Herbes de Provence

Herbes de Provence or Provencal herbs is a mixture of dried herbs from Provence invented in the 1970's. The mixture typical contains savory, fennel, basil, thyme and lavender flowers and other herbs. Some cooks maintain that lavender is an essential ingredient of true herbes de provence. The proportion vary by manufacturer. Thyme usually dominates the taste produced by the herb mixture. This herb combination captures the flavors of the sunny South of France.

Herbes de Provence are used to flavour grilled foods such as fish and meat, as well as vegetable stews. The mixture can be added to foods before or during cooking or mixed with cooking oil prior to cooking so as to infuse the flavour into the cooked food. They are rarely added after cooking is complete. Herbes de Provence are often sold in a larer bags than othe herbs, and the price is Provence is considerably lower than other herbs.

Provencal cuisine has traditionally used many herbs, which were often characterized collectively as 'herbes de Provence', but not in standard combinations, and not sold as a mixture. It was in 1970's that standard mixtures were formulated by spice wholesalers, including notably Ducros in France now part of McCormick & Company. (Source: Wikipedia)

HERBES DE PROVENCE
INGREDIENTS:
3 Tablespoon Oregano
3 Tablespoon Thyme
3 Tablespoon Savory
2 teaspoon Lavender
1 teaspoon Basil
1 teaspoon Sage
1 teaspoon Rosemary

Food Friday - Edamame

I always buy a pack of organic edamame for snack. It is fully cooked and ready to eat. I just microwave it for a couple of minutes before serving. My little tot also loves eating it. Eating is fun when I let him squeeze the soybeans into his mouth with his fingers. And sometimes I just squeeze the soybeans out of the pod in his bowl and he picks them.

Edamame is a green vegetable more commonly known as a soybean, harvested at the peak of ripening right before it reaches the "hardening" time. The word Edamame means "Beans on Branches," and it grows in clusters on bushy branches. To retain the freshness and its natural flavor, it is parboiled and quick-frozen. In East Asia, the soybean has been used for over two thousand years as a major source of protein. Edamame is consumed as a snack, a vegetable dish, used in soups or processed into sweets. As a snack, the pods are lightly boiled in salted water, and then the seeds are squeezed directly from the pods into the mouth with the fingers.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
(per 100 gms of Edible Portion)
CALORIES - 125.0
PROTEIN - 12.1
CARBOHYDRATES - 13.1
FAT - 3.6
ASH - 1.7
CALCIUM - 9.3
PHOSPHORUS - 180.0
IRON - 2.7
SODIUM - 5.0
VITAMIN A - 130.0
VITAMIN U1 - 0.31
VITAMIN C - 40.0

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Iron Rich Foods for Iron Deficiency Anemia

I've got iron deficiency so aside from taking iron supplements and multi-vitamin, I also watch my diet in such a way that it should include food rich in iron. My mom used to cook a lot of liver dish for me as it is an excellent source of iron.

Absorption of iron from food is influenced by multiple factors. One important factor being the form of the iron. Heme Iron, found in animal sources, is highly available for absorption. Non-heme iron on the other hand, found in vegetable sources, is less available. Here are a list of iron rich foods.


IRON RICH FOODS CONTAINING HEME IRON:
Excellent Sources:
1. Clams
2. Pork Liver
3. Oysters
4. Chicken Liver
5. Mussels
6. Beef Liver
Good Sources:
1. Beef
2. Shrimp
3. Sardines
4. Turkey

IRON RICH FOOD CONTAINING NON-HEME IRON
Excellent Sources:
1. Enriched breakfast cereal
2. Cooked beans and lentils
3. Pumpkin seeds
4. Blackstrap molasses
Good Sources:
1. Canned beans
2. Baked potato with skin
3. Enriched pasta
4. Canned asparagus

WARNING: Pregnant women should not eat liver because of its very high Vitamin A content. Large amounts of Vitamin A can be harmful to the baby.

The absorption of Non-heme iron can be improved when a source of heme iron is consumed in the same meal. In addition, the iron abosorption-enhancing foods can also increase the absorption of non-heme iron. While some food items can enhance iron absorption, some can inhibit or interfere iron absorption. Avoid eating them with the iron-rich foods to maximize iron absorption.

