(photo via Vanilla Swirl)
There’s no reason for a sandwich to be an after thought. Think of it as an opportunity to put together a well-balanced meal, for now or for later. Wonderfully portable, whether tucked into a lunch box or a picnic hamper, or sitting within reach on a long car ride, a sandwich can also be a quick and nutritious late-night supper.
The key to keeping it healthy is using delicious whole grain bread or a whole grain wrap and a robust filling that’s high in flavor and healthy fats. To start, spread the bread with Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, mustard, peanut butter, guacamole, hummus, tapenade, tzatziki, or baba ghannouj instead of mayonnaise, or use any of these ingredients as its own tasty layer. Add tuna, smoked salmon, sliced chicken or turkey, a bit of cheese, olives, roasted or grated, raw vegetables, sliced cucumber, lettuce, spinach and/or sprouts.
Turkey Hummus Sandwich
*Makes 2 sandwiches*
Shop for your favorite flavor of hummus as the centerpiece for this sandwich. There are many choices: artichoke and kalamata olive, roasted red pepper, horseradish, zesty lemon, and cilantro and jalapeno, among others.
Ingredients
- 2 whole grain pita breads
- 2 tablespoons hummus
- 4 thin slices turkey
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
- 1 small tomato, thinly sliced
- 2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
Preparation
- Cut each pita in half. Tuck one half inside the other and repeat, so you have a double thickness to hold the filling for 2 sandwiches.
- Spread in inside halves with a layer of hummus and fill each pocket with half of the remaining ingredients.
Recipe created for Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods Inc.
Yesterday, Oprah devoted her entire show to diabetes. She and Dr. Mehmet Oz described diabetes as “the silent killer”and noted that, beyond its physically damaging effects, diabetes costs our health system more each year, for treatment, than AIDS and all cancers combined.
We salute Oprah for making Americans more aware of this widespread public health issue, which poses a serious threat to the Latino population in America. Experts predict that nearly half of Latino children born in the year 2000 are likely to develop diabetes in their lifetimes.
Here are a few statistics cited on our Latino Nutrition Coalition website:
- About 10.2% of all Latino Americans have diabetes
- On average, Latino Americans are 1.9 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Latino whites of similar age.
- For Latinos 50 or older, about 25-30% have diabetes, either diagnosed or undiagnosed.
Type 2 Diabetes in its early stages can be treated with diet and lifestyle changes and with medications, including insulin. But complications can seriously affect quality of life.
The impact of Type 2 Diabetes on the Latino community inspired us to create the Latino Nutrition Coalition, which encourages Latinos to take positive dietary steps for lifelong health. The LNC’s bilingual website offers a wealth of resources for health professionals and for all Latinos seeking positive and practical ideas and nutritional advice.
Visit the LNC today to sign up for our weekly Sarita’s Sensations email, with recipes and suggestions for enjoying a healthy Latino lifestyle. You can also take advantage of the wealth of free resources from the LNC, such as our Latino Living Guide, 7-Day Latino Meal Plan, and our Latino Diet Pyramid, shown below.
Alison’s recent blog about Robert Del Grande’s delicious all-Wild-Yukon-River-Salmon meal in Houston reminded me of the fish-and-more fish atmosphere I found in Helsinki, when I traveled there recently to speak to the European Millers’ Association conference.
Helsinki’s Old Market Hall, shown above, opened in 1889, right next to the harbor. More than a century later, a stroll through the market gives a great overview of the local diet, all in one place. Want to come along?
While much of Helsinki mixes Scandinavia with Russia – think onion domes next to pastel stone façades – the Old Market Hall seems like a piece of British Victoriana, with its red brick exterior and beautifully crafted wooden interior.
The market stalls nearest the door show a variety of choices, more like a general grocery store than a farmer’s market. Cheeses, eggs, honey. Lingonberry, cranberry, and blueberry jams, juices and syrups. Licorice. Mushrooms. And then we turn the corner and things get fishy.
