New Lowfat Double Dark Chocolate Brownies w/ Lite Toppings

If there's one thing in the world I love it's a good Brownie, and I have done them from scratch, using a terrific recipe, for years. For many months now, though, I have been committed to watching calories, both for myself and and those I cook for. The problem is, when I try to lower the fat content, they come out dry and tough, and as hard as I've tried otherwise, this is one of those times where a little cheating really makes a better overall product.

But I better backtrack a minute (this is important!) -- my ruling standard isn't just making something edible, or even good. When I have a finished product, my taste test must give me a definitive answer to the question, "Would I serve this to a customer in my restaurant?" And not just any restaurant but the imaginary ideal one in my mind, where all my favorite and most memorable customers from over the years, in many places I've worked, are my clientele! (NOTE: There will be a separate post in the not-too-distant future which will expand on what kind of place this is and how I conceived it.) So anyway, this is more than just "Would I happily eat it?" but really, "Can I be super-proud to SERVE it?"In my restaurant!!! Yes is the answer. And for those of you who scoff at the "cheat", "Try it, you'll like it!"

Recently, I started experimenting with pre-packaged brownie mixes, wherein I could replace the 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil with unsweetened apple sauce, one egg and a couple tablespoons of water, and under-bake it just a little, and out comes NEARLY the best batch of brownies, you ever tasted! But still not perfect, and I wanted perfection, so . . . I added a little vanilla, and a 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (yeah, that's adding fat, but largely good fats instead of bad), and made a light frosting, topped it with Breyer's Free Ice Cream and Cool Whip Free, and used a little left-over frosting warmed in the microwave as a sauce and this gorgeous creation is what came out. Weighing in at about 400 calories! Not bad for a dessert this good!!!

Double Dark Chocolate Brownies:
So that was fun and now how about some Brownies to celebrate the dream!

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Mix well:

I box dark chocolate Brownie mix ( Use Dark Chocolate Ghiradelli)

1 egg

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 tsp. Vanilla

Add:

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, stir in.

Scrape batter into a foil lined greased 8x8" inch pan The foil will make it easier to get on to a plate, once it's cool.

Bake for  40-45 minutes.

Remove and let cool.

Chocolate Frosting:

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (If you want Fat Free use 4 oz. Cocoa and more sugar)

1/4 cup fat free evaporated milk

Put in microwave to melt 30 seconds at a time, until chocolate is meted and stir until combined,

add, 2 TBLS Unsalted butter and allow to melt while stiring

Sift 1/2 cup confectioners sugar adding a little bit at a time until right consistency. Like Frosting, if it's to thick, add a little milk, to thin, add more sugar.

Top w/ Breyers FreeVanilla Caramel or Ice Cream of choice, chocolate sauce, and Cool Whip Free or Whipped cream.

Serve, and as always, Enjoy!

LIVE,LOVE,LAUGH,COOK!!!

© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Beautiful Italian Strata

I dream of going to Italy someday, because, let's get real, I love Italian Food!! No, make that, I LOVE ITALIAN FOOD!!! Everything from the innocent cannoli to the very finest steak pizzaiola, from the very pointed toe of that geographical boot to the 6" heel to the thigh-high upper cuff -- yes, I just kinda redesigned Italy to suit my own fashion taste, as I do with everything -- I just make it my own.

I first started making strata before I really knew what it was; unbenownst to me it had been around for ages. Mixing bread, eggs, veggies, cheese and meat was just something I had concocted, but I learned how to prepare it the authentic way in 1989 from a fantastic chef I knew named Domenico, in Big Sur at the fabulous River Inn (still my favorite job of all time) www.bigsurriverinn.com . That was when I understood how excellent it could be with a few tricks he taught me!!!

For one thing, it must be assembled the night before and left to rest overnight in the fridge, and for another, it should be baked at 400ºF, a higher temperature than I had previously been using. That'll make it nice and brown -- in fact I let it almost burn a little around the edges because, well, as they DON'T say in Italy, dagnabbit, I like burnt cheese! Don't know anybody that doesn't! (One of my first-ever culinary creations as a kid was burnt cheese on tin foil -- sooooo good!) Anyhow, it's such a tasty and easy weekend brunch-type item, I just wanted to share it, so here it is in all its glory!!!

Beautiful Italian Strata:

Have ready a baking bowl, casserole or pan, well oiled, along with:

1 loaf of stale French or sourdough bread, sliced

1 10-12 oz. package of good cheese (I used Muenster in this one)

1 package of Prosciutto

Lighty roasted veggies of choice (leftovers work great in this -- I used broccoli and zucchini from the night before)

6 eggs

2 cups milk

Salt and pepper to taste but remember that the meat and cheese is salty, so go easy.

