Friday Snack Review

Okay kids, it’s time for the Friday Snack Review. In keeping with my recent theme, these are all snacks that are “healthy.” What I mean to say is that they're better for you than a sack of Ruffles and a vat of French onion dip.

I’ll start with my top rated selection, which surprisingly is a Safeway brand snack. The Eating Right potato crisps (pictured above) are crunchy and addictive. And you can eat 28 crisps for only 110 calories (15 fat cal)! The tastiest flavor is the Cheddar, which tastes like crunchy bits of cheddar cheese left in the toaster oven too long; the Salsa and BBQ are just so-so.


Next are the Terra chips that come in many flavors and varieties. You have probably noticed their sweet potato chips or colorful veggie chips. I recommend trying the Garlic Mashed Yukon Gold potato chips that taste like, well, garlic mashed potatoes. I just sampled the Bloody Mary Red Bliss crinkles and they're good, but I wouldn't think to name them after the beverage on a blind tasting. But seriously, garlic mashed. Mmmm.

Back to cheese, one of my favorite snacks will always be the cheesy poof. Most normal people I’m sure have found themselves unintentionally polishing off an entire bag before dinner, or maybe in place of dinner. These little white cheddar nuggets made by Pirate's Booty won’t leave your fingers orange, but they’ll satisfy your craving.

Garden Veggie straws are one of those things you get at Costco that one might refer to as an impulse buy. But really, if you are a habitual snacker, this isn't a bad thing. They're cheap, the bag is huge, and you can eat a bunch of them and not feel guilty. Special points for being in a fun shape, and not just another boring "crisp." Makes 'em taste even better.

My least favorite, at least in the healthy snack category, were the baked Kettle chips. The Kettle brand chips are typically one of my favorites, the spicy Thai and the salt and pepper are amazing. But the baked just leave me a little…still in need of sodium and grease; or at least they could do a better job tricking me into thinking I was consuming something naughty. They’re just…good for you—in a potato chip sort of way.

An ode to Trader Joe's

Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Video by Carl's Fine Films.

Love it or hate it?

I really had no idea that cilantro was such a controversial herb until last week when I came across an article about the masses of people who absolutely hate — not just dislike — cilantro. I for one, think cilantro is amazing, which is why I have a ton of little seedlings started for my garden. But apparently there are people in this world who are repulsed enough to start Facebook groups expressing their disdain. One such person mentioned in the article actually returned his take-out burrito after getting home and discovering that there was cilantro in it. By return, I mean, drove 20 miles back to the restaurant to get another one and created a huge fuss. Really? Isn’t that like returning your pizza because you found oregano in the sauce? What a nitwit. I mean, it’s one thing if you specifically asked for them not to put it in there, but were you really that surprised when cilantro showed up in your Mexican food? Jerk. I once found a rock (more like a small pebble) in my burrito and I was almost too lazy to take it back, and it was only 2 miles away. Maybe I just lacked the proper motivation. And don’t just think I’m biased ‘cause I happen to like the green stuff. I hate fish sauce more than just about anything in the world (except for maybe people who pass on the right), but when I go to a Korean restaurant, I don’t demand that they bring me a dish of fish-free kimchi.

And on that note, I leave you with this haiku by Brady Burgess of San Francisco, a fellow cilantro lover:

crisp cilantro sprig
trendy garnish refreshes
why peeps be hatin’

For real.

I feel red

It seems that lately red velvet cake is showing up on a lot of food blogs I’ve been coming across, mainly in the form of cupcakes, but also sometimes in the form of cookies (possible purist debate waiting to take place). Having a terrible weakness for cupcakes, and being a displaced Southerner with an innate affinity for red food coloring, I finally broke down and demanded that Beta Wife make some for me. “Wife,” I said, “get in the kitchen and make me some cupcakes.”

