Fresh healthy salads are a favorite this time of year and are preferred by this cook any time. Take for instance the two we have featured. There a great starter; add to a main course or carry to lunch as a bonus. Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain. It’s considered a complete protein because it contains all eight essential amino acids. Quinoa is also higher in unsaturated fats and lower in carbohydrates than most grains, and it provides a rich and balanced source of vital nutrients. It can be used similar to rice…our fresh bean salad with fennel is wonderful as a garnish to pan seared scallops, which I made the other evening. The creative use of fresh ingredients goes on and on…cooking may take a bit of time, but at least you know what you’re eating! The balance I think is that when you cook you get better at it and the benefits are even greater for yourself. Tell us how you’re benefitting these days with what’s cooking….     

Quinoa Salad

INGREDIENTS:                                                                                                   Serves 4

½ cup Quinoa

1 cup vegetable stock

½ cup red pepper diced

1 cup fresh spinach

¾ cup black beans, (can) rinsed and drained

½ cup white onion diced

½ cup cilantro leaves chopped

1 clove of garlic smashed and chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

 PROCEDURE:

1. Cook Quinoa according to package directions in vegetable broth.
2. In a bowl toss the next 6 ingredients, blend the oil and lemon juice to emulsify. Then add to the ingredients and toss to coat. When the Quinoa has absorbed the broth completely, fluff then add to the ingredient mix when warm.   

Marinated Fresh Beans and Fennel Salad

INGREDIENTS:                                                                                                                    Serves 6

2 Cups fresh green beans, washed and ends clipped

1 Cup yellow beans, washed and ends clipped

1 Cup fennel bulb, washed and thinly sliced

½ Cup red onion thin sliced

¼ Cup sliced black Greek olives

¼ Cup crumbled feta cheese

For the Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon shallot, minced

3 whole sundried tomatoes

1 t minced garlic

1/4 cup white balsamic or white wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 T fresh oregano leaves

 PROCEDURE:

1. Bring 6 cups water to a boil & add 1 t, salt. Then add the first 3 ingredients. Bring back to a boil and cook for 2 mins.
2. In a food blender add the shallots, sundried tomato, garlic & vinegar.  Blend and add all the oil slowly, to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Strain bean and fennel mixture from water, place in a bowl toss with remaining ingredients then toss to combine. Drizzle with ¼ cup of sundried tomato vinaigrette and fresh oregano leaves.  

Ciao and  thank you,

 chef Bernard Kinsella

Dear MIKE-FM,

The other day my 12-year-old daughter came home from school, and I noticed she was wearing foundation, blush, eye shadow and mascara.  She said she bought the makeup at the drug store, and all the girls at her school wear it.

Is my 12-year-old daughter too young to be wearing makeup?  At what age should girls start wearing makeup?  Should I tell my daughter she needs to wait a few more years before she can wear makeup to school?

Thanks,

Lisa

———

Ok Lisa…in no way, shape or form am I am expert in anything, nor should you take my advice with any hope that I know what I’m talking about, but I would say no way.  12 is too young to me!  Kids seem to be jumping into yound adulthood (is that even a word?) earlier and earlier in my opinion.  Once you start letting them do things, good luck getting them to stop!

My daughter is 8 and she wants to wear makeup.  Since the only money she has is what she “helps herself to” from my pockets and is not allowed to go anywhere alone, I feel confident my ”NO” is good enough.  But at 12, your daughter  can get away with it and not tell you if she washes it off before you see it.  Plus, makeup will attrack boys and the longer she can avoid boys, the better!   The only thing you can do is home school her and not let her go out until she is 25, which is a good age to release her into adulthood.  Sounds like a easy, solid plan to me!

That is my opionion.  Anyone have a different one?  Share it here.

Big Daddy

The MTV Video Music Award nominees were announced yesterday and Lady Gaga led with 13 nominations.  That’s more VMA nominations than has been received by any other artist in a single year.  Eminem had the second most this year, with eight.

Gaga received 10 nominations for “Bad Romance” and three for “Telephone”, her collaboration with Beyoncé.  Meanwhile, Beyoncé got five nominations for  “Video Phone” which was her song featuring Gaga.  (Apparently, the “Telephone” nominations belong solely to Lady Gaga, and the “Video Phone” nominations are strictly Beyoncé’s.)

