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♦ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2006
Comforting crockpot meals fit bill on cold nights
ARA
Winter is right around
the corner, and nothing says
comfort like coming in the
door and smelling a deli
cious and nutritious dinner
just a moment away.
Crockpots, the wonderful
invention of the late 19705,
make all that possible. First
introduced by Rival under
the trademarked name
Crock-Pot, they are a busy
family’s lifeline. Put the
ingredients in the crock the
night before, stick it in the
fridge, turn it on before you
leave for work, and by the
time you walk in the door at
night, it’s done. Crockpot’s
insulator properties keep the
cooking temperature even so
it doesn’t require constant
attention.
Many professional chefs
are big fans of crockpots.
Chef Ken Goodman, depart
ment chair for Culinary Arts
at The Art Institute of New
York City says “Nothing
beats the crockpot for con
venience, and with its slow,
gentle cooking action, you
can get beautiful, braised
meats just loaded with fla
vor.”
Among his favorite crock
pot recipes is Crockpot Coffee
Bean Pot Roast. “Add your
How to work more fruits and vegetables into your diet
ARA
Remember that resolution
you made at the beginning
of the year to eat. better?
Chances are you’ve forgotten
all about it and are snack
ing on chips or a candy bar
right now. If that’s the case,
put down your non-healthy
snack and pick up some food
for thought.
When the USDA released
its revised Dietary Guidelines
in January 2005, the rec
ommended number of serv
ings of fruits and vegeta
bles increased dramatically.
The new guidelines call for
the average person with an
intake of 2,000 calories a
day to eat two cups of fruit
and two-and-a-half cups of
vegetables every day, and for
good reason.
Having a diet rich in fruits
and vegetables offers many
health benefits. Among
them, prevention of cardio
vascular disease, high blood
pressure, diabetes and cer
tain forms of cancer.
So why aren’t more peo
ple making an effort to add
more servings of fruits and
vegetables to their diets?
Because they aren’t sure
how to do it. Well here
are some easy to implement
recommendations. At break
fast, top your cereal with
bananas or peaches. You
can also add blueberries to
pancakes, drink 100 percent
orange or grapefruit juice, or
try a fruit mixed with low
fat or fat-free yogurt. Try
a main dish salad for lunch,
or perhaps a slice of veg
gie pizza with toppings like
mushrooms, green peppers
and onions.
For dinner, plan a vegeta
ble as your main dish. And
how about trying a recipe
that incorporates what the
Center for Science in the
Public Interest considers the
most nutritional vegetable
there is - the sweet potato.
The complex carbohydrate
provides the body with vita
min A which is necessary
for strong tissues and to
maintain a healthy immune
system, beta carotene which
protects the heart and vas
cular system, and potassium
which helps maintain fluid
and electrolyte balance in
the body cells, as well as nor
mal heart function, nerve
function and blood pressure.
The sweet potato is also an
important source of vitamin
86, iron and fiber which aids
in digestion.
Here’s an easy to pre
pare recipe provided by the
Louisiana Sweet Potato
Commission:
Southwestern
yam bisque
1 1/2 lbs. yams (sweet
potatoes) large diced
1/2 pound yams (small
dice)
leftover fresh brewed morn
ing coffee to the meat, veg
etables and tomatoes, cook
for eight to 10 hours and
you'll have an absolutely
delicious meal waiting for
you when you get home,”
says Goodman.
For something slightly
more exotic, but just as easy,
Goodman likes a simple
Crockpot Lamb Stew. “It’s
all about the slow cooking,
and giving the meat and veg
etables time to release all
their flavors,” he adds.
At the Art Institute of
Pittsburgh, Chef Odette
Smith Ransome extols the
virtues of crockpot cooking
to her students. “Many of
my students cook for their
whole families, even though
they are full-time students,”
she says. “I encourage them
to use crockpots and experi
ment with different kinds of
spices and vegetables” adds
Ransome.
Ransome’s crockpot cook
ing tips include:
■ Only fill the crockpot 3/4
full with liquid to avoid spill
over when the food comes to
a full boil. This is especially
important if you won’t be
home when the crockpot is
on.
■ A hot cooking trend
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ARA
Sweet potato bread pudding with apple cider glaze.
-3/4 cup sweet kernel
corn
3/4 cup black beans
2 cups blanched broc
coli heads (small dice)
1 pint whipping cream
1/2 - 1 1/2 cups chick
en or vegetable stock
(optional)
1 cup spinach chiffon
ade, blanched
Mixture of cheddar and
monterrey jack cheese
Directions: Bring a pot of
water to a rapid boil. Add 1
1/2 pounds yams. In sepa
rate pot, bring water to a
boil and cook small diced
yams just until tender-set
aside for later use. In sauce
pan, combine corn and black
beans. Cook until tender.
Remove yams and drain.
Slowly add 1 pint whipping
cream as you mix the yams.
Return bisque (puree) to the
stovetop. Add in corn and
bean mixture, broccoli, and
spinach. Let simmer for 30
minutes. Chicken or veg
etable stock can be *added
for desired consistency. Top
with small diced yams and
cheese before serving.
