potent so a little goes a long way. Keep this in mind if you’re using old family recipes

My Mediterranean Garden

I am thrilled to be featured as Dietitian for A Day on Oldways Health through Heritage Blog on May 13^th.  Oldways is a group I have been involved with for more than a decade and was privileged to know its founder the late K. Dun Gifford.  Their mission is to encourage and support traditional sustainable food choices, particularly in the Mediterranean region.  They not only promote healthy choices but traditional ways of eating that would have otherwise been lost in our modern society.  My blog post, A Mediterranean Gardener, talks about eating a Mediterranean diet close to home – right in your own backyard in fact.  It also features a fabulous Feta Pesto recipe . . . so delicious.  Please read it and enjoy!  

Greek cheeses plus

For me the best part of the International Association of Culinary Professionals annual conference is the pre-conference tours. It is here you get a real feel for the host city and can meet some interesting people. There’s also lots of eating and drinking – that’s what we’re there for!

Of the many delicious-sounding tours at this year’s annual conference in New York City I chose the Mediterranean on the East River, hosted by Dan Shaki, our wonderful food tour guide. If you are ever looking for a good food tour of New York City or Queens (Queens has some amazing ethnic neighborhoods) look Dan up. He’s a whiz.

On this tour we were lucky enough to be joined by Maria Speck, author of Ancient Grains for Modern Meals and Anthony Sasso, chef of Mario Batali’s Casa Mono, a Spanish restaurant.

Author Maria Speck with me after the tour

Both were a wealth of knowledge. There are over 20 countries that border the Mediterranean sea, so it’s impossible to try food from them all, but we did cover quite a bit of ground: Greece, Turkey, Spain and the Middle East.

Above is a spread from our tour stop at Greece.  It came from a small store in Astoria simply called Mediterranean Foods owned by Vassilis.  The feta was made from milk from a dairy from upstate New York.  The one on the right was more traditional made with sheep’s milk, the one on the left was a bit saltier with less tang and made from cow’s milk.  The yogurt on the far left was so thick and creamy you could stand a spoon in it.  What didn’t make it in the photo was a wonderful homemade pork sausage full of fennel seed and a hint of orange zest. There were olives, Greek bread, dips like Taramosalata (fish roe dip) and cheese: Kasseri and Graviera

Below is the bounty I bought at the store:

Check out the honey from thyme and wild flowers.  The barley rusks are a traditional food that was meant to last through the winter and spring when wheat and bread was not available.  It’s a type of dried bread that has a chewy texture, when rehydrated. I’m going to use it similar to a panzanella salad when fresh tomatoes are in season.  Will keep you posted.  Finally there are the gigantes or giant Greek beans similar to Giant Limas.  Cooked in tomato sauce and garlic they are heaven!

 Here’s what we did:

First stop: The Falafel King for Shawarma and Falafel for what else? — falfafel and shawarma.  Photos are a bit slim here as the food was soooo good.  The Falafel King is the winner of the 2011 Vendy Awards and the People’s Choice Awards.

Falafel King Food Truck

Store in Greek neighborhood during Easter

 Then we went to a Spanish Social Club — by invitation only – this club is devoted to people from the Galicia region of Spain and is both a social club and dinner club.  We were lucky enough to eat there.  Heavy on the meats and seafood, but the food was superb and the Albarino wine – perfect!

The octopus melted-in-your mouth like butter.  I could eat it all day!

Casal Galicia

Tortilla de patata (potatoes and eggs)Jamon y queso

 

Pulpo a la Gallega - Octopus - like butter!

 

Camarones al ajillo - Shrimp with Garlic

Greek Dessert and Coffee

Bottom of Coffee Cup - Greek Coffee

Cheesy Mexican Polenta with Spicy Black Bean Chili

March 31 – 2012 Meet my entry for the first Recipe Redux recipe contest sponsored by Cabot Creamery with an “It’s New to You” theme. It’s absolutely delicious with a polenta grilled cheese, chewy and stringy, all crowned with a spicy black bean chili. But it wasn’t an easy road to come up with this recipe.

The first try which had a sort of corn and spelt dumpling didn’t work out and neither did the second one which ended up gummy and messy – though it tasted OK. The third time is a charm and I knew even before the first bite that this was “it” this was “right”.

The black bean chili takes a bit of prep but it’s chock full of vegetables like zucchini and carrots. I also used chipotle chili powder to give it a bit of smoky flavor. You could add adobe if you like instead. Lime zest and cilantro added in at the very end when it’s finished cooking gives it a zip and certain freshness.

Polenta is creamy yet delicate. This is my “new” foods and it is a whole grain as I made it from stone ground whole grain cornmeal, medium grind. Not all cornmeal is whole grain, but many now, are so be sure and check the label.

I love the texture but the reason why I chose it was because it doesn’t overpower the cheese. We had a choice of using Cabot’s 50 percent Reduce Fat Cheddar and 75 percent Reduced Fat Cheddar. These cheeses are wonderful and taste great, low in fat or not, but there is a difference between them. I would compare them to a good beer – the 50 percent reminded me of Stout, full-bodied, flavorful with a strong finish that filled the mouth – reminiscent of its English ancestors. The 75 percent cheddar was more delicate, yet still had that characteristic tang. It was lighter in taste, more like a pale ale. Personally I prefer the ale, so I went with the 75 percent cheddar.