Only six million people in the world speak Finnish, and I’m definitely not one of them. That’s okay; it’s clear that all these words mean fish, in one form or another. Dried fish, smoked fish, salted fish, fileted fish, whole fish. Are there any fish left in the Baltic Sea, or are they all in the Market Hall?
Now the displays morph from fish-for-dinner to fish-for-snacking. Finns don’t tend to eat Ho-Hos and Twinkies when they’re hungry between meals – they simply reach for more fish. This booth has cocktail sauce, mustard, salt and pepper at the ready, for anyone who wants to just scarf that fish up right away.
One of the most popular snacks seems to be what husband Lew and I call “Cup O’ Fish,” shown here in the foreground. It’s just what the name implies – small whole fish, bones, head and all, fried up and served in a cup. So much healthier than walking around town with a serving of French fries – plus it fits so well in the cup-holder of your car. Note the little mini-pizzas, with fish, in the back on the left.
Finally it seems that we have made it past the fish and arrived at some yummy pastries. Is that an apricot Danish in the middle?
No! As we look closer, we realize it’s more fish, in a delicious ring of puff pastry.
It would be inaccurate to imply that the Finnish diet consists of nothing but fish, as beloved as fish is. There is in fact plenty of meat, too. (Lew was served reindeer-liver cake with melted butter on his first trip to Finland, many years ago, so I knew there was more than fish.)
Reindeer is in fact very popular still – though we couldn’t afford it at almost 60 Euros (over $100) per kilo. Luckily, the Moose Salami from the same vendor was only 6.50 € per salami, much more amenable to our budget.
We couldn’t tell by looking whether the very popular five-finger sausage sandwiches were made with reindeer, or moose, or some other meat. We started to wonder, what would a vegetarian do to survive in this beautiful country?
Finally. The only booth with fresh vegetables in the whole market. Not surprising, on reflection, since the growing season in Finland is extremely short. We were there in mid-June – and you can see that, although the fresh asparagus had finally come in, this display still leaned heavily to root vegetables and cabbage.
For me, since I’m involved with Oldways’ Whole Grains Council, no trip is complete without an overview of the local whole grains scene. Finns are heavy consumers of whole grains, with dense rye bread a favorite. We slipped into a nearby supermarket to check things out. The yellow box I’m holding below, in fact, is whole grain rye, or täysjyvä (whole grain) ruis (rye).
Back on the street, there was still no escaping the fish. Here’s a street vendor, shoveling her Cup O’ Fish into containers as fast as she can. You can’t see it here, but the line stretches down the street! Everyone wants their Cup O’ Fish.
Like my trip to Finland, traveling with Oldways is always a wonderful mix of history, culture, and food. We don’t have plans to head back to Helsinki anytime soon, but we are leading a Culinaria trip to Normandy from April 24 to May 2 this year. Check out the details here, and sign up soon – there are only a half dozen slots left. (Cindy)
As some of you may know from my overzealous tweeting last week, Team Oldways was in Houston recently with our good friends from Kwik’pak Fisheries. This was my first time visiting the great state of Texas, and I was excited to discover how fabulous Houston truly is. The buildings are new, the weather is warm (God bless it), and the food is outstanding. Plus, Houston is among the first of a handful of U.S. cities to get a taste of the sought-after Wild Yukon River Salmon, which is only being sold in limited markets. All of these reasons are why Oldways, Kwik’pak and Chef Robert Del Grande decided to host a Wild Salmon Dinner at RDG + Bar Annie. Everything is bigger in Texas, and this dinner was no exception!
We certainly didn’t waste any time getting the party going. Among the attendees were bloggers, members of the local media, RDs, and nutrition fanatics. Wild Yukon River Salmon from Alaska is tasty, sustainable and is twice as high in Omega-3 fatty acids as any other fish in the USDA database. The folks from Central Market, a grocery store in Texas that carries the salmon, were also in attendance. I personally couldn’t wait to start eating (shocking), and the appetizers did not disappoint. A crowd favorite was the Wild Yukon River Salmon Beignets with Buttermilk Sauce. I might have had one, or two, or seven.
I then accepted a temporary position as “paparazzo” and pounced upon unsuspecting invitees. No one was safe!