Paramore singer Hayley Williams is also enjoying some multiple nominations.  Her band is up for Best Rock Video for “Ignorance” and she’s featured on the B.o.B. hit “Airplanes”, which is up for four awards.

It’s probably also worth noting that Taylor Swift and Kanye West are both up for one award each.  It was at last year’s VMA’s that Kanye stole the mic from Taylor after she won Best Female Video for “You Belong With Me”.  (You know, because he desperately wanted the world to know that Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” was one of the best videos of all time.)

This year’s awards go down on September 12th.  Voting is open until August 24th and you can cast your vote HERE. 

Here is the complete list of nominations:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR:

–Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
–Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé, “Telephone”
–Eminem, “Not Afraid”
–B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams, “Airplanes”
–30 Seconds to Mars, “Kings and Queens”
–Florence + the Machine, “Dog Days Are Over”

BEST COLLABORATION:

–Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga, “Video Phone”
–Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé, “Telephone”
–B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams, “Airplanes”
–3OH!3 featuring Ke$ha, “My First Kiss”
–Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind”

 BEST FEMALE VIDEO:

–Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
–Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga, “Video Phone”
–Taylor Swift, “Fifteen”
–Ke$ha, “Tik Tok”
–Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg, “California Gurls”

 BEST MALE VIDEO:

–Eminem, “Not Afraid”
–Usher featuring Will.I.Am, “OMG”
–B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams, “Airplanes”
–Drake, “Find Your Love”
–Jason Derulo, “In My Head”

 BEST NEW ARTIST:

–Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris, “Baby”
–Ke$ha, “Tik Tok”
–Jason Derulo, “In My Head”
–Nicki Minaj featuring Sean Garrett, “Massive Attack”
–Broken Bells, “The Ghost Inside”

BEST POP VIDEO:

–Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
–Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga, “Video Phone”
–Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg, “California Gurls”
–Ke$ha, “Tik Tok”
–B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars, “Nothin’ On You”

 BEST HIP HOP VIDEO:

–Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Eminem, “Forever”
–B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams, “Airplanes”
–Eminem, “Not Afraid”
–Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz, “On To The Next One”
–Kid Cudi featuring MGMT and Ratatat, “Pursuit of Happiness”

 BEST ROCK VIDEO:

–Paramore, “Ignorance”
–30 Seconds to Mars, “Kings and Queens”
–Muse, “Uprising”
–Florence + the Machine, “Dog Days Are Over”
–MGMT, “Flash Delirium”

 BEST DANCE MUSIC VIDEO:

–Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
–Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull, “I Like It”
–Usher featuring Will.I.Am, “OMG”
–Cascada, “Evacuate the Dancefloor”
–David Guetta featuring Akon, “Sexy Chick”

 BEST DIRECTION:

–Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
–Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind”
–P!nk, “Funhouse”
–Eminem, “Not Afraid”
–30 Seconds to Mars, “Kings and Queens”

 BEST CHOREOGRAPHY:

–Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
–Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé, “Telephone”
–Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga, “Video Phone”
–Usher featuring Will.I.Am, “OMG”
–Janelle Monae featuring Big Boi, “Tightrope”

 BEST BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO:

–Dan Black, “Symphonies”
–Gorillaz featuring Bobby Womack, “Stylo”
–Coldplay, “Strawberry Swing”
–The Black Keys, “Tighten Up”

 BEST ART DIRECTION:

–Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
–Beyoncé featuring Lady Gaga, “Video Phone”
–Eminem, “Not Afraid”
–30 Seconds to Mars, “Kings and Queens”
–Florence + the Machine, “Dog Days Are Over”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

–Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
–Eminem, “Not Afraid”
–Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind”
–Mumford and Sons, “Little Lion Man”
–Florence + the Machine, “Dog Days Are Over”

 BEST EDITING:

–Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
–Eminem, “Not Afraid”
–Rihanna, “Rude Boy”
–P!nk, “Funhouse”
–Miike Snow, “Animal”

 BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS:

–Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance”
–Eminem, “Not Afraid”
–Muse, “Uprising”
–Green Day, “21st Century Breakdown”
–Dan Black, “Symphonies”

Tony called today to talk about his new show on NBC called “Breakthrough with Tony Robbins” which airs on Tuesday nights at 8pm.  Click here to listen to my interview with Tony.