You can easily make the chili the night before and then heat it up. For that matter you can also make the polenta the night before and then just bake it for 30 minutes while you’re heating up the chili. Viola! – dinner in 30 minutes.

Even if this recipe doesn’t win the contest, it’s a winner in my book!

Please note: I received free samples from Cabot Creamery of the cheese and giveaway items mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Cabot Creamery Cooperative and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Sauteed vegetables

Polenta in the Pot

Polenta ready to be baked

Cheesy Mexican Polenta with Spicy Black Bean Chili

CHEESY MEXICAN CORN POLENTA WITH SPICY BLACK BEAN CHILI
Makes 6 cups chile & 6 pieces polenta

Black Bean Chili:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced into ½-inch pieces
1 medium carrot, diced into ½-inch pieces
1 small zucchini diced, into ½-inch pieces
¼ green pepper diced into ½-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14-oz. can diced no salt added tomatoes
1 8-oz. can no salt added tomato sauce
Water
1 ½ cups black beans, (no salt added if using canned, drained and rinsed)
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime zest
Juice of ½ lime (about 1 tablespoon)

Mexican Polenta:

3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 cup whole grain cornmeal (polenta)
½ cup frozen corn thawed
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1 cup plus ¼ cup (about 4 oz) shredded Cabot 75 percent reduced fat cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium high heat, then add onion, carrot, zucchini, green pepper and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Place tomatoes and tomato sauce in 3 or 4 cup measure, add enough water to make 3 cups (probably about ½ cup). Pour tomatoes and water, beans, cumin, chili powder and salt in pot. Stir. Bring to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Take off the heat to keep warm.

While chili is cooking bring 3 cups of water to boil. Add the salt (if using) then gradually pour cornmeal in a steady stream, beating with a wire whisk as you go. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring until there are no lumps (about several minutes). Add corn and stirring. Simmer for about 20 minutes until cornmeal thickens and cooks. Remove polenta from heat and add in butter and olive oil in two additions, then mix in cilantro.

Pour ½ of cornmeal into greased (or oiled) 8 x 8 aluminum pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the shredded cheddar. Then carefully spoon rest of polenta on top to cover cheese (spread with a spoon) top with ¼ cup cheese. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Right before polenta is done, reheat the chile, bring to a simmer and mix in lime zest, juice and cilantro. Stir. Take off the heat. Slice polenta in six pieces, then slice each piece into a half wedge. Serve two wedges with 1 cup of the black bean chili. Makes 6 servings.
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Local Honey and Greek Yogurt

This month’s recipe redux was using either honey or maple syrup.  I chose honey and I knew exactly what I wanted to pair it with – thick, flavorful Greek yogurt.  This is a perfect union.  The honey is sweet and viscous and rich while the yogurt is tart and smooth and creamy. Absolute Heaven!

Yogurt, honey and apples

I have to admit I wasn’t much of a honey fan until I visited a Renaissance Fair where a bee keeper owned one of the stores.  Not only did he have more than a dozen different honeys to taste, but he also had a hive of bees in the front of the store busily making honey – the kind enclosed in glass.

Years later when researching my local book I learned to appreciate local honey.  I tend to prefer the stronger fruity kinds like blueberry rather than the lighter more floral ones like clover.  I am lucky enough to live in an area with many different types of wild flowers, thus there are many varied honeys available. I buy my honey at the local farmers’ market and here are a few tips I’ve learned.

1.  Honey never goes bad, so it can be sold all year long – even though it’s seasonal.   No honey is produced in the winter.

2. Honey darkens as it ages.  If you see a dark colored honey in the beginning the year, it’s probably last year’s honey.

3.  Honey also hardens over time. To soften the honey all you need to do is microwave it for a minute or so place it under hot running water to soften.  This is why I buy honey in a glass container rather than in plastic. The glass has no chance of melting.

This month’s my recipe is more like a method than a recipe. I decided to go for broke and bought 2% fat Greek Fage yogurt rather than my customary 0%. The taste was amazing, so much richer and luxurious – it was like going from fat free ice cream to Premium Hagen Daz!

I also wanted to mention Linwoods Flaxseed.  I love this ground flaxseed.  It comes in a variety of flavors.  The one pictured here has cocoa, dried strawberry and dried blueberry.  There is also one with pumpkin seeds and goji berry. They are absolutely delicious and not bitter at all — great in yogurts, smoothies and oatmeal.

 The recipe/method:

½ cup Greek style nonfat or 2% plain yogurt

1 hefty teaspoon honey

Mix with ¼ cup Grape Nuts or homemade granola

1 tablespoon Linwood flaxseed

Sprinkle of nuts like walnuts or almonds

And any type of fruit – here I chose apples. But strawberries are another favorite.

yogurt, honey, grape nuts, flaxseed and apples

If you want something a bit more interesting, in a food processor and chopper combine the yogurt with equal parts part-skim ricotta or low-fat cottage cheese. Then add the flaxseed and honey. Puree for about 30 seconds. Top with fruit and nuts.

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