If anyone can make red velvet cake, it’s a sweet tea drinkin’ Southerner. Though I call Chapel Hill, NC my hometown, it’s mostly because that’s the place where I’ve lived the longest. My family, however, has no Southern traditions, unless you count eating grits at the Waffle House. Beta Wife on the other hand, is a born and raised North Carolinian, who can use her southern drawl to charm the pants off a snake. On a phone call to the Beta mother unit in NC, BW asked for the “family recipe,” and was directed to Southern Living; it’s the go-to reference for irresistible "country" cooking. Two bottles of red food coloring later, I was presented with a batch of cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting. After a few drinks, and a few cupcakes in place of dinner, I couldn’t help but feeling a little, uh…red. That’s the only way I can describe this particular cupcake overdose. I can’t remember how many I ate, but I can tell you it was way too many. Of course that didn’t stop me from having one for breakfast this morning. I still a feel a little red from that one, too.

For the baker in your house, this red velvet recipe can be found here: Southern Living, November 1996.

The Wife’s super creamy, cream cheese frosting recipe is below, and I highly recommend it.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz American Neufchâtel cheese*
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 to 2/3 cup powdered sugar

Blend Neufchâtel with vanilla and sifted powdered sugar to taste. This version makes a creamier, less sweetened frosting that is very rich.

*Neufchâtel (American style) makes a tangy, and slightly healthier substitution for cream cheese. It’s good on bagels too.

"Fast Food" that's good for you...well at least it's not that bad

There’s a place in Berkeley called Amanda’s that works the “healthy” fast food angle. They have a simple clean space, with large open tables, and they sell (mostly organic) burgers, fries, salads, and house made sodas. I love the idea of a healthier version of some of my favorite, fat-laden take-out indulgences, because really, who doesn’t love a double cheeseburger and fries from the dollar menu at you-know-where. My only complaint is that I think Amanda’s could take their idea farther—once you get past a few items on the menu, really, it gets a little boring. My favorite was the cheeseburger, topped with a sauce not unlike what you might find on a Big Mac; but those fries…such a disappointment.

So, of course, the new challenge was to make healthy “fast food” at home—something so good that I would crave it for days. My particular weakness for hotdogs made the base of the meal an easy choice, but the main attraction would be the fries. I cooked up a batch of sweet potato fries that were both spicy and sweet, and them finished off with a tangy sour cream dipping sauce. Oh, and they’re good for you too. Get ready for 500% of your daily vitamin A intake.

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

3 large sweet potatoes (I used two different types, for more texture and flavor)
1 Tbsp sugar
2-3 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp black pepper
Canola or vegetable oil spray

1. Preheat oven to 500°. Make dipping sauce (recipe below.)
2. Peel sweet potatoes, and cut into thick slices or wedges.
3. Place potatoes in a large bowl with plenty of extra room, then spray with canola oil with the intention of coating all the little wedges.
4. Mix sugar through black pepper in a small bowl.
5. Toss mixture with potatoes until well coated.
6. Spray a baking pan with the cooking oil and place the fries in a single layer on the pan. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, then flip the fries, and bake for 10 more.

Sour Cream Dipping Sauce

5 oz sour cream
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
pinch of salt

1. Combine first 3 ingredients and mix until smooth.
2. Add chopped cilantro and salt, then chill for about 30 minutes.

The Dog

I used Hebrew National hotdogs because they have the best flavor and they’re not a totally sketchy meat product. Of course that’s coming from someone who occasionally enjoys a piece spam or some canned corned beef hash, so really, who am I to have processed meat standards. Anyway, in addition to their regular tasty franks, Hebrew now makes a reduced fat and 97% fat free version. Now, typically I would say, a fat free hot dog, WTF? But Beta Wife demanded that we at least give the reduced fat dogs a try, and as is sometimes the case, she happened to be right. I can’t tell the difference between the regular and reduced fat version. (I can’t speak for the 97% hotdog, and I hope it stays that way.)

I topped the hotdogs with leftover veggie chili and served them up with the sweet potato fries. Leftover coleslaw makes a darn good topping for them as well. I only wish I had them both leftover at the same time. And for extra calorie savings, don’t get those thick, heavy hotdog buns. They have almost twice the calories of a normal bun—remember the bread is just a vehicle for the hotdog.

Belated Burrata

really, it was.

