I would like to start the New Year with my first newsletter. I have so many things I want to write and share with you, and I hope to make my newsletters as interesting as possible. My plan for this year is to put out as much information as I can regarding the foods we eat, books of interest, kitchen gadgets, recipes, learning about ingredients, cooking techniques and many others. I also would like to feature ethnic cuisines from around the world. I am a die-hard foodie/cook who just loves to try and experiment with different cuisine. After all, I live to eat, and let me tell you I sure do that well!

My love for food and experimenting with food started when I was a child growing up in Malaysia. My parents, particularly my father, is always experimenting different recipes. Mind you, not all of them were good but he taught us to expand our horizons through food, philosophy, and living life itself. My mom on the other hand is a great cook. I don’t think any culinary school can teach me as much as I have learned from my mom as well as my grandmother and aunts. Their attention to detail, organization, and knack of knowing what spices and seasonings to use were great learning tools. My mom taught me to use my senses to taste and learn to improvise on my own.  All these were the perfect environment for me to develop my own culinary skills. With my father’s philosophy in life and my mother’s perpetual need for perfection to achieve that one great dish, I have learned to expand my taste buds beyond what I traditionally grew up eating at home and try to perfect the dish as ethnically possible. I love learning about people’s cultural background as that ties in with their family, their memories of growing up, eating foods they enjoy together as a family. Food to me is the glue that binds all families together. Food represents more than just three meals a day. It’s what we grew up with; the happy memories sitting around the kitchen table sharing a meal with friends and family; a time to share good, happy, and sad events together with loved ones. Food is what comforts our soul. It is what brings people together. Food is a way of life for me.

With that said, I hope to inspire you to cook, enjoy the beautiful, bountiful produce that this earth has to offer, eat well, stay healthy, and enjoy life to the fullest. After all, we only live once…..

I am sure many of you are trying to go on a diet or start a new diet. I am not much of a diet fanatic, but I do tend to cut back just a tad once the new year rolls around. Majority of us crave something starchy with the weather getting colder as starchy foods are comforting. It feels you up and makes you feel good all over. It is okay to have carbohydrates but we have to be sensible. Complex carbohydrates, which are present in high-fiber vegetables, fruits, grains, and cereals are best for us. Nevertheless do follow a balance diet of all the food groups represented in the food pyramid. Forgot what and how a food pyramid looks like? Go to this website to learn more about the food pyramid: www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/index.html.Oh another thing, get as much exercise as you can. It helps us to stay healthy, lose weight faster, and feel good about ourselves in the long run.

Recipe of the Month

I have included a couple of recipes that might be of interest. They may sound fancy, but in actuality, the ingredients can be commonly found in our grocery stores. Hopefully these recipes will inspire you to always buy as fresh possible. I think in our crazy fast-paced life, we tend to find the quickest way to do everything and that includes the foods we eat. As canned products are easily available we tend to go to the canned food aisles or ready-prepared food aisles before even going to the fresh produce section. As convenient as this may be, in the long run we end up paying the price in the form of our health. The nutritional value is lacking in these ready-prepared meals and canned products. It is time we start taking better care of ourselves by nourishing our bodies with foods that are as close to nature as possible. The time it takes to prepare something fresh is not much longer than opening a can of whatever. We may end up taking maybe two more extra steps to prepare fresh foods, but it is so worth it. Fresh produce should be in the forefront of our food intake and canned products should be the last substitute if fresh products are not available. So keep in mind, eat fresh produce daily. If the particular fresh product is not available, go for frozen next, such as frozen peas, broccoli, etc. The vegetables are flash frozen the moment they are harvested and therefore majority of the nutrients are maintained.

Chopped Salad with Chicken, Couscous, and Vegetables

1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1 cup low fat or fat-free mayonnaise
1 shallot, halved
1 cup low fat or fat-free buttermilk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/3 cup dried currants
1/3 cup pine nuts

1 10-ounce package plain couscous, cooked according to package instructions (about 5 cups)
3 cups coarsely chopped arugula or baby spinach
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
2 grilled chicken breast halves, diced
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears)

Method

1.      Toast pine nuts in a medium skillet on medium-low heat until pine nuts turn golden brown, about 3-5 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Remove from heat and cool.

2.      Blend basil leaves, mayonnaise, and shallot in processor until smooth. Gradually blend in buttermilk and lemon juice. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

3.      Mix Asiago cheese, currants, and pine nuts in medium bowl.

4.      In a big salad bowl, mix together the couscous, tomatoes, chicken, corn, Asiago cheese mixture, and chopped arugula (or baby spinach). Pour dressing over mixture and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

This next recipe is taken from Cooking Light Magazine.

