Carol's Culinary Cues - February 2004

(c) Carol Fenster, Ph.D. - President, Savory Palate, Inc.

8174 South Holly St., #404, Centennial, CO  80122

800.741.5418

ISSN 14244

 

**************************************************

IN THIS ISSUE:

Brand New, Great Granola

For Chocoholics

Baffled by Butter?

Amazing Amaranth Featured in New Campaign

You Can Ask For It!!

Where In The World is Carol?

***************************************************

Brand New, Great Granola

Enjoy Life Foods (www.enjoylifefoods.com) has a wonderful new Cinnamon Crunch granola  that you should try.  It contains lots of good stuff like brown rice flakes, flax, and sun-dried raisins plus it's fortified  It comes packaged in a convenient resealable plastic (see-through) pouch, so it stores nicely without spilling all over your pantry. I like the flavor and it also travels well in its little plastic pouch. I use it to make a quick fruit crisp by sprinkling it on my favorite fruit filling and baking it until hot and bubbly. And, when I'm craving a hearty hot cereal on a cold winter morning I just heat it with milk in the microwave. Yum!!!

 

***************************************************

For Chocoholics

With Valentine's Day happening this month and winter's cold refusing to release it's grip on us, it's hard not to think about hot chocolate. The e-newsletter Epicurious Taste Test  says for hot chocolate the cocoa with the deepest, richest chocolate flavor is the Dutch-processed Schokinag Special Edition, but it's quite pricey at $12.95 for a 12 ounce can. If your tastes run to the more mainstream cocoas, they suggest Droste (also Dutch-process, sometimes called European) or Nestle Toll House, found at more grocery stores. They're not fond of Hershey's or Sharffen Berger for making hot chocolate. However, they found that Sharffen Berger cocoa produced a marvelous chocolate cake that was moist and rich.

 

I bet you're wondering, what does Dutch-process mean? It's simply a process that neutralizes the natural acidity of cocoa and results in a darker and often more full-flavored powder. Hot chocolate made from Dutch-process cocoa tends to be somewhat thicker and richer.

 

When it comes to baking, be sure to use the type of cocoa specified in the recipe. Those that are leavened with baking soda require natural (non-Dutch processed) cocoa so that the alkalinity of the baking soda can neutralize the acidic cocoa. Recipes leavened with baking powder require Dutch-process cocoa to maintain the neutral pH of both.

 

***************************************************

Baffled by Butter?

Many of us can't or don't want to consumer butter....either we're allergic to the casein or whey in it or we can't tolerate the milk sugar called lactose. So here's what to do when you want to use margarine or oil instead:

 

For margarine lovers, use the same amount of margarine. However, diet or whipped margarine will not work in baking because it has too much water. The margarines that I use successfully in baking are Earth Balance and Spectrum. Actually they are called buttery spreads rather than margarine. Both are dairy-free, non-hydrogenated and have no trans fats, so they're healthier, too. And, I just found a brand new buttery spread with the same benefits at Whole Foods called Soy Garden. It's  made from soy, palm, and olive oils and can be used for cooking, baking, frying, and spreading. Plus, it says right on the tub "no gluten."

 

If you prefer to use oil  in place of butter or margarine, remember that you'll probably lose a little flavor. But the flavor loss is offset by the healthier oil, such as canola or olive oil.  Typically, when using oil in place of butter or margarine, we use a little less oil as you can see from the following table:

 

Butter/Margarine                            Oil

1 teaspoon                                      3/4 teaspoon   

1 tablespoon                                2 1/4 teaspoon

2 tablespoons                               1 1/2 tablespoons

1/4 cup                                        3  tablespoons       

1/3 cup                                        1/4 cup    

1/2 cup                                        1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons

2/3 cup                                        1/2 cup

3/4 cup                                        1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon

1 cup                                            3/4 cup

 

***************************************************

Amazing Amaranth Featured in New Campaign

You have until February 29  to sign-up for a free pantry makeover offered by NuWorld Amaranth. I eat amaranth several times a week and also share some of my amaranth recipes on the web site at http://www.nuworldamaranth.com/. Amaranth is extremely nutritious, has a lots of good fiber, and belongs in the gluten-free diet.

 

I was a guest, along with Cynthia Kupper, RD of The Gluten Intolerance Group, on an on-line chat on January 29. Many of you called in with very intriguing questions. I'm sorry we couldn't get to all of them, but go to the NuWorld Amaranth web site for a summary of the questions and our answers.

 

***************************************************

You Can Ask for It!

Many people call me to say that they looked for my books in their local health food store and couldn't find them. All health food stores in the U.S. have access to my books so it could be that they're temporarily out of the book. If you would like to encourage your store to stock my books, go to my web site at http://www.savorypalate.com after March 1 to find a special form that can you give to your health food store. It describes the books and provides information about how the store can order them from my distributors. Please note that only the health food stores can order from the distributor, not individual customers.

 

**************************************************

Where in the World is Carol?

I may not be traveling in February, but Danna Korn is traveling TO Denver to speak at 10-11 AM on Saturday, February 28 at  St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 8817 South Broadway, Highlands Ranch, Colorado.  Danna will sign books from 11 AM until noon. See you there.

 

Next month, I'm speaking to the Orange County group on Thursday, March 4, in Los Angeles. Then, I'm off to Tokyo, Japan to deliver seminars on behalf of the U.S. Grains Council. And, I will attend Asia's largest food show called FoodEX while I'm there. It should be very exciting and I'll tell you about how I survived gluten-free when I return.

 

Nancy Falini, RD, whose book Gluten-Free Friends I recently published, will offer an educational workshop for children  next month,  March 27, at a day-long conference at the Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner, VA. It is organized  by the DC Metro Regional Conference and all children who register for her workshop by March 15 will receive a free copy of her book. A flyer for the meeting is at http://www.wifidoctors.com/ or send an e-mail to mvineyard@aol.com for more information.