Food TV

You know, one of my very favorite appetizers is Spinach and Artichoke dip. It’s a good way to get some veggies into your diet, and darn tasty with tortilla chips. The problem is, most Spinach and Artichoke dips are filled with cheeses and mayonaise to a point where the benefits of the greens are completely obscured by the fats that surround them. Well Ellie Kreiger has helped us with this creating a dip that is still delicious, but much better for you. She has replaced the huge amounts of mayo and cream cheese that most of the recipes require with reduced fat sour cream and reduced fat cream cheese, with a mere 2 tablespoons of mayo (which I bet you could replace with light mayo to give it that little extra kick of goodness…) Add in just a half cup of part skim mozzerella cheese and you have a delightful appetizer sure to satisfy that craving for the (yummy) bad spinach and artichoke dip you find at your favorite local restaurant.

Now, as I said, my favorite way to eat spinach & artichoke dip is with tortilla chips, but why ruin something that we have finally made in a healthful way with deep fried chips? Why not leave the oven on from the dip and crank out some of your own baked tortilla chips? It’s easier than it sounds, and YOU get to control the quality of ingredients. It also works out to be a lot less expensive, as a single bag of tortilla chips can cost up to $5, and you can get 3 dozen corn tortillas for about half that price. Personally I would replace the vegetable oil called for in the recipe from food network kitchens with healthier canola oil. Make these both for a party, or take them to a pot luck, and you will have something your friends will be talking about for a very long time…

Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip Copyright 2007 Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved.
Show: Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger
Episode: Get the Party Started

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 cloves garlic
1 (9-ounce) package artichoke hearts, defrosted, rinsed and dried
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, excess liquid squeezed out.
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup (4 ounces) Neufchatel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese)
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until onions are light golden but not browned. Remove from heat and cool.

In the bowl of a food processor combine artichoke hearts, spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, Neufchatel, mozzarella and salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Add cooled onion-garlic mixture to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
Transfer mixture into an 8-inch glass square baking dish or 9-inch glass pie plate which has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve with pita wedges or crudites.

Nutrition Information
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving Calories 100
Total Fat 7g Saturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6g
Cholesterol 13mg Sodium 211mg
Protein 4g Carbohydrates 5g
Fiber 2g

Baked Tortilla Chips From Food Network Kitchens

Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas (preferably white)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Fine salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Brush both sides of the tortillas with the oil. Stack the tortillas and cut the pile into sixths to make chips. Spread the chips out in a single layer on two large baking sheets and season with salt. Bake until golden brown and crisp, rotating the baking sheets once, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve.

Copyright 2001 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

p.s. Why don’t you go see what’s up in the world of Country Music?

I know it’s been a week since I posted, but I am back now, with the renewed vigor of one who thought they were on the verge of death only to be granted a last minute reprieve. That being said, todays blog is not specifically about AB, rather it is about a wonderful community of people known as the Briners over at the Good Eats Fan Page. When I published my interview with Nic Skrade of Uptown Tattoo, I got introduced to this wonderful community. What I found in the forums was a group of very close friends, almost family. They laugh together, cry together, and support each other at the hard times in their lives. They are young and old; Christian and Pagan (and probably any other faith you can think of…); Republican and Democrat… They are as diverse a group I have found online. And I love them.

This Christmas, I had only been a part of the group a short time, when I found that they have a fun gift exchange with each other over the holiday season. According to Shawn Banks, the site moderator and organizer of the gift exchange, the purpose behind it is “a fun way for foodies to get at least ONE foodie gift, put together with them in mind, and lots of love”. And that is exactly what it is. While I did not fit the criteria of being a member of the board for at least 6 months or 100 posts, I was still allowed to participate. I appreciated the confidence and trust put into me even though I had just joined their group. What I found out, is that while trust is a key issue in a group gift exchange with what amounts to a bunch of strangers across the country, it is not wholeheartedly relied on. Unfortunately in the world, some people are out to get something for nothing. And sometimes life happens, and what was intended as a gesture of goodwill is no longer possible. Knowing this, ChefShawn instituted what is known as the “gypped fund”. This is to cover a secret santa gift for those that are screwed out of the gift that they deserve, having given one of their own. Everyone who joins the gift exchange is encouraged (but not required) to give a gift of $3 to go towards this fund. Before the gypped fund was instituted there were several volunteer secret santas to cover those that did not recieve their gifts, simply out of the holiday spirit…