On the left are special guests Humphrey and Ellen Keyes, Yupik Eskimo fishermen who live in Emmonak, Alaska and catch the Wild Yukon River Salmon for a living. They were on hand to talk to the crowd about their way of life and about how important the salmon is to their livelihoods. On the right is Jeanne McKnight (President of McKnight & Co.).
I think this picture screams, “Brunettes have more fun!” From left to right: Ruth Carter (Sales Manager, Kwik’pak Fisheries), Marti Castle-Bickford, (Sales, Yukon Wild), and Kyle Potvin (Principal, Splash Communications).
I got to meet some awesome media people/food bloggers at the dinner, and I’m so thankful they came! From left to right: Sarah Rufca (Culture Map Houston), John DeMers (Radio Host, Delicious Mischief), Nishta Mehra (Blogger, Blue Jean Gourmet), and Ruthie Johnson (Blogger, Great Houston Food). I think it’s also important to note that Albert Nurick, from the wonderful blog, HTown Chowdown, makes a brief but notable cameo in the back of this picture (I told you, no one was safe).
Then it was time to eat! RDG + Bar Annie is a beautiful restaurant, as you can tell. We all had name tags and were randomly seated so we could meet more people, and each placemat included a copy of the special menu.
Show time! The first course was Cured Wild Yukon River Salmon with Creamy Avocado Dressing and Mache & Frisee Salad. This was, without a doubt, my favorite dish of the night.
Second course: Steamed Wild Yukon River Salmon in Fennel Broth with Giant Corona Beans & Black Olives. I would never think to pair salmon with olives, but they made a surprisingly perfect team.
Third course: Wood Grilled Wild Yukon River Salmon in Banana Leaves with Dark Roasted Tomato Salsa. Again, I would never think to pair salmon with banana leaves, but obviously I’m not Chef Robert Del Grande. Delicious! Sidenote: I take full responsibility for the poor quality of this picture. The salmon is usually quite photogenic. Side sidenote: Thank you Cindy for fixing it up a bit!
Last but not least, dessert! And no, it wasn’t salmon flavored. Thankfully, Chef Del Grande decided to serve Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse and Persimmon Vanilla Bean Soup. I already knew that chocolate cake and I got along, but the soup was a great new taste for me.
In between courses, Dun & Sara got up to speak about Oldways, the Oldways Traditional American Table, and our involvement with Kwik’pak and the Wild Yukon River Salmon. Delicious, nutritious and sustainable – a perfect Oldways combination. Ellen & Humphrey gave a short presentation about their life on the river, and John Foreyt from the Baylor College of Medicine spoke about the health benefits of salmon. All in all, the night was a complete success, and I want to give a shout-out to everyone who came and to all the people who made this event so special.
Dun salutes you.
xoxo,
Alison
My parents will take any excuse to travel, so it was of no surprise when they announced they were planning to come visit me for a week toward the end of my semester in Paris. My mom having already spent a few days touring the Champagne region with me a few months before, they decided to spend some time in Alsace, a small region of France on the border of Germany and Switzerland.
Alsace is largely thought of as half of Alsace-Lorraine, an imperial province during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s that switched back and forth between German and French control four times in 75 years. Thanks to the continuing influence of their German neighbors – and sometimes rulers – Alsace features a fascinating blend of the two cultures.
Strasbourg is considered the capital of the region, but we decided to spend our time in the small village of Ribeauvillé, about 50 miles south of the city. Immediately upon entering the town, the combination of German and French influence is apparent in the architecture, whose features are largely unique to Alsace because historically a great part of the region was flooded by the Rhine, and houses needed to be able to be easily deconstructed and moved.
Alsace is probably most famous for its unique wine, Riesling, a sparkling white wine that has been produced in the region since the 15th century. Alsatian Riesling varies greatly from other varieties made in other parts of Europe and the world largely due to the unique soil in the area and the preference for the French style of wine making, which favors a high alcohol content.