I remember being in college and buying his books and I think watching a ton of infomercials he was in.  Of course, I remember him from one of my favorite movies, “Shallow Hal”.  The guy has been around for awhile and still has the energy of someone who chugged down 10 red bulls!  I guess when you’ve had the success he has and make the money he has made, you do whatever you have to do to keep it going!

He was really cool and I had a great time talking with him.  I’m thinking I may take him up on his offer and check him out in New York, although I’m not to sure I want to walk on fire!  I’d rather just follow him everywhere and have him buy me an expensive meal!  Maybe even buy me one of those nice suits he wears.

Check out the show and his site at http://breakthroughinsider.com to share your story and help a friend.  I know I am going to submit one of my good friends!  To see a clip of his show, click here.

Here is a funny clip of Tony on Lopez Tonight where they measure his head and shoe size!

This past week I hosted several cooking sessions with a variety of groups. The menus varied and the most common question by members in each was, “What is your favorite recipe or food to prepare”? I must say cooking for a few years now and on the journey it has provided me…I can’t say as of now I have the answer! There are so many great Holiday foods to consider, seasonal favorites that get me going (fresh figs and cherries are available now), the summer farmers markets offer an abundant supply of treats to play with…the list goes on and on. Chefs at particular restaurants feature special’s, which is not necessarily a signature dish, but typically they favor the ingredient and know how to cook it properly. Although today I focus on more of the “health and wellness” cuisine I still prefer to eat most anything or at least give it a try! Although our website www.chefbernards.com offers a variety of recipes and ‘how to’ videos you can see the tags of other host who offer fine recipes. Also, Magazines provide us with interesting outlooks to everyday recipes and then inspire us to use our creativity to build on and try something new…any favorite publications you have? I like Cuisine at Home its easy and simple to follow. The details and pictures make you want to make what’s on every page…so what’s your favorite dish to make or who inspires you?

Thanks + ciao Bernard Kinsella

Today I had the chance to interview  Jodie (click here to listen to it) to promote her new book “unSweetined”.  I will admit, I didn’t get a chance to read the book over until about 30 minutes before the interview but when I did read some pages, I was pretting interested in it.  Not so much for the fact I was a big Full House fan growing up, but because I could not believe all the crap Stephanie Tanner…I mean, Jodie had gone through!

Growing up as a child star. drugs, finding out she was adopted, drinking, more drugs and a nasty divorce…this lil gal has dealt with it all!  It is odd to know that when I now watch Full House, I am looking at a cast that for the most part, is nothing like the characters they play on the show!  The Olson Twins have had their share of issues, Bob Saget is a dirty comedian, John Stamos just dealt with an extortion case where he was accused of rape and cocaine use, Candace Cameron is a die hard Christian (not that there is anything wrong with that…just it is so not “D.J. Tanner”) and Dave Coulier is about as famous as my left shoe.  Add in the crazy life Jodie has had and this show’s cast turned into a Full House of problems! (insert rim shot here).

Jodie All Grown Up!

Take a listen to the interview and if you want to check out some of the book, click here to read some of it.  While it is sad to hear about these child stars and the life that became of them after the show is over and they get older, it is good to hear of someone getting help and turning things around before it is too late.

Click Here to listen to a remix someone made of Stephanie Tanner saying “rude” in “Rude Boy” by Rihanna!

Here is a video mix of her saying “How Rude”

Click Here to listen to the interview with Jodie

Soups On!

Throughout the summer I believe we don’t realize how it’s a wonderful time to prepare soup. Produce is in abundance, the variety of cold and hot soups we can create for today or to make and freeze is the perfect opportunity. Particularly if you have a back up freezer! Properly made, cooled and stored you can break them out in September or October at the height of the busy sport season.