Layer starting with bread, then veggies, meat and cheese in that order, repeat as necessary. You might not need the whole loaf of bread; I usually have about a third of a loaf left! Always end with the cheese. 

Now mix together eggs and milk and pour over the whole deal, and take a spatula and press down all over casserole, till the egg/milk mixture is soaked up. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning while brewing your coffee, just preheat oven to 375ºF-400ºF depending on your oven and whether you are using a convection fan. (Convection swirls the heat around the oven and makes things brown more evenly and usually takes less time.) Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, i.e. until a tooth pick comes out clean and the top and sides are good and brown. Remove to the top of the stove and let rest for half an hour. Serve, either with a sauce, or salsa or nothing at all! Delish every way!

And as always , Enjoy!!!

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Watercress, Apple, Gorgonzola, Chicken and Maple Pecan Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette

This is one of those posts which arise when a taste takes me to a different time and place -- in this case, a memory I've mentioned before, namely a house near Rocky Creek Bridge on Highway1 in Big Sur. I had become "foster mom" to the two dogs of a friend who was going to Brazil for a extended stay. The six-month sojourn turned into nine and that was fine with me! Zeus, a half-wolf/half-shepherd, and Bella, a three-legged Rotty, were my great protectors and wonderful company. Their need for exercise was tremendous, so every day we'd walk the back fire trail down behind, and then under, the bridge and continue on to the beach at Rocky Creek, a very private white sand beach so beautiful I can't even believe it myself when I think back.

On the path to the beach were a million things to see, including a world of wonderful plants and quite a few animals we cautiously befriended. The most notable of the latter was the mountain lion that lived on the right bank of the steep mountain side, almost directly under my home. He was old and just liked to tease the dogs a little (they would go crazy trying to make it up the embankment to no avail), and lay in the sun in front of his lair. True, he had visible scarring and his boniness truly showed his age, and he really wasn't a direct threat . . . but I was happy never to do that walk without Zeus and Bella at my side!

But what brought me back to this memory was a taste that reminded me of what grew by the creek, namely some of the best and spiciest watercress I ever tasted in my life. Every day on our way home I would grab ample amounts to make into a salad and give the rest to friends. It was so delicious that people up and down the coast who were fortunate enough to get some were grateful for that tasty gift.

So as I stood in the veggie aisle at Whole Foods and picked a leaf off my bunch of watercress and inhaled that fresh, piquant, almost grassy aroma, it took me back to that time in my life when I was just living in the moment, doing what I wanted to do, paying no attention to how time passes so quickly. I was very much like I am today, only now I'm a little more cognizant of the stealthy speed of time and how it likes to slip away, and I have learned -- am still learning -- to appreciate every person and every moment in my life at this time on this planet. Peace.

Watercress Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette:
Wash and dry in a salad spinner:
2 Bunches watercress, clean for large stems
1 apple, sliced thin
Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Rotisserie chicken, breast removed and sliced
Maple pecans (Whole Foods), chopped roughly

Citrus Vinaigrette:
Juice of one orange
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
Adobo or Kosher Salt (to taste)
Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
Shake or stir until well-blended and use either individually or toss entire salad.

And as always, Enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
©Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Roast Turkey Breast w/ Wild Mushroom & Walnut Quinoa

Growing up in Hippieville USA, a/k/a/ Big Sur, California, was an incredible experience. Music was always emanating from a turntable here or an 8-track player there: Janis, Jimi, the Beatles, the Stones, Donovan, the Moody Blues, Buffalo Springfield, Santana, etc. Live music played at every gathering or festival and people danced for joy -- no dance cards here; women clad in long, flowing skirts and beaded blouses with not a bra as far as the eye could see (so to speak), their beautiful long hair twirling in the sunlight, their barefeet on the cool grass in the hills and valleys of the beautiful land in which I grew up.

Of course these happenings were also happening a little bit north of there, notably in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, and even 'way down the coast -- although maybe with a little more affluent vibe, the bare feet swirling the golden sands of Malibu, and all the way back east in New York's Central Park there were more hippies, more love beads and more free concerts -- hey, it extended well east of that too, from Woodstock to Stockholm.

There was never anything like this magical time and may never be again, and it forever changed both MY life and history itself. I was reminded of this when my brother-in-law, Charles Rosin, posted a blog that included me and my "process" at www.showbizzle.com/blog/charles-rosin. So when the test kitchens at Jenni's Dish get fired up to create something new, the music ('60s and '70s on XM Radio) must be playing to get the vibe just right and conducive to the flow of juices of love, light and creative energy. Nothing tastes better than food made with love; it's THE secret ingredient and has been so from the days of your great-grandmother's grandmother's grandmother!!!

