In a few words…Also known as soybean curd and bean curd, custard like white tofu is made from curdled SOY MILK, an iron-rich liquid extracted from ground, cooked SOYBEANS. The resulting curds are drained and pressed in a fashion similar to cheese making. The firmness of the resulting tofu cake depends on how much WHEY has been pressed out. It has a bland, slightly nutty flavor that gives it a chameleon like capability to take on the flavor of the food with which it’s cooked. Tofu’s texture is smooth and creamy yet it’s firm enough to slice. It’s available in health-food stores, Asian markets and many supermarkets. The cakes are sold in a variety of forms including packaged in water, vacuum-packed and in bulk (usually in large crocks or jars of water). Tofu, which is sometimes fortified with calcium, is very perishable and should be refrigerated for no more than a week. If it’s packaged in water, drain it and cover with fresh water. All tofu should be stored covered with water, which should be changed daily. Tofu can be frozen up to 3 months. Freezing will change its texture, making it slightly chewier. The versatile tofu can be sliced, diced or mashed and used in a variety of dishes including soups, STIR-FRIES, casseroles, salads, sandwiches, salad dressings and sauces. It’s easy to digest, low in calories, calcium and sodium, high in protein and cholesterol-free — all of which makes it one of today’s most healthful foods! From the food dictionary @ epicurious.com  

And in other words, I think it’s easy to prepare, inexpensive and as stated above quite versatile. The unfortunate issue is that most people don’t really give it a try. Those I speak to about tofu will say “I have had it in a stir fry”, but that’s about it. You would think with all the goodness packaged into these white cube’s of multiple textures (silken, soft, firm or extra firm) blocks, they be flying off the shelf. I hear advertisements on the radio for the WIC program which supports the purchase of Tofu. I’m curious to know how many enrollees purchase tofu in their quest to eat healthier. A recipe I’ve played with most recently using tofu is in a dessert which is really nice, I hope you give it a try and if your already using tofu let us know how you do?

Thanks and Ciao….Bernard Kinsella  

Low Fat Chocolate Mousse                                                                           Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 package (12.3 ounce) of silken tofu, drained
1 bar (3.5 to 4 ounces) high quality bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao) Ghirardelli’s pcs
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup water
1 tbsp brandy or ½ tbsp vanilla extract
½ cup sugar
2 cups strawberries, washed and sliced (optional) for garnish

 Procedure:
1. In a food processor, puree the tofu until extremely smooth. It should be the consistency of yogurt.

2. In a bowl set over simmering water, add in 3 ounces of chocolate, the cocoa powder, water, and brandy. Stir together until just melted and smooth. Remove from heat and slowly add in the sugar, stirring until smooth.

3. Add the chocolate mixture to the tofu and blend together. Pour into a serving bowl or individual ramekins and refrigerate at least one hour.

Garnish with sliced strawberries

Weird Al Yankovic unleashed an angry anti-Lady Gaga tirade on his blog Wednesday because he claims she rejected his “Born This Way” parody, but only after stringing him along and wasting his time.  But it may have been a misunderstanding.

Here’s the story: Weird Al wrote a Lady Gaga parody called “Perform This Way”.  He sent the concept and lyrics to her to see if she’d be cool with it.  Weird Al Yankovic Claims Lady Gaga Rejected His “Born This Way” Parody, But Lady Gaga’s People Say It Was a Misunderstanding.  Weird Al says Lady Gaga’s people told him to go ahead and record the track, because she’d need to “hear it” to approve it.  So Weird Al cut his vacation short…rushed back home and recorded and mixed the track.  He sent it to Lady Gaga, and then he got a response.  NO . . . they wouldn’t sign off on it.

Technically, Weird Al doesn’t NEED her approval to release the track, because his parodies fall under “fair use.”  But it’s always been his policy to only release songs in which he’s received an OK from the original artist.  But he did upload the song on YouTube.

Late Wednesday night, Weird Al updated his blog saying that Lady Gaga has signed off on the parody and loves his song.  He added that her people admitted that they hadn’t given the track to her in the first place.

Here is what he posted on his blog (http://alyankovic.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/gaga-update/)

Well, this was a strange day.

After putting my Lady Gaga parody on YouTube this morning – and announcing that it wouldn’t be on my next album because Gaga didn’t approve it – there was a huge outpouring of disappointment from the Internet.

Apparently the fact that she didn’t approve it was news to Lady Gaga herself!

Gaga’s manager has now admitted that he never forwarded my parody to Gaga – she had no idea at all. Even though we assumed that Gaga herself was the one making the decision (because, well, that’s what we were TOLD), he apparently made the decision completely on his own.

He’s sorry.

And Gaga loves the song.

I’m thrilled on many levels to hear this, because 1) I truly respect and admire Gaga as an artist and it pained me to think of her as having less than a great sense of humor, and 2) it means I GET TO PUT OUT MY ALBUM!

As promised, all my proceeds from the song (and the MUSIC VIDEO… I can’t wait…) will go to the Human Rights Campaign.

Thank you, Gaga. And thanks to everybody who had my back.

Whew!

Your pal,
Al

Well, it looks like Ms. Spears still buys her own toilet paper like the rest of us as she was photographed pushing her red cart around Target to pick up a few things for the mansion.  Now, I get why big celebrities have their “people” handle this kind of “common folk” stuff.  Whenever they go out, even just to grab a coffee, the paparazzi chase them around with their cameras and video cameras, people form crowds and ask for autographs and free handouts and it just creates chaos.  Then, they get home and find themselves on TMZ and that never ends up working out well.