The Alsatian cuisine is another example of the best of both worlds, featuring a lot of pork, and including such staple dishes as tarte flambeé and choucroute, or sauerkraut. It also features Riesling not just as an accompaniment but as a key ingredient. We enjoyed several dishes with pork and chicken cooked in the dry white wine, and bought several local bottles to take back with us.
Alsace is a beautiful region of France, unique for its blending of cultural traditions, and definitely worth a visit.
- Molli
(picture via)
Last week’s edition of Fresh Fridays was all about “good fats.” Fat is an important energy source and a vitally important component of a healthy diet. There are plenty of reasons to eat foods rich in “good” fats every day. Healthy fats slow digestion, giving the body time to absorb nutrients, keeping us feeling full after we eat them, and helping with weight loss. They can lower blood pressure, enhance the body’s immune system, and reduce inflammation and the risk of heart disease. For more information, visit the Fresh Fridays section of the Mediterranean Foods Alliance website.
Eating fish several times a week can boost the healthy fats in your diet. Here’s a quick way to cook salmon, an especially rich source of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Serve with a green vegetable and rice or pasta.
Grilled Salmon with Lemon Basil
*serves 4*
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 (3-ounce) salmon fillets
- 1 teaspoon coarse (sea or kosher) salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
- Combine the lemon zest and juice, basil, shallot and olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Season the salmon fillets with the coarse salt and the cracked pepper and brush with the olive oil.
- Heat the grill to medium-high. Place the salmon on the grill and cook for several minutes, then turn and continue cooking until the fillets reach an internal temperature of 125 °F. Arrange the fillets on plates and add sauce to each.
Recipe courtesy of Kwik’Pak Yukon River Wild Salmon, adapted for the Mediterranean Foods Alliance
From May to early November my local Farmers’ Market holds forth every Saturday morning just three blocks from my house in New Hampshire. Husband Lew and I head out early, before all the good stuff is gone, and wander among the two dozen vendors, glorying in the bright colors of the vegetables, the delight of the children feeding greens to Farmer Charlie’s chickens, and the sweet tunes of the fiddler who busks for change on the edge of the crowd.
In winter, our Saturday mornings seem empty and aimless without this anchor of community and good food. So we were delighted to learn that Seacoast Eat Local was holding a Winter Farmer’s Market this week. My joy, however, was tempered with skepticism. How many farmers would be there? What could they possible sell in January besides potatoes and onions left over from last year’s harvest?
“Let’s go anyway,” said Lew. “We should show our support. We might be about the only ones there.”
Not so. We could barely elbow our way into the Exeter (NH) High School cafeteria, where the market was being held, so thick were the crowds. It was a perfect location, evocative of the arched market halls of Europe, and central to an area that supports six different farmers’ markets a week in summer.
We found plenty to buy, too, once we let go of our summer-market visions of red tomatoes, corn, and buckets of green beans. The same farmers who feature their vegetarian side all summer now showed a distinctly carnivorous bent, selling homemade sausage, stew meat, chops, and roasts. We also found goat cheese and soap, preserves, locally ground and blended coffee, and houseplants.
The first vendor near the door was our favorite egg lady, from White Gate Farm. Over the years we’ve learned that she teaches sixth grade during the week, but keeps the family farm going the rest of the time. A dozen of her best varicolored eggs went into our tote bag.
We skipped the fishmonger selling fresh oysters, and stopped to listen to the guy from Yellow House Farm tell another shopper how to cook one of his heritage ducks. A heavy covered casserole or clay pot works best, he advised, with a quick blast of high heat, uncovered, at the end to crisp the skin. As he talked, he tossed the frozen duck back and forth in his hands.
Across the way was Jeff Cantara, from New Roots Farm. Renée and Jeff managed another local farm when our son Sam was a summer intern there, but two or three years ago they were finally able to buy their own farm. They started off slowly with vegetables, and are now diversifying to include animals. “I am sooo antsy,” sighed Jeff. “It always feels so good when the season ends and you can stop working so hard. But along about January, I can’t wait to get back in the dirt.” We added a package of frozen chorizo sausage to our bag, and asked Jeff to give our best to Renée.