A lot of great food has passed through these hands of mine, though some ideas take a little more ingenuity than others. Take this one from the old hippie days, incorporating that ol' "mother grain" quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah). Let's be real, I found it tasteless and with a funky consistency when boiled, and even with the addition of some bouillon it was just not that great! So I tried, tried and tried again and it finally came to me: The water must be taken back out in some way, leaving you with an end product closer to wild rice pilaf. And so this dish was born, and everyone who tastes it says, "Wow, I didn't think I really liked quinoa -- I just ate it 'cause it was healthy! But this is delicious!"

Roast Turkey Breast w/ Apple, Onion, Carrot and Thyme:


Preheat oven to 400ºF Have ready a lg roasting pan lined with foil, and spray w/ oil

2 1/2 Turkey Breasts
Make two beds of
2 apples quartered
1 red onion quartered
4-5 sprigs of Thyme

Wash and trim and dry breasts
Season breasts w/
3 lg cloves garlic grated or pressed
1 orange
1 lemon
olive oil
Adobo
Seasoned Salt
Garlic Salt
Lemon Pepper
Paprika
3 TBLS Chopped Fresh Thyme
Place seasoned Breasts on beds and spread

1 lb bag carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal about 1" pieces

around the rest of the pan, season carrots as well, first with olive oil then spices

Bake for 1 hr and 15, (basting w/ there own juices every 20 minutes) or until a meat thermometer reaches 175º-180ºF

Remove and let rest for 15 minutes.

Wild Mushroom & Walnut Quinoa:

2 cups Quinoa 

1 package Whole Foods Wild Mushrooms Mixture, reconstituted in boiling water for about 5 minutes or until soft, drain a little of the mushroom juice from the top, about a 1/2 cup, reserve and discard the rest, as it can be sandy. rinse and dry shrooms and chop until about a 1/4"

2 packages baby portabella's, (cleaned by hand with NO WATER, use a mushroom brush or a paper towel), chopped to about a 1/2"
1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts, set aside

Boil Quinoa as directed on package, adding bouillon to the amount of water as directed.

Remove from heat and set aside.

1 package Enoki Mushrooms as Garnish at the very end before serving.

In a lg saute pan put a few TBLS. Olive Oil and get very hot, being careful not to burn or smoke, add all mushrooms and allow little pockets for all steam to escape. (See Spice Rubbed Tri Tip recipe 3/19/10).
When mushrooms start to brown add garlic and quinoa and keep cooking stirring often and letting the steam escape, season with  truffle (or kosher) salt and pepper to taste, but remember, you added bouillon to the quinoa already, so watch the salt, keep cooking over med heat until the mixture starts to get a little dry, letting it brown a little bit on each side before stirring, this whole process takes about 25 minutes, add nuts and reduce heat to low. Taste, and if it is to dry add reserved mushroom water a TBLS at a time. IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A LITTLE DRY, BUT NOT HARD!!!
Put Mixture in a serving platter and sprinkle with Enoki Mushrooms, and serve.
By the by, I simply roasted the Brussel Sprouts w/ Olive oil and a little truffle salt at the end.

And as Always, Enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

The Bazaar Restaurant at SLS Hotel, Beverly Hills Ca. 90210 Part I

I rode to this eatery with my friend and associate Josh, the instigator of this endeavor, and even as we approached the Hotel SLS I could see I was in store for something extraordinary. Off to my left, in a covered outdoor area, beautiful handcrafted couches were beautifully lit by a raft of exotic lamps, and in front of us through a glass door was a screen of some sort with a butler doing, well, butling; he had the distinct appearance of someone whose name had to be Jeeves. Next to Jeeves was a hostess station with two lovely young women who greeted us. We were just going to look around while waiting for the rest of our party.
And so it began, as we made our way through the "bazaar" area I was compelled to touch, stare at, photograph at a rapid rate, much like the beating of my heart -- at this point as I knew I was home, as if this entire structure and everything in it had been designed to make me happy and full of wonder. I was Alice and had clearly This is saying a lot, between growing up in Big Sur and my professional career in restaurant work, I had landed in Wonderland, but there was something about the fusion of old and new at the Bazaar that had me totally hooked. I felt as though it embodied a sort of off-the-wall eclecticism that only appeals to a certain type of person like me. (Funnily enough, I bet a whole bunch of very different individuals feel just the same way about the place!)

And I am only now about to get started on the food!!! It was so insanely fabulous that words are not enough; it must be experienced to fully grasp the flavor combinations and textures that prove Chef José Andrés to be a culinary genius and an artist in his own right. Josh was on the money when he said I just had to "come with" . . .

We started off with the "Not your everyday Caprese," which disappeared so fast I didn't even get a picture (giving me one more reason to go back -- like I need another one?), and American Caviar Cones, parmesan cones with crème fraîche filling and caviar on top --phenomenal.