Baked Goat Cheese and Roasted Winter Squash over Garlicky Fettuccine

6 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled kabocha or butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (4-ounce) packages goat cheese
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 pound uncooked fettuccine
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Rosemary sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 425°.

1.      Place squash and bell pepper in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil; toss well. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and black pepper. Bake at 425° for 40 minutes, stirring once.

2.      Place goat cheese in freezer 10 minutes. Cut cheese crosswise into 8 equal rounds. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Dredge each round in breadcrumbs; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 6 minutes.

3.        Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Return pasta to pan; add reserved pasta cooking water, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, red pepper, and garlic, tossing to coat. Place 1 1/4 cups pasta in each of 8 shallow bowls; top each serving with about 1/2 cup squash mixture and 1 goat cheese round. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

Makes  8 servings

What In the World Is That?

Have you ever come across a recipe when an ingredient sounds alien to you? Well let me help you solve your dilemma. Each newsletter, I will touch upon ingredients that may be foreign to some of you. If there is a particular ingredient that you have no inkling about and need to find out right away, please feel free to e-mail me at chefmei@nc.rr.com. In this newsletter, I would like to touch on a grain called couscous as called for in the above recipe Chopped Salad with Chicken, Couscous, and Vegetables. Some of you may be familiar with couscous and some of you may not.

So what is couscous? Couscous is traditionally made from the hard part of the hard wheat Triticum durum, the part of the grain that resisted the grinding of the relatively primitive millstone. The name is also used for prepared dishes made from other grains, such as barley, millet, sorghum, rice, or maize. It is a staple in many North African countries and widely used in Middle Eastern countries. Couscous has become very popular in American dishes. You can find couscous in many stores here in America that is packed pre-steamed and dried. In its original form, couscous would need to be steamed at least two to three times to get the right texture and consistency. Couscous is a very versatile grain. In the Middle East and North African countries, couscous is usually cooked under meat or vegetable dishes. Couscous is also served as a dessert, sweetened with almonds, cinnamon, and sugar. Here in America, couscous is served as a salad mixed with chickpeas or garbanzo beans, olives, green salads, and just about anyway you can imagine a salad to be made. It is also served as an accompaniment to a main course, such as a rice dish would be served, and last but not least couscous is also served together with the main dish mixed with the meat and vegetable dishes as can be found in many Moroccan dishes.

So the next time you are planning to make dinner and would like to substitute rice or potatoes for something else, try couscous. It is very easy to make (follow instructions on the back of the box) and quick (only five minutes to cook).

Gadgets Galore

Another topic that I would like to mention in this newsletter is gadgets. I love all sorts of gadgets, especially kitchen gadgets. Throughout the month I will mention some of my favorite gadgets to use and some new or funky gadgets out there in the market. Again, some of you may be familiar with certain gadgets, more so than others. If there is a particular gadget that you want to learn more about, feel free to e-mail me.  I will do my best to answer your questions. This issue, I would like to star the Microplane grater. What is a Microplane grater?

Microplane is actually the brand name. It is one of my favorite tools to use. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Some are made specifically for grating cheeses, spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon; chocolate, vegetables and many other things. The one above does a great job in grating hard cheeses, ginger, citrus peels, and I love to use it to grate nutmeg. You can find this grater online and I think even at Linens and Things. I am an online shopper, and therefore majority of the gadgets I buy are online. Nevertheless, you can find some of the products that I will be mentioning in the future locally too. I do not personally endorse the use of one product from another. They are just gadgets that I prefer to use, not saying that they are better than any others out there.

Tip For The Month

My tip for this month is storing mushrooms. Whenever you buy fresh mushrooms and do not use them all up, store the balance in a brown paper bag and place them in the vegetable bin in your refrigerator. This will prolong the shelf life of the mushroom a little longer. The brown bag will prevent condensation and the mushrooms from turning mushy fast.

February Newsletter

Do you know the difference between sauté and stir fry? Do you know the difference between chop and dice? What in the world is mesclun? To find out these answers, make sure you check out the next newsletter along with other interesting tidbits.

Upcoming Events

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. To wow your special someone, why not give her a gift of a personal chef service. Let her feel pampered by giving her the time to spend on other things instead of slaving in the kitchen over a hot stove. Not only will she not have to cook for several days, there is no need to plan meals, grocery shopping, and cooking or kitchen cleanup. All she has to do is come home, pull out her favorite meal and enjoy.  If a romantic meal for two is what you have in mind, let Taste of Home Personal Chef Service help you set the mood to start your evening. Cooking classes are also available if your loved one is interested in expanding her culinary skills. Whatever it may be, Chef Mei is here to help make your culinary experience a pleasant and memorable one.

In the meantime, eat well, stay healthy, and enjoy life to the fullest.