Recipe Trends Of The 2000's

This news letter is from an AOL food chat and is printed here at Recipes From Friends with permission of host Judee.

We have come to an end of the Grandma, Mom and Me Chat. Over the past weeks we have given you recipes and history that has influenced the cuisine of each decade. We hope you enjoyed this chat. Next week we are going to have to cancel our Thursday Chat but will return on Thursday July 22. Hope you come back for some good recipes and friendship.

Judee and Amy

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Welcome back Around Our Kitchen Table. We're wrapping up the wonderful series, Grandma, Mom and Me, the past 80 years of cooking! Host Food Judee started us out in the 1920's with great history and period recipes, and brought us into the 90's last week. As she pointed out, we're making history right now, so let's look at some recent recipe trends.

Cooking in the 2000's is full of contradictions, as much of modern day life is. Science can create insect resistant crops, while on the other hand, organic food markets are flourishing all over the country. Diabetes, heart disease and cancers touch every home, while modern medicine can extend our lives close to the century mark. Technology and scientific advancements have impacted our foods and kitchens in ways unimaginable to the 1920's cook! Here's some scientific facts that are a way of modern life:

Genetically modified crops are grown commercially or in field trials in over 40 countries and on 6 continents. In 2000, about 109.2 million acres were planted with transgenic crops, the principal ones being herbicide- and insecticide-resistant soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola. Other crops grown commercially or field-tested are a sweet potato resistant to a virus that could decimate most of the African harvest, rice with increased iron and vitamins that may alleviate chronic malnutrition in Asian countries, and a variety of plants able to survive weather extremes.

On the horizon are bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases such as hepatitis B; fish that mature more quickly; fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier, and plants that produce new plastics with unique properties.

With the tremendous increase of diabetes and obesity in the US, attention to diet is critical and has spawned multi-million dollar industries. Some recent diet trends focus on low-carb intake and are marketed under plans such as Sugar Busters, The Zone Diet, South Beach and Atkins. Here's a sample of some of these recipes.

Sugar Busters

Wild Rice and Chicken Crockpot Dinner

3 chicken breast of the equivalent, sliced
4 cups of water
4 cubes of chicken bullion (or equivalent)
2 cups of wild rice, uncooked (wash first)
2 bunches green onion, chopped
1 package of portabella mushrooms, sliced then chopped
2 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tbsp teaspoon garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into the crock pot and mix well. Cover and do not remove lid until close to the end of the cooking cycle. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Test rice to see if it is done after four or so hours.
***End of Recipe***

Atkins

Cheddar and Green Onion Pie

Delicious for breakfast or a light lunch accompanied by a fresh green salad.

1 Atkins Pie Crust, baked
4 large eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 cups (12 ounces) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a saucepan over very low heat, stir eggs, cream, cheese and green onions until combined. Heat until mixture is hot and most of the cheese has melted (do not let boil!), about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce.

Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake 30 minutes, until filling is set, and begins to brown slightly. Serve warm.
***End of Recipe***

The Zone

Curried Chicken Waldorf Salad

This recipe by Rachel Albert-Matesz comes from "Zone Meals in Seconds" by Dr. Barry Sears and Lynn Sears.

Yield: 4 (4-block) meals

Look for hormone and antibiotic-free ready-to-eat rotisserie chickens in your local natural foods store or supermarket, or roast a bird on the weekend or cook it overnight on low in a slow cooker.

Curried Yogurt Dressing:
2 protein, 2 carbohydrate 1 cup organic low-fat yogurt (14 grams protein + 19 grams carbs); 1 1/3 cups if yogurt does not contain non-fat dry milk
8 fat 8 teaspoons reduced fat mayonnaise or 4 tablespoons Nayonnaise (soy-based sandwich spread)
2 carbohydrate 4 teaspoons fructose powder
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 tablespoons minced parsley or cilantro

Salad:
1 carbohydrate 10 cups romaine hearts, washed, spun dry, and thinly sliced14 protein
14 ounces cooked chicken, breast or combination breast and thigh meat, shredded or cut into 1-inch cubes
6 carbohydrate 3 small tart-sweet apples, cored and minced
1/2 carbohydrate 3/4 cup minced Walla Walla Sweet or Vidalia onions
1/2 carbohydrate 2 cups minced celery hearts or celery sticks
8 fat 24 cashews, raw or lightly toasted, coarsely chopped
4 carbohydrate 4 tablespoons raisins

1. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, fructose, curry powder, and parsley or cilantro. Stir and set aside.
2. Divide salad greens between 4 serving plates or containers with snap on lids.
3. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl. Add yogurt dressing and stir to coat, then spoon over greens and serve.

