Chocolate. Because it’s good for you.
That's not why I eat chocolate. But I sure am glad to see all the studies that make chocolate sound like the new miracle health food. Read all about it. Then dip some fruit into some molten dark chocolate.
Chocolate for breakfast. I confess.
I probably wouldn't admit this if I hadn't read the results of the study. The one that concludes that dessert after a balanced breakfast "can help dieters to lose more weight and keep it off in the long run". Talk about food for thought, huh?
Dessert, Deprivation and Diet
This is Sweet Tooth Week. Yeah, let's talk about desserts. I make them and write about them because making traditionally craved and satisfying desserts with minimal sugar is really important. And because, well, I like them. Don't you?
Arancini. Great balls of rice.
Always make too much risotto. Roll up the leftovers and fry them. Ten minutes later you have a great treat. Serve them with a salad or a spicy tomato sauce. Or make them small enough to just pop in your mouth.
Cassoulet Shortcut: Not pork & beans
Onion, garlic and herb-scented. Tomato-sweetened. Earthy, creamy beans. Smoky bacon. Rich, plump sausage. And a whole flavor experience much greater than the sum of its great parts. A classic in 45 minutes.
Almost Spring Risotto
You can't make the spring asparagus and morels grow faster. But you can make an equally luscious risotto with green beans and shiitake mushrooms. Right now. Pretty easy to make a great risotto in 30 minutes. Just stir.
Irish Soda. No Bread. Pop.
Green soda. Way Better than green beer. Delicious. Five minutes to make a batch that'll keep in the fridge for five days. Just squirt in some sparkling water whenever you want a glass of soda. Make your own. Improve your health. Save money and planetary wear and tear.
Green Mashed Potatoes
Not just for St. Patrick's Day. You could eat these every day. Not just because they're luscious and full of flavor. Because they provide complete nutrition. A lot of Vitamins A, B and C. Many minerals. Protein. Carbohydrates. A little dietary fat.
The Naples – Bologna Express
The classic Bolognese sauce on a pizza crust is a perfect example of Better being Cheaper. Not just a great $3 pizza. A great pizza, period.
Tomato+Corn+Beans: The Posole Three
Two great couples make a terrific threesome. Tomatoes and corn taste like summer. Corn and beans make complete protein. All in one bowl of soup that's deeply delicious, rich and fat-free. $1.75 for a great big bowl of it.