Saturday was Valentine’s Day, and this was originally supposed to be my V-Day post. I had a clever title all lined up that went something like this: This year get her something she’ll love—get her cheese. But in keeping with my usual bad habit of procrastination, this is now my post-Valentine’s Day post. So for those of you who thought it was okay not to buy flowers because of the recession, or thought it might be super romantic to pick up some lingerie at Wal-Mart, I have just the thing to get you out of trouble.

The road from the proverbial dog-house back into good graces is paved with creamy, gooey mozzarella. Trust me. And really, what could be more romantic than a hard-to-find Italian specialty? Burrata, a relatively new addition to the cheese world, is a divine combination of mozzarella wrapped around little strands of cream-soaked mozzarella. The result is a ball of some of the most amazing cheese known to man—it definitely rates in my top 5 cheeses. And needless to say, it’s a party in your mouth.

This cheese, in my opinion, was best described by Corby Kummer, who wrote an article about burrata for the Atlantic in December:
The first bite of burrata, with its unexpected, slow viscous, creamy goosh, produces fugue-like states. I recently watched a friend take one bite of a softball-size burrata and look up a short time later, unaware that he had finished the whole thing. I had seen it before. I had done it before.

Burrata can be a little tricky to find, in part because the flavor and quality deteriorate rapidly. This cheese is at its peak when it’s fresh. Though I’d read about it, I hadn’t sought it out until an email from Farmstead Cheese and Wines in Alameda, advertising their special holiday shipment of the cheese, which they say typically sells out by midday on Fridays (they only usually get it in for the weekend.) But if you decide to pick up a little bundle of creamy goodness, you might as well get two or three. Because after the first bite, you’ll wonder what happened to the rest of it.

Mixology Monday: The Bailout

after a few of these, your prospects will look brighter

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but we happen to be in the middle of this thing called a recession. For most of us, this means tightening our purse strings and worrying about job security. Most importantly, it makes us take a look at our spending and determine just how much money is necessary for our alcohol budget, a topic that could easily lead to a heated family discussion. The most obvious answer, it seems, is to be more frugal in our liquor purchases; or at least get rid of one of the cats.

A few months ago I mentioned that I’d finally found a gin I could drink without fear of a shortened life span. I’d like to thank Plymouth for being a gateway spirit—without it I would never have had the courage to buy a bottle of gin costing less than 10 dollars…Wait, wait—hold on a sec. I can explain. My general rule of thumb is that there is no such thing as good, cheap gin. In fact, it was a rare occasion that I’d let someone at the bar actually order the “well” gin. I could almost always talk them up to Tanqueray, and if not, well, they deserved to be punished. But recently while browsing the Trader Joe’s liquor section (small, yet well selected), a bottle caught my eye. Sporting a red and white label similar to the Beefeater branding (my standby selection), Rear Admiral Joseph’s London Dry Gin will only set you back $7.99. I don’t even buy my vodka that cheap. The purchase was originally made in part for the novelty of it and out of curiosity, but also because I needed a not-too-fancy-gin to put in my Singapore Sling.

I tasted it both mixed and plain, and though I wouldn’t make a classic martini with it, I was pleasantly surprised by its quality. Therefore it was only fitting I work it into this month’s Mixology Monday, hosted by Rowley’s Whiskey Forge. The theme: Hard Drinks for Hard Times. This simple cocktail (good for brunch purposes too) uses Trader Joe’s eight dollar gin, anise-flavored liquor, and fresh ingredients that — depending on your location — can cost you little or nothing.

The Bailout

2 oz Rear Admiral Joseph’s London Dry Gin
1 oz fresh grapefruit juice
1 oz fresh orange juice
dash of simple syrup (optional)
Herbsaint (optional)

Add gin, juice, and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice. Stir until proper dilution is reached. Rinse a chilled glass with Herbsaint, discarding remaining liquid. Garnish with a citrus twist.

*If you live in a citrus growing area, it’s possible you already have grapefruit and oranges hanging out in your backyard. If not, your neighbor probably does, so go and ask them if you can pick some fruit. Most likely they’ll say yes. If you live in a non-citrus growing area, well, there’s always the Food Lion.

