THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods


Also visit our main website, TheNibble.com.





Healthy Onion Dip Recipe

Editor’s Note: The producer of the video has removed it from circulation. But you can use the ideas below to make a delicious dip.

Have you planned your Super Bowl menu yet? Are you looking for healthy options?

In the chips-and-dips department, we save on fats with Popchips potato chips and go for the more nutritious whole-wheat pretzels. Both products are just as delicious as their less-healthy counterparts.

Making a yummy fat-free or low-fat dip is easy. In this video recipe, you’ll see how to make a delectable onion dip with caramelized onions, fresh chives, and nonfat yogurt.

We have three tips to add to those in the video:

  • Use nonfat Greek yogurt—it’s thicker, creamier and closest to sour cream.
  • Caramelize the onions in heart-healthy olive oil. Here’s the separate recipe to caramelize the onions. While you’re at it, caramelize lots of onions and keep them in the fridge to add to baked potatoes, burgers, eggs, main course proteins, sandwiches and more.
  • Never use pre-ground pepper. Always freshly grind it with a pepper mill.
  •  


    Caramelized onion dip (photo © Robert Mondavi Winery).

     
    MORE DIP RECIPES

    Another healthy recipe is this white bean dip, which is dairy-free and packed with bean protein, fiber and other nutrition.

    Use the pull-down menu at the right for more dips and spread recipes.

    And don’t over look the Tequila Guacamole!

     
     

    CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

     
     

      

    Comments off

    TIP OF THE DAY: Try Some Napa Cabbage In Your Recipes

    In the course of our New Year’s resolution to eat a low-calorie, fiber-packed salad twice a day, we’ve been scouring produce departments for variety.

    As an alternative to red cabbage, we’ve been buying napa cabbage, originally from China and a common ingredient in Chinese recipes.

    Even if you don’t like cabbage, try it: Napa cabbage has a mild, sweet flavor—a cross between cabbage, iceberg lettuce and celery (it’s sometimes called “celery cabbage”). The leaves are very crisp and are equally enjoyable raw or cooked.

    In the fridge, keep the cabbage in a different compartment from ethylene-producing fruits such as apples and bananas, which will speed up the deterioration. Otherwise, a head can last for a week or more.

     
    Whole and half heads of napa cabbage.
     

    THINGS TO MAKE WITH NAPA CABBAGE

  • Salads, with chopped cabbage as an ingredient, as the base for an Asian chicken salad, or as the main ingredient in your favorite cole slaw recipe.
  • Kim chee, “Korean cole slaw,” a spicy pickled cabbage. Combine chopped napa cabbage, a tablespoon of chili paste (sambal olek), 3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, 4 sliced cloves of garlic and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir well to combine. Let the flavors mix overnight in a sealed container. The longer it sits (several days to several weeks), the more flavorful it becomes.
  • Wraps: blanched as a wrap for meat and fish (in Korea, pork and oysters are popular), dipped in a sauce made with hot pepper paste (look for Annie Chung’s Americanized version, Go-Chu-Jang, Korean Sweet & Spicy Sauce), or use another dipping sauce.
  • Stir-frys: mixed with Asian or European vegetables.
  • Soup: We love cabbage soup, a flavorful, filling and low calorie food, using a chicken, beef or tomato base.
  •  
    NAPA CABBAGE: IT’S NOT FROM NAPA VALLEY

    Napa cabbage originated in the region of Beijing, China. Both napa cabbage (Brassica rapa, subspecies pekinensis), which grows in a head, and bok choy (Brassica rapa, subspecies chinensis), which grows in leaf-topped stalks (think celery), are referred to as “Chinese cabbage.” For clarity, avoid using that term.

    Both are related to the Western cabbage, Brassica oleracea, and are part of the cancer-fighting cruciferous family, Brassicaceae, that also includes broccoli, cauliflower, horseradish, mustard, radish, rapeseed and others.

    Why is a Chinese vegetable called “napa,” which sounds like it comes from California’s Napa Valley?

    The word derives from nappa, a colloquial Japanese term that refers to the leaves of any vegetable. In Japan, what we call napa cabbage is called hakusai.
      

    Comments off

    TIP OF THE DAY: Tips For Baking Cakes


    You need “technique” to bake a great cake. Photo courtesy ValerieConfections.com.

      Want to make a cake as good as this one? Today’s tips for successful baking come from Pat Sinclair, a food consultant and author of Baking Basics and Beyond: Learn These Simple Techniques and Bake Like a Pro, and co-author of Scandinavian Classic Baking.

    The tips apply to cookies, muffins, bread and anything else you’re baking.

  • Use The Best. Always use high quality ingredients, such as pure vanilla extract and fresh, unsalted butter. The better your ingredients, the better your results. While saving money is tempting, your time and effort deserve the most delicious outcome.
  • Read Up. Read the entire recipe before beginning. You’ll want to review it enough in advance to be sure that if you’re missing an ingredient or a utensil, you have time to get it.
  • Assemble. Assemble all of the ingredients on the counter before starting, so you are aware of anything that’s missing. This is your mise en place—you’ve heard TV cheftestants refer to it.
  •  

  • Follow. The first time you prepare it, carefully follow the directions and prepare the recipe exactly as written. You can try variations next time.
  • Measure. Measure ingredients accurately. Use dry measuring cups for solids and glass measuring cups for liquids. Baking is chemistry: Don’t “approximate” or you won’t get the proven result.
  • Don’t Switch. Always use the size pan specified in the recipe. If your pan isn’t the right size, the baking time won’t be accurate.
  • Thermometer. Use an oven thermometer and check your oven temperature for accuracy. If possible, adjust the thermostat on the oven properly.
  • Check. Take a quick peek one or two minutes before the timer goes off. Your oven may bake faster than others. And remember, carryover heat will continue to cook when removed from the oven. The larger and denser the item, the greater the amount of carryover cooking. (That’s why roasts and turkeys need to rest before carving, to allow heat to distribute from the warmer outside to the cooler middle, which allows the juices to distribute throughout the meat.)
  •  
    Follow Pat’s blog for more tips plus recipes.