Next stop, Brookford Farm for their wonderful thick fresh yogurt. Two of our local stores carry this wonderful product, so we were not in full withdrawal on this one. Still, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy this week’s jar directly from the farm, so they could pocket the full amount. Luke and Caterina Mahoney met on a farm in Russia, farmed for a few years in Caterina’s native Germany, then bought Brookford Farm in Rollinsford in 2007. Like the Cantaras, the Mahoneys represent a new generation of young farmers raising kids and good food in our neck of the woods, giving us the promise of more local delicacies all the time.
“There’s lettuce,” a passing friend informed us, in a tone normally reserved for insider stock tips. Really? Actual live greens? We back-tracked in the indicated direction and picked up both lettuce and a bag of fresh spring mix from one of the few farmers with a greenhouse. Buying local doesn’t always come with a small carbon footprint if you want greens in January in New England. But we did. Here’s a photo of everything we bought (except the chorizo):
Last stop was Kellie Brook Farm, for a small package of meat for today’s beef stew. We aren’t heavy meat eaters, but just a bit of meat will add flavor to the beans, carrots, potatoes, onions and rutabagas already planned for the pot simmering on the stove today. Tim Rocha used to be a maintenance engineer at a manufacturing plant before he decided to raise chickens, pigs and cows fulltime. Our small purchase helps keep his dream alive – and gives us some high-quality, humanely-raised meat for the pot.
Lew tasted the craft-roasted coffee, with enthusiasm. I nibbled a sample of goat cheese, we met the folks doing custom granola online, and we listened to Jeff Warner, a local musician who specializes in traditional historic songs and instruments. While the smell of wet wool coats had replaced the scent of basil we’re used to at the summer markets, our Winter Farmers’ Market showed that the local food scene is alive and well throughout the coldest days of the year.
- Cindy
The semester I was abroad in Paris was during the year my mom retired after 35 years of teaching. I called her just two weeks after I left home and she was delighted when I announced that I had an unexpected little break before classes started, and asked if she’d like to use some frequent flyer miles and hop over to visit for a few days. I called on a Monday, and she was there by Wednesday!
After a couple days of showing her my newly discovered favorite places, my mom suggested we spend a few days out in champagne country, seeing the countryside and tasting some local sparkling wine. As she set out to find us a rental car and place to stay, I began researching the area, and made an unfortunate discovery: peak champagne making (and thus, tasting) season is late spring-summer. It was February. But we figured we’d go for it anyway; it would be nice to get out of the city and spend some quality mother-daughter time – and if there were no official champagne tastings, that didn’t mean we couldn’t still drink some!
Champagne is the name of a region about 100 miles northeast of Paris, where France’s sparkling wine is made. The EU actually has laws in place protecting the word “Champagne,” reserving its exclusive right to refer only to wines made within the region. All the big names in champagne today are made here: Veuve Clicquot, Mumm, Moet & Chandon, to name a few. The capital of the Champagne region is Reims, home to many of the big champagne houses, with others scattered in the smaller towns throughout the region.
My mom and I decided to stay in Epernay, a small town in the Champagne region and second only to Reims in champagne production – and home to the Moet & Chandon vineyards. As soon as we pulled into town in our little silver rental car, we were struck by how incredibly quiet it was – we couldn’t imagine coming during peak season, when the streets are clogged with tour buses.
After checking into our room in a little hotel we set off exploring, driving up and town the hills to see the different vineyards, and pulling the car over to get out and take pictures when the scenery struck us. It was absolutely beautiful!
We poked our heads into a couple tasting shops, and were able to try a few of the champagnes, as well as buy a few bottles. We also went to some wonderful antique shops, and the owner of one took some time to talk to us about the region and its champagne making. Afterwards we went back toward the center of town, where we browsed through a farmer’s market, picking up fresh fruit for later. Then we stopped into a little grocery store to buy some cheese and bread, and went back to our hotel for a delightful meal of French bread, cheese, fruit, and champagne – I could eat that every day!
I would highly recommend visiting the Champagne region during the off-season, unless you desperately want to taste a certain brand of champagne and are concerned about their seasonal hours. The area is calm and quiet, and provides a wonderful diversion from the busyness of Paris. Santé!