You Gotta Keep ‘em Separated

As this is the last day of SF Beer Week, and seeing as I have been too lazy to participate in any of the official events, let me leave you with this parting thought: Beer does not belong in mixed drinks. Yes, I realize that this is just my personal opinion, and that there really is no right or wrong way to enjoy your beer…wait, what am I saying? Of course there’s a wrong way to drink a beer. Honestly, I think people who go around throwing beer and lemonade together have some serious judgment issues, despite the fact that this opinion calls into question my Austrian heritage.

The concoction that caught my attention most recently was the Shandy. There I was one evening, flipping through the pages of the Bartending Guide to Great American Writers, when I came across the recipe. Ginger beer and a brewskie, really? Some things just aren’t meant to be together. (See below for an approved list of items to add to ginger beer.) Then to make matters worse, I was flipping through this month’s issue of Food & Wine, and there was that pesky Shandy once again, gussied up a little with lemon slices and a few sprigs of mint. As a beer purist, I say no to this drink making such a casual comeback in the US. And just so you know your enemy, here’s what to look for:

The Shandy Gaff

(for intelligence purposes only)

8oz beer or ale
8oz ginger beer, chilled

Add ingredients together in a chilled beer mug, pouring the beer first, then the ginger beer.

Since Interpol clearly has done nothing to thwart the thriving popularity of beer mixing, I expect you to recognize it by a few of its many names: in the U.K. of course, the Shandy; in Germany the most common is the Radler (beer and lemonade/soda); and in France, it’s called the panaché (beer or ale and French style lemonade). Though I see no end in sight to this decades-long trend, you can still do your part. Resist.

*If you need to doctor your ginger beer, try: lime, Irish whiskey, bitters, dark rum, or spiced rum — but please, not beer.

The Watermelon Radish

looks like an alien spore from Halo to me

Well you’ll never guess what I got in this week's CSA box—radishes. I wasn’t surprised really, just sort of resigned. Then I saw a giant head of cabbage and started to feel better. At least I had all the fixins’ for some more coleslaw. On the way home I started feeling a little guilty about all my anger-feelings toward those little radishes and thought I should try to make it up to them somehow. So here it is: their 2 minutes of fame, a moment in the spotlight. Behold the glory of the watermelon radish.

The watermelon radish is an heirloom variety of the daikon family, and gets its name for obvious reasons. Supposedly it's coloring intensifies with the addition of a little vinegar, which might come in handy the next time you're throwing together a veggie tray and want to impress your friends. It’s a root vegetable related to the horseradish and turnip family, and it’s intensity decreases as it matures, so get around to eating them sooner than later. And if you’re looking for something extra special to do with your radish supply, check out what the mixologists at Felicia’s Atomic Lounge have come up with in NY. A radish cocktail? Yep, they did it. So there you have it, I said 2 minutes, not 15. Don’t look so disappointed.

Fun Fact:
The Japanese word daikon literally means “large root."

The Ultimate Beer Snack

In honor of SF Beer Week, I’m making it my mission to drink as much local beer as possible (while pushing it on others) and accompanying it with tasty, beer-enhancing snacks. This weekend Beta Wife and I made a drool-worthy batch of homemade soft pretzels, and we paired their salty, buttery goodness with a tasty IPA…from a can.

More Beers in More Places

Last week I was specifically looking for a canned beer, because I think you should drink at least one during the Super Bowl. I found that the 21st Amendment released an IPA, as well as a Watermelon Wheat that I haven’t been brave enough to sample yet, in everyone’s favorite packaging, the aluminum can. The IPA really exceeded my expectations; with its hoppy, full flavor, I think it can change anyone’s mind about canned beer. Even Beta Wife heartily approved, and she doesn’t even like IPAs. If you try it and love it, check out the 21st Amendment brewpub located in SF, and try some of their tasty pub grub (the bacon cheeseburger and Cuban sammich are my favorites.)