Think about the abundance of fresh corn available today and make Corn Chowder then add some fresh seafood when your ready to serve; how about a Tomato Bisque with fresh tomatoes from your garden or that recent trip to the farmers market! Remember the key ingredients for a great soup is a good fresh stock. Add fresh herbs, minimal seasoning and reduce your cooking time just a bit, so when you reheat you can bring it to a gentle boil and then simmer and season properly without over cooking. Here’s a recipe for you to try today for friends or family during these hot summer days…

Gazpacho

  Ingredients:

• 1 1/2  cups diced medium seeded peeled cucumber
• 1  cup diced medium  Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 1  cup diced medium chopped yellow bell pepper
• 6  tablespoons  white wine vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  pounds diced medium seeded peeled yellow tomatoes (about 6 large) or heirloom tomatoes( red vine      tomatoes are perfect as well)
• 2  garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup cilantro leaves chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste
  Garnish:
• 2  (1-ounce) slices French bread, torn into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1  teaspoon  extra virgin olive oil
• 1  cup  quartered grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1/2  cup  diced peeled seeded cucumber

Preparation

1. To prepare gazpacho, combine first 9 ingredients.
2. Place half of vegetable mixture in a food processor; process until smooth.
3. Pour puréed vegetable mixture into a large bowl. Add the remaining vegetable mixture. Cover and chill.  

 To prepare garnish, place bread in a small bowl; drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil, tossing gently to coat. Spread bread mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool to room temperature. Place 3/4 cup gazpacho in each of 8 soup bowls. Top each serving with a few croutons, 2 tablespoons quartered tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon cucumber and a tablespoon of plain yogurt…refreshing!

Thanks…chef Bernard Kinsella…check out www.chefbernards.com for more recipes and videos! Ciao….

Consumer Reports recently surveyed over 1,000 people around the country to find out what annoyed them the most on a daily basis:  They gave people a list of 21 annoying things, and then had people rate them on a scale from 1 to 10.

Here are the top ten most annoying things and how they scored:
 

#10)  SPAM.  Email spam rated 7.5 on the annoyance scale. 

#9.)  WAITING FOR REPAIR PEOPLE.  It also got a 7.5.

#8.)  DISCOURTEOUS CELL-PHONE USE:  7.6.

#7.)  UNRELIABLE INTERNET SERVICE:  7.6.

#6.)  DOG POOP:  7.6.

#5.)  BILLS THAT ARE HARD TO UNDERSTAND:  7.8.

#4.)  PEOPLE WHO USE THEIR CELL PHONES WHILE DRIVING:  8.0.

#3.)  TAILGATING:  8.3.

#2.)  GETTING A RECORDING WHEN YOU CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE:  8.6.

And the most-annoying thing we experience on a daily basis is . . .

#1.)  DEALING WITH HIDDEN FEES.  According to the study, the average annoyance rate for hidden fees on a scale from 1 to 10 was . . . 8.9. 

And here’s some other stuff the study revealed:
#1.)  MEN AND WOMEN WERE ANNOYED BY DIFFERENT THINGS.  Women were significantly more irritated by 11 of the 21 things, including SPEEDING and having to remember their PIN NUMBERS.
#2.)  PEOPLE OVER 50 WERE ANNOYED BY:  Discourteous cell-phone use, email spam, and people who talk on the phone while they’re driving.
#3.)  DEMOCRATS DON’T LIKE PEOPLE WHO YELL:  And Democrats were more annoyed than Republicans by TV and radio shows where people SHOUT their opinions.

(For the full list and how they rated, click HERE.)

This is certainly the time of year the Farmers Markets are bursting at the seam with a great variety of fresh ingredients. It’s also a fantastic place to discover new companies that are starting out and products that are growing forward but haven’t reached the big time yet. Most importantly markets vary from time, days and offer specials throughout the season. Check out www.massfarmersmarkets.org and use as a guide to discover the great benefits our state offers us. The opportunity to plan a day trip to see some new sites and catch an outdoor market or two is always fun! The neat thing about most markets you can anticipate is that an appetizer, dinner or dessert is sure to be available for you to bring home and prepare.  Early is always best to arrive, so enjoy them while you can and discover something new!     

Ciao… Bernard Kinsella