Variations* Replace endive and escarole with romaine lettuce.
***End of Recipe***

General Low Carb
Low Carb Chocolate Cake Recipe

It is easy to make your own nut flower of almonds (good essential fatty acids source) or macadamia (good fat-to-carb ratio.) Just mill them in a coffee grinder or food processor.

4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar equivalent, i.e. Stevia
1 cup almonds, coarsely shopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder

Separate egg whites from yolks. In a blender, blend the whites and sweetener. Continuing blending, add the ingredients in this order: nuts, vanilla, flour, soda, yolks, and cocoa, blend for 2 minutes more. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
***End of Recipe***

Breakfast can pose a challenge to a low-carb dieter. Here's two suggestions that might make it easier.

Spinach Bacon and Mushroom Quiche

4 large eggs
3/4 cup cream
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 package spinach -- cooked, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 CUP mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion -- sautéed
6 slices bacon -- crisp, crumbled
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

- Blend the first 5 ingredients together.
-Add remaining ingredients.
-Pour into a pan sprayed 10" pie plate or 8 jumbo muffin tins.
-Bake at 375*F for approximately 40 minutes.

-8 servings @ 3.5 minus 0.4 gr. fiber= 3.1 carbs & 8.1 gr. protein per slice.
***End of Recipe***

Egg Mock Muffin

1 pg. sausage meat
10-12 eggs (beaten)
6 tbsp. whipping cream

Optional:
1 oz. shredded cheese (cheddar, Swiss, etc.)
Cooked bacon pcs., mushroom pcs., diced onion .... use your imagination for variation.

(1) Cook sausage meat until crumbly.
(2) Spray muffin tins with Pam (I use olive oil in a pump spray container).
(3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
(4) Pour cooked sausage meat into muffin tins, filling to half full.
(5) Add water to beaten egg mixture, stir.
(6) Add egg mixture on top of sausage meat to almost full.
(7) Add cheese or optional items.
(8) Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until done.
(9) Remove from muffin tins and refrigerate.
Good for on the run breakfasts or snacks.

You can also make this using cooked bacon or ham instead of the sausage meat.
***End of Recipe***

Speaking of breakfast, coffee became a booming business all it's own in the 2000's. Starbuck's took over, offering high end coffee drinks that moved way beyond decaf or regular! Ordering coffee now requires it's own language, so much so that Starbuck's recently distributed a small 10 page booklet that gave step by step directions to ordering your favorite drink to make it less intimidating to get that morning, or afternoon or evening, jolt o'java! While ordering from the barista may be time consuming, whipping up your favorite coffee drink at home is simple.

Starbuck's Mocha Slush

6 cups double-strength freshly-brewed dark roast coffee
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus additional for garnish
2 cups nonfat milk

Fill ice cube trays with half of the brewed coffee and place in the freezer.

In a bowl, combine the remaining brewed coffee, cocoa powder and milk and stir to dissolve the cocoa. Cover and chill.

When the ice cubes have frozen, transfer them to a kitchen towel and, using a hammer or mallet, crush the cubes. Fill 4 glasses with the crushed ice and divide the coffee-cocoa mixture evenly among them. Dust the top with cocoa powder and serve.
***End of Recipe***

Iced Mocha Cappuccino

1 tablespoon Chocolate syrup
1 C. Hot double espresso or very strong coffee
1/4 cup Half-and-half
4 Ice cubes

Stir the chocolate syrup into the hot coffee until melted. In a blender, combine the coffee with the half-and-half and the ice cubes. Blend at high speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately in a tall, cold glass.