Chewy, Salty… Soft Pretzels
adapted—mostly by Beta Wife, but with some important contributions from Alpha Cook—from the Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book

4 cups all purpose flour
1 envelope dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
1-½ cups milk
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp salt (for boiling water)
tap water for boiling
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp butter
Lots of kosher salt (for sprinkling)

1. Add 1-½ cups of the flour and yeast to a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan combine the milk, sugar, oil, and tsp salt, and heat until warm (120º to 130º). Then add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix with an electric mixer on low/medium for about 30 seconds, scraping the side of the bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can with a wooden spoon.

2. Let the dough rest a minute while you grease a large bowl with cooking oil. Then move the dough onto a lightly floured surface. If you’re not used to making bread by hand, make sure the surface is sturdy; kneading dough is easier when your base isn’t moving. Knead in the remaining flour until you have a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball. Place the dough in the greased mixing bowl, turning once to cover the top of the ball. Cover with a (clean) dish towel and let rise in a warm place. In about 1 hour the dough should roughly double in size. If you poke it with a couple of fingers and the indentions remain, it has risen enough.

3. Now for the funnest [sic] part. You get to punch the dough. Hard. (I mean, literally, you punch the dough, people. No joke.) Then place the dough back on a lightly floured surface, punch it down (fold it a few times and press it down; almost kneading it for a minute), and let it rest for 10 minutes. Grease baking pans or line them with parchment paper, then set aside.

4. Pre-heat oven to 475º and start bringing a large pot of water to boil with 2 Tbsp salt added. You only need enough water to keep the pretzels floating, so add water until just shy of half full.

5. Roll dough into to a 12x10 inch rectangle, then cut into roughly twenty 12 x ½ inch strips. Take the strips and work them into a longer rope by gently pulling them until they reach about 16 inches, or until you have enough to work with.

6. Shape into pretzels, as shown by my helpful photos, and place the pretzels on the baking sheets. Bake for 4 minutes, remove from oven and begin boiling in batches of about 4 at a time, depending on size. Total boiling time is 2 min, cooking the pretzels 1 minute on each side. Meanwhile, lower oven heat to 350º.



7. Transfer pretzels with a large slotted spatula to a drying rack, letting the water drip off. Return to baking pans. If you used parchment paper, there’s no need for a fresh sheet, just use them again.

8. Beat the egg white together with the 1 Tbsp of water. Brush the pretzels with the mixture and lightly (or in our case, heavily) sprinkle them with kosher salt. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until pretzels are golden brown.


9. Remove from oven. Heat 2 Tbsp butter in a small dish, brush over pretzels. Let stand just long enough so that you won’t burn your mouth. Enjoy with ice cold can of IPA.

Helpful Tips for first time pretzel makers:
1. Don’t cover the pretzels while boiling them, even if you’re having trouble keeping the water hot enough to boil. Overheating them causes them to shrivel, making them look funny and giving them a tougher, chewier (in a bad way) texture. Same goes for over boiling (no more than a minute on each side.) A slow, wimpy boil will do the trick in the end.
2. The shapes don’t have to be perfect to taste good.
3. If you have two pans in the oven at once, top and bottom, make sure to rotate them halfway through baking.
4. Get someone to do the manual labor for you, like all that pesky kneading, and measuring things. Boring. Just show up for the fun parts like punching the dough, shaping the pretzels, and tasting things.

Helpful Tips for first time beer drinkers:
Ha. Just kidding.

SF Beer Week

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Today is the start of SF Beer Week (Feb 6-15), for those of you who didn’t already know. Events will be taking place all over the Bay Area, so check out one in your neighborhood. For you motivated treasure hunters, there’s an ongoing scavenger hunt with clues located at various brewpubs and bars throughout the city. Stop in, drink local beer, piece together the puzzle wearing beer goggles. Check out the details at http://www.sfbeerweek.org. Not that you needed an excuse to drink good beer.

Winter Veggies, Enough Already

I know it's still winter but...