But I would think after awhile, you also feel like a prisoner.  Being afraid to go out and enjoy a fine stroll through Target to save a few bucks on TP (that is toilet paper for those of you not hip with the lingo) or sitting in a McDonald’s to enjoy 2 for $1 Apple Pies with the love of your life must be enough to drive you crazy (and no, there is no Britney Spears song tie in to that…or tie in to the fact she was…or is…no…was….crazy).

So I guess props to Britney for rounding up her money mooching, backpack boyfriend and heading out to the big red dot for a fun afternoon of shopping.  And look…she even is wearing bra’s again!  Oh…and it is nice to see that we buy the same brand of disposable cups.  I feel connected to her now…in a non-stalkerish way.

Naked Pizza

Naked Pizza is a chain with restaurants all over the US.  Recently a location opened in Brighton (and there is another in Brookline).  I’ve never heard of it before I passed it on my way home from work one day, but they now have another loyal customer.  After convincing my coworkers to order it for lunch one day, I’m sure they will be receiving business from us again.

Naked pizza’s whole cache is that you should “think before you bite” and only put healthy foods in your body, but that doesn’t mean those foods can’t be delicious.  It’s the epitome of healthy food that doesn’t taste like diet food.  They have plenty of options no matter what your diet is: gluten free, vegetarian, etc.  So anyone that gives it a shot I’m sure will be able to find something that they want to order.

Food

You begin the ordering process by picking a size: 10, 12 or 14 inch personal pies.  I got the 10 inch, but the next time I would get the 12 inch because I was still a little hungry when I was finished.  Then you pick a crust: the original, skinny or gluten-free.  I went with the skinny which was just as delicious as the original, just with fewer calories.  Your next option is tomato sauce, white sauce or barbecue sauce.  I had the tomato sauce and thought it was excellent.  After that you can either choose your toppings individually or go with one of their pre-selected pizzas.

I had bell peppers, spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms.  I was a little disappointed upon seeing it, because it was a variety of red, yellow and green peppers because I thought it was just going to be green peppers.  However it was delicious and the variety of peppers added some depth and range to the flavor of the pizza.

My coworker had the pre-selected “Mediterranean” pizza (artichoke, sun-dried tomato, red onion, black olive and feta cheese).  She liked it so much that she ate half of it before I got the chance to take a picture of her pizza!  I didn’t get a chance to try it, for fear of her biting my hand for getting in between her and her pizza, but she definitely recommended it.

Complaints

It would be the perfect place to go out to for lunch to get a break in the day, except that there isn’t much seating in the actual location.  This is frustrating if you want to sit there and eat your pizza while it’s hot (and most tasty).  Your options are unfortunately limited to delivery or pick up unless it happens to be empty in there and you score one of the few seats available to patrons.

It’s actually pretty important that you eat it when it’s hot because of the cheese.  While lower fat cheeses may be healthier for you, they don’t taste very good when cold.  So if you get Naked Pizza, try to eat it right away if you want to have it when it tastes best.

My third complaint is that the vegetable choices are surprisingly limited.  While it’s great they have unique choices like jalapenos, black beans and sundried tomatoes.  I was disappointed to see they didn’t have some of my usual toppings, like broccoli, sautéed onion, or eggplant.  If they can just increase the vegetable options I would have given is another “0.5 fork” higher ranking.

Rating:

 2.5 out of 4 forks

Overall I was really happy with my experience at Naked Pizza.  It’s great to have healthy options that are different than the usual salad bar choices.  I would definitely return to try other types of pizza, as long as I planned ahead to take it back to my apartment since I knew I wouldn’t likely be eating there.  While it might not be as delicious as other take out or delivery places, it’s definitely better for my waist-line, which is well worth it!

These are some of my indicators that the season is changing; gardens being turned over, more runners along the water, kid’s vacation from school and longer days of sunshine… but the nights are still chilly! But anyway you can’t have everything, but when you can have is over the next four weeks some great recipes that are packed with fresh ingredients, that are easy to prepare and full of everything that is good for you! Lately I’ve been teaching multiple health and wellness classes with a company called Wellness Workdays. Check out there site (www.wellnessworkdays.com) and what they can do for your company and employees.

 I’m amazed at the number of individuals who find cooking such a challenge and to eat healthy; is like another chapter in their novel of life.  But that’s great for me, then I get to do what I love and have fun doing!

So give this recipe a try and let us know how it comes out, then look each week for another compliment to add to you recipe repertoire and insight on the ingredients were using.

     Pearl Barley & Fresh Vegetable Salad      Serve warm or chilled        Serves 6

Ingredients

2 cups water

1 cups uncooked medium pearl barley

1 cups fresh broccoli florets

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup julienned sweet red or green pepper

1/2cup fresh basil cut thin

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add barley. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 30-35 minutes or until tender. Rinse with cold water; drain well.
2. Place broccoli in a steamer basket. Place in a saucepan over 1 in. of water; bring to a boil. Cover and steam for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Rinse with cold water; drain.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine the barley, broccoli and carrots, tomatoes, onions and red pepper.
4. In a blender, combine the lemon juice, oil, vinegar, lemon peel, garlic, salt and pepper; cover and process until combined.
5. Pour over barley mixture and stir to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan cheese. 

Barley and your health:
According to the FDA, barley’s soluble fiber reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and can lower cholesterol. But that’s not all that this amazing food does! Barley also contains insoluble fiber, which reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes and colon cancer. One cup of cooked barley provides 193 calories, 6 grams of fiber and 3.5 grams of protein. With less than one gram of fat per serving, barley is a virtually fat-free food and is also cholesterol-free. ….From About.com

 Thanks and ciao,

Bernard Kinsella

Is it me, or are these types of covers getting a bit old?  Does anyone really find this stuff interesting?