- Molli
New Year is a wonderful time of the year – it always brings hope that the new year will be better than last year (even if last year was good), resolutions are made, and we promise ourselves to be better persons this year in every respect.
To me one of the best parts of the New Year is that, from now on, each day, without fail, gets longer – even if it is only by a minute or so a day until Summer Solstice (well, OK, so it technically started with Winter Solstice). Knowing that the days are actually getting longer makes it so much easier to get through this dark time of the year, and you can start counting down to spring. And you know this is one promise that will not be broken.
Also at this time all the new gardening catalogues are arriving daily at the door, and it’s comforting to curl up with the catalogues in front of the fireplace and dream about spring when it’s snowing outside. Every flower and vegetable looks alluringly up at you from the pages and begs to be picked, and it requires tremendous restraint not to order absolutely everything. I momentarily consider starting vegetables from seeds again, especially those varieties that are so hard to find in the local nurseries, but I quickly give up on that, knowing fully well that realistically I really don’t have the time for it. So I concentrate on plants for now and meanwhile we continue composting the kitchen scraps in anticipation and preparation of our organic vegetable garden.
And I’m sure I can find space in my garden for more of these new colorful flowers – and my husband shakes his head and says, “Sure they are nice but, do you have a space for them?” Of course I have a space for them – the question is whether I have the right conditions (we have a lot of shade and I always try to grow flowers that require more sun than I can give them). But I still have time to wait another month or so before I order, and in the meantime I can plan the garden areas and where to find the perfect spot for the new additions – must also remember to check on whether they allegedly are as unpalatable to deer as they are delectable to me. I must also confess that it is also easier to plan on a garden now when the work of preparing any new area, or moving plants around, is so far ahead. If only one could expend on new garden beds all the work that goes into shoveling snow, then it would be OK, and half of my dilemmas about getting more new homes for the plants would be solved.
- Birthe
What are YOU most looking forward to this spring?
One of my favorite weekends during my semester abroad in Paris was in mid-February, when my best friend Julie came to visit me from London, where she was abroad for the semester. As she had never been to Paris before, I took her to the typical touristy places, but I also wanted her to see some of the lesser-known parts of the city, so on the second day of her visit we took the Metro across the city to Montmartre.
Technically just the name of the large hill in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, Montmartre more generally refers to the whole surrounding neighborhood, and it had quickly become one of my favorite areas of the city. Besides being home to the breathtaking Sacre Coeur basilica and the famous Moulin Rouge, I had heard from friends that Montmartre was a haven of thrift shops, and so we set off exploring.
No trip to Montmartre is complete without a visit to Sacre Coeur, a gorgeous white stone church sitting on the highest point in Paris, completed in 1919, making it quite young on the European historical monuments scale. Forgoing the funiculaire – an elevator of sorts built into the hill – we hiked the many, many stairs up to the basilica. But let me tell you, that hike is worth it for this view:
After spending sufficient time gazing out at the city – you can’t help but spend a few minutes absolutely mesmerized – we climbed down and went in search of thrift shops. Fantastique! There is no better place to shop thrift stores than Paris. Our favorite shop was in the basement of an old building, with steep stairs leading from the front door down into a chaotic arrangement of tiny rooms packed with clothes.
We felt like little girls playing dress up, as we tried on fur coats, wooly scarves, and vintage dresses. Though we drooled over mink stoles and cashmere sweaters, we purchased only a few small accessories, before removing ourselves from temptation.
To round out our Montmartre experience, we strolled over into the red-light district to see the Moulin Rouge, the landmark cabaret that is still up and running, though perhaps now with slightly less Old World charm. Considered the birthplace of the modern “can can,” the Moulin Rouge holds much fascination and mystery, especially for anyone who’s seen Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s paintings depicting opulently-clad courtesans, or Baz Luhrman’s film Moulin Rouge!
Our feet aching from a long day of climbing the hilly streets, we nibbled on a crepe from a street vendor before hopping back on the Metro back toward my apartment in the 13th. A perfect Paris day.
- Molli