Then we had the assortment of proscuitto with Catalan-style toasted bread with tomato -- another hit! Next was Watermelon Nigiri, with fresh wasabi, red wine, soy and jalapeno that was then topped with seafoam! What next, you ask? It was by far my favorite of the evening, Cotton Candy Foie Gras Lollipops -- unreal, a true masterpiece!!!

But there's more! Moving right along, there was the Kobe Beef Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, the Ottoman Carrot Fritters with apricots and pistachio sauce -- I'm going back into a foodie dreamland coma as I write this!

Then came the Catalan Spinach with apple, pine nuts and raisins; the Croquetas de Pollo (chicken and Bechamel fritters); and the Sautéed Cauliflower "Couscous," which consisted of cauliflower purée, harissa (North African hot chili sauce), lemon and fried quinoa.

And as they say in TV-land, "But wait -- there's more!" I had spied the pâtisserie on the way in, at the beginning of this fantastic voyage into this world of unbridled creative culinary energy -- so look forward to Part Two: Dessert! (I know I did!!!) Thanks again, Josh!

And as always, Enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, EAT!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Veggie Lasagna- Eggplant Instead of Pasta

My friend Elsa recently told me her beautiful, sweet and shy daughter Marilyn is a vegetarian, and she asked if I knew any good vegan recipes. Having grown up a "veg head," I laughed and said, "But of course!" I learned a lot of my many flavor tricks from having to make vegetarian food taste good, since what that's often about is supplying flavor for something that has none (think: tofu). On the other hand veggies themselves generally have tremendous flavor, but the trick there is to bring that out of them and complement it with other flavor combos. It's like, knowing me now, you would never guess that as a little one I was SO shy, scared of my own shadow really, but my brothers Bill and Jim and my sister Karen brought out my more daring side as well as the quirky sense of humor I had clearly inherited from my Dad (all of us were fortunate in that way). So to me, seasoning is like bringing out a personality for a dish. And sometimes a very subtle touch can be the tiny addition which makes a dish come to life, just as a brief but resonant instant or influence in our life can bring out a side of us we never knew we had.

This particular dish has a little of both, some bold flavors to set the mood of the meal and the little undertones which make it unique. And you can dress it up any way you like, whether fancy and formal or kinda casual for everyday eating; it's the same dish wearing different duds -- and accessories are everything!!! When I started singing in public at about age 17, I held back on stage at first, but as my stage personality jelled and my confidence built I emerged from my shell, until one day in my 20's I realized I WAS the lead singer, and I dug it, playing off the audience and the other musicians like I was playing a instrument of my own, meaning not just my voice but my persona!!! Life and food have so much in common, they walk hand in hand, from hard-to-do, obscure and scary to beautiful, kind and soothing.

Veggie Lasagna:


Roast in a 350ºF oven, on cookie sheets with cooking spray
3 lg. Eggplants sliced length wise and ends cut off and discarded, as well as the pieces from the end which are mostly skin, for 10 minutes on each side, remove and set aside to cool.
In a lg bowl mix together well:
1  8 oz. package chopped frozen spinach thawed and wrung out in a kitchen towel to remove all water.
1 lb.Lowfat Ricotta Cheese, drained of any water, just set it in a strainer in the sink while you prep other ingredients.
3 cloves of garlic pressed
Fresh Nutmeg to taste
Salt and pepper to taste (some ricotta cheese is very salty, so be careful)
1/2 of 1 lb. Part Skim Mozzarella, shredded, retain the other half for the top.
Meanwhile in a sautee pan or med high heat, w/ olive oil to coat pan sautee,
2 packages Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced, making sure to cook them hard and release all the water, (adding anything soggy to this dish is no good.) Set aside in a bowl and using the same pan, lightly sautee
2 lg or 3 med Zucchini cubed, until just under cooked about 3-4 minutes, turn off heat, season with 
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp Sweet Basil and 
1 tsp Thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
At this point you can put the mushrooms back in the pan with the zuchinni, and give a good stir,
1 jar Marinara of choice, or Homemade
All heat should be off except the oven still at 350ºF
In a 13x9x3 (placed on a cookie sheet in case of bubbling over) , spray pan w/ oil and start to layer with eggplant, sauce, cheese mixture, veggies, repeat, until everything is gone (but the remaining shredded cheese,) make sure you end the layering with sauce, and cover with foil, bake for 40-50 minutes, uncover and add remaining cheese and cook until cheese is nice and toasty brown to golden brown, we love burnt cheese around here so everyone prefers this done darker than lighter.
Remove from oven and let rest for at least 30-40 minutes to "set-up", this is very important if you want it to cut well and taste right.
Here I served it surrounded by Baby Green, Olives and Tomato w/ just a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon and Truffle Salt, w/ some shaved Parmesan Cheese!

And as always, Enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010