This recipe yields 1 serving.
***End of Recipe***

While advances in technology make professional equipment affordable and available to the home kitchen, many Americans have state of the art kitchens without time to use them. This time crunch has led to the popularity of quick cooking shows and cookbooks. Semi-Homemade Cooking, 30 Minute Meals, Cake Mix Doctor, and Rush Hour Gourmet are just a few examples of this trend that allow people to create a homemade style meal with just a little help from some commercial friends. Here's a Cake Mix Doctor and Dinner Doctor recipe for your time crunched menu!

Mom's Layer Cake with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

This is the closest you'll get to from-scratch butter cake taste when using a mix. The flavors in this cake will bring back memories of birthday parties of yesteryear-light yellow layers, fluffy chocolate frosting and that essential glass of cold milk. You couldn't keep your hands out of the mixing bowl as a child and you won't be able to as an adult!

Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans
Flour for dusting the pans

1 18.25-oz. pkg. plain white cake mix
1 cup whole milk
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

3. Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 27 to 29 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert them again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow them to cool completely, 30 minutes more.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the Fluffy Chocolate Frosting.

5. Place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with clean, smooth strokes.

6. Place this cake, uncovered, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. Cover the cake with waxed paper or place under a glass cake dome and store at room temperature for up to 4 days. Or freeze it, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus additional if needed
1/3 cup whole milk, plus additional if needed
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. Salt

Step 1
Place the butter and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture is soft and well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Place the confectioners' sugar, 1/3 cup milk, vanilla and salt in the bowl, and beat with the mixer on low speed until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add more milk if the frosting is too thick or confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the frosting is too thin.

Step 2
Use the frosting to frost the cake or cupcakes of your choice.
***End of Recipe***

Tuscan Chicken, Zucchini and White Bean Ragout

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cups shredded Rotisserie, store bought chicken
2 cups zucchini (cut into 1-inch pieces)
1 can (15 to 16 ounces) white beans, drained
1 tablespoon whipping cream (optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup pre-shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat olive oil in 2-quart saucepan or deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and zucchini and continue to cook, stirring, until zucchini softens, 3 to 4 minutes. Add beans, cream if using, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until beans are heated through and flavors are blended, about 2 minutes. Spoon into serving bowls and pass Parmesan cheese, if desired. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
***End of Recipe***

Our last two recipes are from Cooking Light Magazine. This magazine has many good, healthy recipes each month. They are low fat type recipes.

Chicken-and-Pasta Bake with Basil
Provided by: Cooking Light magazine

"This soul-satisfying casserole only needs a side salad or bread to make it a complete meal."

Asiago Cheese Sauce:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup grated Asiago cheese

3 cups broccoli florets
4 cups hot cooked penne (about 8 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
3 cups chopped ready-to-eat roasted skinned, boned chicken breasts (about 3 breasts)
2 cups hot Asiago Cheese Sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a medium, heavy saucepan; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Place over medium heat; cook until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until melted.

3. Steam the broccoli, covered, 4 minutes. Drain. Combine broccoli and next 7 ingredients (broccoli through garlic). Spoon into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
***End of Recipe***

Cooking Light magazine's Cherry Cheesecake
Provided by: Cooking Light magazine

"A combination of cream cheese, sour cream, and beaten egg whites gives this lightened version of a classic the look, feel, and taste of its heavier cousin."

Yields 12 servings.

cooking spray
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons reduced-calorie stick margarine, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
1 (8 ounce) container fat-free cream cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 (20 ounce) can light cherry pie filling

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Combine crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar, and margarine. Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan.

3. Combine 2/3 cup sugar, flour, and next 5 ingredients (flour through eggs) in a large bowl; beat at high speed of a mixer until smooth. Add milk and sour cream to cheese mixture; beat until smooth.

4. Beat egg whites (at room temperature) at high speed of a mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form using clean, dry beaters. Gently fold egg white mixture into cheese mixture.

5. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 55 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven, and cool completely on a wire rack; cover and chill 8 hours. Top with pie filling.

CALORIES 230 (28% from fat); FAT 7.1g (sat 3.2g, mono 2g, poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 8.2g; CARB 32.7g; FIBER 0.1g; CHOL 55mg; IRON 0.7mg; SODIUM 286mg; CALC 91mg