IRON ABSORPTION ENHANCERS:
1. Meat/fish/poultry
2. Fruits - orange, orange juice, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapefruit, etc.
3. Vegetables - broccoli, brussels sprouts, tomato, tomato juice, potato, green and red peppers
4. White wine

IRON ABSORPTION INHIBITORS:
1. Red wine, coffee and tea
2. Vegetables - spinach, chard, beet greens, rhubarb and sweet potato
3. whole grains and bran
4. soy products

Ham & Potato Casserole

I like easy dishes that I can prepare in advance and this is one of them. For a stay-at-home mom like myself, it is always impossible to do anything in the kitchen continuously especially when my little tot is awake. So I prepared this Ham and Potato Casserole while my son was napping; kept it in the fridge and just popped it in the oven just before dinner.

HAM & POTATO CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb left-over ham, cubed
3-4 thinly sliced, peeled potato, parboiled
1 cup shredded carrots
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp chopped onions
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 Tbsp melted margarine
1/8 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Place half of the potato and half of the carrots in a Pam-sprayed 2 quarts casserole dish.
2. Combine ham, soup, half of cheese, milk, onions and pepper. Pour half of the mixture over the potatoes and carrots. Repeat layers.
3. Combine crumbs, remaining cheese and melted margarine. Sprinkle over the casserole.
4. Bake until heated through approximately 45 minutes.

KITCHEN TIP #7:
PARBOIL means to cook partially by boiling for a brief period.
The length of time in parboiling potatoes really depends on the size
but the rule of thumb is:
5-6 minutes for small potatoes;
6-7 minutes for medium potatoes;
and 8-9 minutes for large potatoes.

Wordless Wednesday - Lemon Tart

LEMON TART

Whenever we dine out, I never get hold of the dessert menu at all. I don't usually have room for it anymore because American servings are usually humongous. But in China Pearl, a Chinese resto that we frequent almost every week for their delicious dimsum, I always get the chance to have a dessert or two. I love dimsum not only for their yummy taste but also for their small servings so I don't over-indulge (yeah right! if I can help it that is;-)) The last time we were there, I had this yummy Lemon Tart.

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Walnut Melts Cookies

Here's another easy and quick cookie recipe that I want to share with you all. I got this recipe from Razzle Dazzle few years ago and it has become one of my favorite cookies to make since then. In fact I bake this often since hb and I find it a perfect pair with our afternoon green tea or black English tea. The recipe calls for 4 oz. of butter and 4 oz. of margarine, but I just used 2 sticks of unsalted butter and the cookies turned out great too.

WALNUT MELTS COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:
2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioner sugar
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped finely (I run the walnuts in a chopper)

1/2 cup confectioner sugar (to toss the warm cookies with once baked)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the oven to 350 deg. F. Cover cookie sheets with baking parchment and set aside.
2. Blend the butter with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer at the slowest speed. Add the vanilla and 1/2 cup of the confectioners sugar, beating until combined.
3. Mix the flour and salt. Gradually add the flour to the creamed mixture and beat it until a soft dough forms. Add the walnuts and stir until incorporated.
4. With your hands, form the dough into 1-inch balls and place them two inches apart on parchment-lined pans.

5. Press each ball slightly in the center. They will flatten as they bake.
6. Bake until cookies are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss the warm cookies in the other 1/2 confectioners sugar.

YIELD:
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Wordless Wednesday - Cactus Blossom

CACTUS BLOSSOM

This is the appetizer we had on Valentine's Day at Texas Roadshow. A Texas-sized onion, hand-battered, golden fried and served with special Cajun Horseradish Sauce. Really crunchy and tasty.

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Kitchen Sink Cookies

I'm a sucker for easy and healthy recipe. This is an interesting cookie recipe I got from one of my fave Food TV Network stars, Ellie Krieger. I'm not sure why it is called Kitchen Sink Cookies, probably because it is so easy to make, very basic and you can really mix everything by hand. I love the recipes of Ellie Krieger because they're very healthy and the portion is just enough so you won't indulge.

KITCHEN SINK COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsps unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsps canola oil
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup lightly toasted walnuts
2 ounces dark chocolate, cut into chunks
Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. Combine butter, oil and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, stopping occasionally to scrape down bowl, until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add applesauce, egg white and vanilla and mix to combine. Add flour, oatmeal, salt and cinnamon and mix just until just combined. Add cherries, apricots, walnuts and chocolate and mix to combine.
3. Spray 1 baking sheet with cooking spray. Using 1 tablespoon cookie dough at a time, roll into balls and place 2-inches apart on baking sheet. Press cookies down with the palm of your hand to flatten slightly, as cookies will not spread as much as cookies with more butter.
4. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned but still soft. Remove from oven and cool on racks.