Of course, all hope is that the fund will not be needed for the purpose intended. And so, it was decided that the money would go to a worthy cause if it were not needed for Briners whose Santa’s abandoned them. Where to send the money you ask? Why to Alton Brown’s charity of choice, of course!!! Heifer International, dedicated to helping underprivleged families in rural areas and third world countries, by providing them with livestock and the knowledge of how to care for it and use it to feed their families. Each donation to Heifer International comes to families in the form of cattle, pigs, goats, etc… It worked. Last year the Briners were able to donate one animal to the cause. This year, however, there was a different spark to the group. This year, several Briners said that they would be a replacement santa to those who did not receive the gifts that they were promised. The reason for this, was that they would donate another set of wonderful and amazing gifts to someone, simply so that the fund was not touched. Because of the goodness of the hearts of these people, and the generosity of one who has said that they would double whatever was donated by the group as a whole, the Briners are going to donate an amazing $1200 to Heifer International this year. It seems that they will be able to donate a cow, a pig, and several chicks, “and then some” according to ChefShawn.

I am proud to be a member of this group!!! Kudos to all the members of the Good Eats Fan Page, and Kudos to Alton Brown for inspiring his fans to donate their hard earned money to such a worthy cause!!!!

Although originally aired in July 02, this is the very first time I have seen this entertaining hour long episode of Good Eats. All I can say is, WOOHOO!!! I loved every second of it. From the comical reference to Gilligans Island, and the way the crew was trying NOT to wake him up, to the fun “disposal” of his coconut friend Coco, (in a man made oven… insert evil laugh here…).

The episode starts with AB writing in a journal by candle light, how he became trapped on this deserted island, and what foods he made to survive the ordeal. Writing out the recipes so that they might one day be included in survival packs. How very noble of him… The scene shifts to the accident that left him stranded in the first place, as well as him landing on the beach. In desperate search of something to drink he wanders inland. Without his glasses, finding something to drink may be difficult, but then he crashes face first into a coconut palm. After a long and difficulttime of trying to get the hard outer shell off the coconut, he stumbles onto a box left by the army. Amongst other various and sundry supplies he finds a hand grenade. With a gleam in his eye he looks back at the errant coconut… Several seconds and one loud boom later, we see the singed outer husk of the coconut, and the interior falling to the ground. And then we get the instructions to drill into 2 of the three “eyeholes” and drink. And a little bit of interesting history. Coconut milk is so pure that is was used as an intravenous nourishment solution in WWII soldiers. Weird…

What follows next is (mostly) typical Good Eats, but in a “hovel” rather than a kitchen. Recipe after recipe for coconut dishes, followed by papayas, mangoes, and eventually pineapples. He even made his own chocolate from cacao pods that were growing there too. Strangely, mangoes and cacao do not naturally grow in the same areas, and AB takes note of this fact, but is grateful to have found the mangoes nonetheless. And I, for one, have to say that I am really pleased at the section that teaches how to peel and cut a mango, as I once spent a good half hour, and got my hands very sticky, and very nearly lost a finger, trying to make a mango smoothie from scratch. In the banana grove, AB runs into a wild pig, and gets chased up a tree, (that is in fact how he discovered the papayas). Finally, craving a protien rather than seafood, he uses a final hand grenade to dispatch of said pig and makes a lovely sweet and sour pork. I shuddered a bit when he started the sweet & sour sauce with ketchup, but in the end it looked awesome!!!!!

After what is protrayed to be months and months on the island, AB steps out of the hovel to find a man with a surfboard. He is thrilled and throws himself at the man with enthusiasm, grateful beyond words to be rescued. The man looks at him with confusion and eventually tells him that they are on the island of Oahu, just outside of Waikiki… Silly Alton!

All in all, I really enjoyed Down & Out in Paradise, and wish that there would be more hour long episodes of the wonderful show that is… GOOD EATS.

Good day all, and until next time, why don’t you go see if anything’s up at the Hogwarts Herald…

Welcome to 2008!!! I’d like to start the new year off right, with a fantastic post, and a really tasty recipe!!! Now this recipe is supposed to me a “Monster Snack” according to Rachael Ray, but I think it looks like a good option for a dinner as well. Also her recipe calls for ciabatta or focaccia bread, but I think if I wanted to make this a bit lighter, more “figure friendly” I would probably make it with a pita bread instead. And then it would mimic a closed calzone as well. I think my favorite thing about this recipe all together is that spinach and artichole are my absolute favorite things to have on a calzone in the first place, but if I order it from a restaurant it’s always about $8 for the calzone itself, and like $2 extra for each topping. With this easy and tasty recipe I can make calzones for my whole family for about the same price as one would be from my favorite little italian joint. And I can control the quality and portion of the ingredients. Maybe I don’t feel like spinach tonight… How about broccoli instead? Don’t like a lot of ricotta? Well that’s ok too!!! mmmm… I think I know what’s for dinner tonight!!!

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