      

    Comments off

    TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: The Best Granola & Muesli

    Our intrepid reviewer tasted her way through 49 granola and nine muesli brands to find the best—including gluten-free, kosher, organic and raw varieties. Wow, that’s a lot of fiber!

    The good news: Seven granolas and four mueslis were selected as “favorites.”

    In this review, you’ll discover:

  • The difference between granola and muesli
  • If granola is really “healthy”
  • A brief history (both products were invented by
    doctors at sanatoriums)
  •  
    Head for the review.

    Make your own granola at home: a video
    demonstration and recipe.

     
    Find more of our favorite cereals.

     
    Fiber-rich granola is a popular way to start
    the day. Photo by Lynn Seeden | IST.
     
      

    Comments off

    TIP OF THE DAY: Make Hazelnut Butter


    Compound butter is delicious atop a steak;
    just don’t tell your cardiologist. Above, herb,
    gorgonzola and hazelnut butters. Photo
    courtesy AllenBrothers.com.

      Here’s a treat from Chef Johnny Gnall: hazelnut butter—the compound butter, not the peanut butter spread alternative. He learned it a while back while working at Aziza restaurant in San Francisco, and is “still finding new uses for it every day.”

    “For some reason, the hazelnut seems to sit in a class of its own, a bit more indulgent than pecans, walnuts, almonds and other nuts,” says Chef Johnny.

    “Hazelnuts work beautifully in sweet recipes and savory ones alike. Their richness and unique flavor can exist in the background of a dish, or they can be the star, paired with nothing more than a bit of chocolate.

    “They also hold some hidden potential: hazelnut butter! Almost any nut can be made into a compound butter, but hazelnuts have an unmistakable richness and a hint of sweetness that is just perfect for everyday or special occasions.”

     
    COMPOUND BUTTER RECIPE

    Ingredients

  • 1 quart raw hazelnuts (peeled nuts are best, but unpeeled will work as well)
  • 1 quart whole milk (or more as needed)
  • Salt
  • Maple syrup
  •  
    Preparation

    1. Combine. Add hazelnuts and milk to a sauce pan. Milk should completely cover the hazelnuts, plus a little more to accommodate evaporation. You can always add more milk if the level drops.

    2. Boil. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for at least thirty minutes, and up to an hour. When you take the pan off the heat, the hazelnuts should be soft to the touch, but not so soft that they break down completely. Strain the milk out and reserve it.

    3. Purée. Add hazelnuts to a blender with half a cup of the milk and purée until smooth. If needed, add milk, a bit at a time, to facilitate the puréeing. But do so cautiously, as too much milk will leave you with hazelnut soup instead of hazelnut butter.

    4. Season. Once you have a smooth, thick, puréee, use a spatula to get it into a large bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and some maple syrup. The goal of the syrup is to add just enough sweetness that it brings out the natural sweetness of the hazelnuts. Add it a tablespoon at a time, incorporating well with a whisk and tasting afterwards. The whole batch shouldn’t take more than a few tablespoons of maple syrup.

    5. Strain. Finally, you have the option to strain the hazelnut butter through a chinoise. This step is only necessary if you are are going for that impeccable, restaurant-quality texture. Otherwise, the hazelnut butter is quite smooth and delicious even without straining. Also note that if you used unpeeled hazelnuts, you may prefer to strain out the skins.

    6. Cool. At this point, the butter is in a soft state. Let it stand for an hour in a cool place, covered, so the flavors can develop; then refrigerate to harden.

    HOW TO STORE HAZELNUT BUTTTER

    There are three basic different ways to store the butter:

  • In an airtight container—plastic, glass or a ceramic crock with a gasket seal (if air gets in, butter can easily pick up other aromas in the fridge).
  • In a roll: As the butter hardens, place it on a piece of wax paper (or plastic wrap) and roll it into a sausage shape, about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Twist the ends of the wax paper and place into a plastic storage bag. Slice it by the piece as you need it. A circular slice looks great atop a steak.
  • For entertaining, press the butter into molds to create stars or other shapes; create balls with butter paddles; or simply press it into ramekins.
     
    You also can freeze the butter for a month or more.

    HOW TO USE HAZELNUT BUTTTER

  • As a bread spread: on everything from toast to croissants.
  • In cookies: Add hazelnut flavor to any recipe.
  • On vegetables, rice, pasta, pancakes and everywhere you use butter.
  • On steaks and chops: If you top your meats with a pat of regular butter, hazelnut butter will add even more flavor.
  • Hazelnut butter makes a great homemade gift for any occasion, from Valentine’s Day to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just fill mason jars and tie ribbons around them. Your friends and family will go nuts for it!
  •  
    Pork Roast WIth Hazelnut Butter. For a special entrée, slather a pork shoulder or loin with hazelnut butter and roast it as you normally would. The sweetness of the butter, imparted from the maple syrup, pairs excellently with the pork. Its earthiness adds a whole new level of flavor. For a nice touch, finish the roast on broil for a few minutes to get a nice dark crust over the top. Friends and family will ooh and ah when the roast arrives at the table…but their mouths will be far too full to say anything after that!

    More compound butter recipes.

      

    Comments off

    The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures
    RSS
    Follow by Email


    © Copyright 2005-2024 Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. All images are copyrighted to their respective owners.