It’s that time of the season when I’m starting to get a little spring fever. In hardiness zones 9-11, the sun is getting sunnier, the weather is just warm enough to wear short sleeves during the day, and I’m tired of those goddamn radishes showing up in my CSA boxes. I swear if I see one more bundle of kale I’m going to run out and stomp on somebody’s raised vegetable garden. It’s not even that I harbor any serious ill will towards all those hearty winter greens, but there comes a point when I’m ready to see a zucchini or maybe even a tomato, and spring just seems to be taunting me. This has forced me to get a little craftier in my cooking lately—or as I like to think of it, my culinary creative stimulus package. The upshot: a big comforting meal leaning heavy on Southern, home-cooking that heats up the kitchen in the evening, but still feels light and summery. Enter: sweet tea, no lemon.

Oven Fried Chicken Drumsticks

I tweaked a Cooking Light recipe for oven fried chicken so it tastes even more like the real thing, with just a hint of spice. Some butter is involved here, but overall it’s a fairly healthy recipe.

4-5 chicken legs, skin removed
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg white
2 Tbsp Franks buffalo wing sauce
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup panko
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp butter
Canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Mix together buttermilk, egg white, and hot sauce in one bowl, and the dry ingredients and spices in another.
3. Dredge the chicken legs in the buttermilk mixture and coat them thoroughly with the panko mixture.
4. Heat an oven-safe pan over medium heat, melting the butter. Fry the drumsticks about three minutes on each side, or until browned.
5. Spray pan lightly with canola oil (chicken and all) and stick it in the oven. (If you don’t have an oven-safe pan, transfer the chicken to an oiled baking sheet, still remembering to turn it once during cooking.) Bake chicken about 30 minutes, or until juices run clear. (or test with a meat thermometer) Turn midway through cooking to ensure even browning.

Buttermilk Mashed Root Veggies

Turnips can make your regular mashed potatoes heartier and more complex. We used buttermilk and sour cream to thicken it up even more, and giving the veggie mash a rich, tangy flavor.

4 medium white potatoes
2-3 golden turnips (or 1 bunch white turnips)*
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp butter
salt

1. Boil potatoes whole with skins left on for about 25-30 minutes. Add turnips to boiling water and cook (with the potatoes) another 15 minutes, or until turnips are tender.
2. Drain, and peel potatoes if so inclined.
3. Heat up the milk and butter just enough to warm.
4. Put root veggies in large bowl & add milk, butter, sour cream & buttermilk. Use a hand mixer to mash until the desired consistency is reached, adding salt to taste.

*For a lighter, silkier mash, use white turnips. They usually come in a bunch, and only take about 10 minutes to cook.

Coleslaw

This is the best coleslaw you will ever have, seriously.

1 medium Savoy* cabbage, shredded
2 medium Watermelon radishes, finely chopped
¼ cup onion, minced
2/3 cup light mayonnaise
½ cup milk
2 oz heavy cream
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar (or rice vinegar)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp celery salt

1. Shred or finely chop cabbage, add radishes and onion. Toss well.
2. In a separate bowl add mayo through celery salt and whisk until all ingredients are well integrated and smooth.
3. Add to cabbage mix, toss until well coated. Let stand for at least 1 hour.

*Savoy is a lighter cabbage with crinkled leaves that is so easy to chop it practically shreds itself. It’s more flavorful than green cabbage, and has a nice crunchy texture when eaten raw.

Creamed Greens

1 bunch spinach
1 bunch kale or other hearty green*
½ cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
2-3 oz cream cheese (or Neufchatel)
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp kosher salt
olive oil for sautéing

1. Wash and rough chop the greens, and set aside, keeping the spinach separate.
2. Using an extra large frying pan, sauté the onion and garlic about 6 minutes, or until tender.
3. Add kale/greens and cook until almost tender (they should turn a bright green when ready), then add spinach and sauté until wilted.
4. Add butter and cream cheese, let soften/melt, and then add to food processor.
5. Throw in kosher salt and pulse until finely chopped, scraping sides if necessary.

*Winter greens such as kale and mustard green are slightly tougher than some of their other counterparts, and require a slightly longer cooking time to soften up. In this recipe, I only remove the largest center stalks from the greens, because the entire mixture is going to be zapped in the food processor.