Sweet potatoes are also the
perfect main ingredient for
some tasty and nutritious
ARA
Southwestern yam bisque.
now in restaurants is slow
cooking and comfort foods.
This is the bread and but
ter of the crockpot cook
ing approach. Pretty much
whatever grandma did can
be done in a crockpot. Try
some of her recipes and see
for yourself.
■ When seasoning dishes
for a crockpot, make sure
to taste and season at the
end of the cooking cycle as
well. Spices can lose their
strength as they cook.
Chances are you already
have a crockpot sitting
in your basement. If you
haven’t tried it recently,
dust it off, add some ingre
dients and turn it on. The
end-product will be better
tasting, better for you, and
more satisfying than take
out or pizza any night of the
week.
Recipes Courtesy of Chef
Ken Goodman The Art
Institute of New York City
Crockpot coffee
beef pot roast
2 to 3 pounds beef
shoulder or boneless
chuck roast
6 each carrots - peeled
& diced
1 pound red skin pota
dessert dishes, including
Sweet Potato Bread Pudding
with Apple Cider Glaze, cre
ated by David Gallent.
Sweet potato
bread pudding
with apple cider
glaze
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed
brown sugar
1 1/2 cups half & half
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla
extract
1/4 teaspoon ground
nutmeg
2 medium sweet pota
toes, peeled and grated
1 cup cubed French
bread, lightly packed
Directions: Combine eggs,
sugar, and brown sugar in
large bowl; beat until smooth
with a whisk. Add half & half,
milk, melted butter, vanilla
extract, nutmeg, and grat
ed sweet potato. Stir well.
Add cubed French bread to
egg mixture; stir until bread
is well moistened. Cover
and chill 30 minutes, stir-
FOOP
toes, diced
8 ounces whole peeled
canned tomatoes with
juice, crush with your
hands
8 ounces freshly brewed
black coffee
8 ounces water
Kosher salt and freshly
ground black pepper, to
taste
Trim exterior fat from
beef and season with salt
and pepper.
Place carrots and potatoes
in the bottom of your crock
pot.
Place the beef on top of the
vegetables and add remain
ing ingredients.
Cover and cook on low for
eight to 10 hours or until
tender.
Remove the beef and let
it rest for 15 minutes before
slicing.
If desired, thicken the
broth by whisking togeth
er 6 ounces of flour with 6
ounces of water to a smooth
paste and then slowly whisk
it into the hot liquid.
Crockpot lamb
stew
4 pounds lamb shoul
der, trimmed and cut into
2-inch pieces
ring once. Preheat oven to
325 degrees. Spoon bread
mixture into a well greased
10-inch cast-iron skillet or
a 7xll-inch baking dish.
Bake for one hour or until
a wooden pick, inserted into
the center, comes out clean.
Serve warm with apple cider
glaze. Serves six.
Apple Cider Glaze
1/2 stick butter
3 tablespoons brown
sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons apple
cider
2 tablespoons half &
half
Directions: Combine all
ingredients in a small sauce
pan. Bring to a boil, stir
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8 each cloves of garlic,
peeled and minded
2 tablespoons fresh
rosemary, chopped fine
1 cup good quality dry
white wine
2 tablespoons good
olive oil
1 large white onion,
peeled and diced
Kosher salt and freshly
ground black pepper
2 roasted red bell pep
pers, cut into 1/2 inch
strips
1 large ripe tomato,
peeled, seeded and diced
3 tablespoons flat pars
ley, chopped fine
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup dry, full-bodied
red wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
or chicken stock
Combine the lamb, half of
the garlic cloves, rosemary
and white wine in a medium
bowl. Let marinate for six
hours or even overnight in
the refrigerator. Drain the
meat and pat dry with paper
towels (discard the mari
nade).
Heat olive oil in a large,
heavy-bottomed pan over
medium-high heat.
Working in batches,
brown the meat on all sides,
about 10 minutes per batch.
ring well. Reduce heat and
simmer for 5 minutes, stir
ring constantly. Let stand 3
minutes. Serve warm over
Sweet Potato Bread Pudding.
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Return all meat to the pot
and add the onions, the rest
of the garlic and salt and
pepper to taste.
Cook, scraping browned
bits stuck to the bottom
of the pot with a wooden
spoon, until the onions are
soft, about five minutes. Stir
in paprika, roasted peppers,
tomatoes, bay leaf, chicken
stock and red wine. Bring to
a boil, reduce heat to medi
um, and simmer until juices
in pot reduce and thicken
slightly, about 10-15 min
utes.
Transfer the stew into a
crockpot set to medium low
heat. Cover and simmer,
stirring occasionally, until
meat is very tender, two to
two and a half hours. Add
parsley, adjust seasonings
and serve.
This stew is great over
rice or along side mashed
potatoes.
For more recipes visit The
Art Institutes Web site at
www.artinstitutes.edulnz. 1
The Art Institutes (www.art
institutes.edu) with 31 edu
cational institutions located
throughout North America,
provide an important source
of design, media arts, fash
ion and culinary arts profes
sionals.
Makes about 1 1/4 cups.
For more recipes and nutri
tional information about the
sweet potato, log on to www.
sweetpotato. org.
♦**24?