Ellie Krieger's Energy Bars

Ellie Krieger is a nutrition-ist who has her own cooking show on the Food Network. Her show isn't the greatest, but I appreciate her approach to eating well and she sometimes makes things I really want to taste. I haven't been baking much and I really had an itch to make something one recent afternoon. I decided I needed to give these Energy Bars a try. These bars are her homemade substitute for a nutrition bar. They're full of dried fruit, nuts, oats and wheat germ that is all ground up together to make an appealing granola-type bar. The result is a sweet, chewy textured bar "cookie" that is very satisfying alongside a midafternoon cup of tea. And each one (coming in at 133 calories per bar) is a solid, if a bit small, snack that will tide you over until your next meal. Both I and dear husband liked them a lot. He tends to eat two per serving. However, as expected, it was a no-go with the kids. I have frozen them and pull a few out as needed because they defrost quickly. I like a good Zone Bar as much as the next person, but these are nice because I know exactly what is in them and they have a homemade comfort-food quality that I appreciate.

One Potato, Two Potato

I was intrigued by this recipe for Oven Fries from Cook's Illustrated (Jan 2004). My mom always made oven fries, but we called them Potato Wedges. She still makes them actually. They're not bad but they can get a bit leathery and dry before they are brown. CI's method acknowledges this tendency and presents a method to eliminate the dryness and give you a crispy-on-the-outside, yet tender-on-the-inside fry from the oven. There is both a soaking of the potatoes and then a steaming in the oven before they are actually exposed to the high heat to brown. I had to try it. Initially, I started with one potato because no one in this house eats much in the way of potatoes. I was really pleased with the results, so now I make two potatoes. The fries do turn out crispy and crackly. For a homemade fry, sans deep-fryer, they're pretty good.


Oven Fries
Cook's Illustrated 1/2004

Take care to cut the potatoes into evenly sized wedges so that all of the pieces will cook at about the same rate. Although it isn't required, a nonstick baking sheet works particularly well for this recipe. It not only keeps the fries from sticking to the pan but, because of its dark color, encourages deep and even browning. Whether you choose a nonstick baking sheet or a regular baking sheet, make sure that it is heavy duty. The intense heat of the oven may cause lighter pans to warp.

Serves 3 to 4
3 russet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), peeled, each potato cut lengthwise into 10 to 12 evenly sized wedges
5 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
Table salt and ground black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 475 degrees. Place potatoes in large bowl and cover with hot tap water; soak 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coat 18 by 12-inch heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet (see note) with 4 tablespoons oil and sprinkle evenly with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside.

2. Drain potatoes. Spread potatoes out on triple layer of paper towels and thoroughly pat dry with additional paper towels. Rinse and wipe out now-empty bowl; return potatoes to bowl and toss with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet; cover tightly with foil and bake 5 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until bottoms of potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using metal spatula and tongs, scrape to loosen potatoes from pan, then flip each wedge, keeping potatoes in single layer. Continue baking until fries are golden and crisp, 5 to 15 minutes longer, rotating pan as needed if fries are browning unevenly.

3. Transfer fries to second baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Things I've learned:

a.) If the potatoes are sticking when you try to flip them, put them back into the oven for a few minutes. When they're brown, they'll usually release themselves.

b.) Really watch them toward the end of the cooking time. They start to brown very fast and you could easily burn them if you are preoccupied with other parts of your meal.

Oven-Fried Grouper

What is not to like about moist fish with a crunchy topping? I've made halibut this way a few times and I really like how it comes out. You get a crispy tasty crust with very little oil and no frying. This idea is adapted from a Fine Cooking article (issue 84) about oven fried chicken. It works great for chicken but I'm loving it for fish. I first talked about it when I tried it with halibut, here, but then I gave a better explanation of the method and a "recipe", here. It is really very easy and adaptable to your liking. This night I had two nice pieces of grouper and I decided to give them "the treatment." Grouper fillets are a bit thinner than halibut so I adjusted the cooking time, but other than that my method was them same. It would work nicely with tilapia, orange roughy, or snapper fillets (cooking time adjusted for the thickness of the fish, of course) I gently toasted some minced garlic in the oil before I tossed the breadcrumbs in it and I added fresh chopped basil and lemon to the mayo. The garlic flavor came out more pronounced in the breadcrumbs than when I add it to the mayo. You can do either depending on the flavor you want. I served the grouper fillets with broccolini (dear husband's current favorite veggie) and some sauteed cherry tomatoes drizzled with basil oil. It all came together as a fish dinner with an italian flare. Try this!

Agent Provocateur

Agent W.W. Pita eluded enemy detection and infiltrated the preschooler's digestive system this afternoon at approximately 12:25 pm. The undertaking's success is reportedly attributed to the operative's beguiling cover as a mini pizza.

Steamed Fish with Scallions and Sesame Oil

Turn the way back machine to 11 for this recipe from Fine Cooking Issue 15. (We're on issue 91 now!) I was looking for clean and healthy and I decided upon this simple preparation for halibut. There is orange and ginger in the topping as well as scallions. You sort of make an asian gremolata, rub it over the fish and then steam the fillets in a shallow bowl until cooked through. (The recipe calls for wrapping the fish in plastic (bleh....) I just did the bowl thing in a steamer basket (in a pan with a tight-fitting lid.) I don't like the idea of cooking my fish in plastic at all.) The bowl collects the juices which you then spoon over the fish. I served it with swiss chard sauteed with ginger and garlic. I thought it was OK but I doubt I'd make it again.

Halibut with Scallions & Sesame Oil

This dish goes together in less than 20 minutes. If you can't get halibut, any firm-fleshed white fish will do.Serves four.

ingredients

2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger1 small clove garlic, minced

2 Tbs. thinly sliced scallions

2 Tbs. toasted sesame oil

2 tsp. minced orange zest

4 halibut fillets (about 4 oz. each), skin removed

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, scallions, sesame oil, and orange zest. Divide the mixture and pat evenly on the fish fillets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Lay a fillet in the center of an 8-inch sheet of plastic. Fold the plastic to create a tight package. Repeat with the other fillets.
Steam the fillets over simmering water for about 12 to 14 min., depending on the thickness of the fillets. Unwrap the fillets and transfer to a serving plate, pouring any steaming juices from the plastic over the fish.
From Fine Cooking 15, pp. 53

Southwestern Tomato Soup

This soup is from the current issue of Fine Cooking. It is Southwestern Tomato and Roasted Pepper Soup. I don't particularly like tomato soup, but I'm kind of a sucker for anything that starts out with the word "southwestern." So naturally this was the first thing I had to make from the issue. I can describe it best as the love child of tomato soup and chili. It has the flavor of peppers and spices (chili powder and cumin) to give it that chili taste, but it is smooth and creamy like a blended soup. I liked it the first night but really I wasn't all that excited about it. But the following day, it was fantastic! After a night in the fridge, the acidity had toned down a bit and the flavors had melded and it was just great. You make a lime sour cream for a garnish and that was good. But I crumbled queso fresco on the leftover soup and I enjoyed that more. I would imagine some crispy tortilla strips would be quite lovely too. This soup, as well as the other tomato soups in the article, uses canned tomatoes (since it is February!) So that makes it nice for anytime you want a quick warming soup using basically pantry ingredients. I can't post the recipe because it is in the current issue but the issue itself has a lot of great things so you should pick it up. BTW, I served it with quesadillas, for a tex-mex tomato soup and "grilled cheese" combo.