Celebrate Derby Day with This Authentic Recipe

Those who are close to me know that I'm not one to brag. But today, as I look out my kitchen window and prepare for my favorite holiday feast of the year, I am reminded of my days riding the greatest Thoroughbred in history, Man O'War.  OK, so I brag sometimes. 
 
For those of you that know horseracing history, I am sure the numbers are working in your heads now. That can't be right. (Or, "she looks great for her age!")  Man O'War won 20 of 21 races just after World War I, how could she of possibly ridden that horse? 
 
Well, this is what happens to the truth when we brag, it gets shaded. I rode the statue.  I grew up surrounded by horse and grain farms in central Kentucky. Man O'War was born and died near my family's farm.  On beautiful spring days after picking wild strawberries and asparagus, we would make our way to the tall statue and saddle up.  Man O'War's remains have since moved to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.  Sadly, you can no longer saddle up and ride Man O'War, but you can take a short drive to Louisville to enjoy the fastest two minutes in sports, the Kentucky Derby. 
 
Some folks throw Super Bowl parties. We throw a Derby party. 

Chef Meg's Phyllo-Wrapped Asparagus Recipe

Who said finger food is unhealthy? Try this asparagus appetizer at brunch, as a pre-dinner snack, or served from a picnic basket on a warm spring day.
 
Minutes to Prepare: 15
Minutes to Cook: 10
Number of Servings: 12
 
Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 12
• Calories: 36.1
• Total Fat: 0.7 g
• Cholesterol: 0.8 mg
• Sodium: 47.5 mg
• Total Carbs: 3.2 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.4 g
• Protein: 3.5 g

Slow Cooker Secrets

You have just had a long hard day at work or school and thoughts of what to make for dinner overwhelm your brain.  Suddenly you remember: "I put a stew in the slow cooker this morning. WooHoo!"  As you enter your kitchen, you can smell the savory delight and hear the bubbling sound of juices. Dinner is ready.
 
To be a good slow cooker you first need to understand the equipment and just how that crock traps all the flavors and creates an amazing stew, soup, or even dessert.  The crock pot simmers food for an extended period of time.  Depending on the recipe, the dish may be ready in 4 hours or 10.  Most slow cookers have three temperature settings: low, high, or keep warm.  On average, most cookers run at 180 degrees F for low and 250 degrees F for high.  A word of caution: Several studies have found that these numbers can vary as much as 40 degrees either way.  Just remember that even if you're in a rush, you need to check the internal temperature of the food to ensure that the proteins are cooked to proper temperatures.  Dark meat poultry should be cooked to 180 degrees, white meat poultry to 165, beef to 160, and pork, 145 degrees.
 
Easy clean-up is an added bonus with slow cooking.  I always spray the inner liner with non-stick pan coating.  Wait until the inner liner has cooled slightly before washing; the extreme change in temperature could cause it to break.  When storing your slow cooker, leave the lid ajar to avoid a "funny" smell.

Chef Meg's Eggs Nested in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Nestle eggs into a spicy tomato sauce and bake them for a light and easy supper. Serve over pasta or with crusty whole-wheat bread for dipping.
 
Minutes to Prepare: 10
Minutes to Cook: 20
Number of Servings: 4
 
Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 4
Calories: 277.6
Total Fat: 10.7 g
Cholesterol: 185.2 mg
Sodium: 472.9 mg
Total Carbs: 36.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 7.7 g
Protein: 14.9 g

Fresh vs. Frozen: Dos and Don'ts of Saving for the Off-Season

One of the earliest lessons my parents taught me was to eat what's in season.  Being from a farm family, you quickly learn that if food is not harvested at its peak it either goes rotten in the field or becomes a meal for birds, insects, or the Earth.   
 
That's why we eat fruits and vegetables fresh when they are in season.   That means you'll eat your weight in asparagus in May, strawberries in June, pepper and corn in July, and tomatoes in August. 

After eating tomatoes every day for a month, you might be tired of them in late summer, but don't you long for them during the cold winter months? 
 
But wait, you can still enjoy the harvest if you follow the rules that mother Nature gives to the animals:  pack away some of your harvest for the off season.  You don't have to be a farmer's daughter to enjoy the bounty of the harvest.  Check out your farmers market or even your local grocery store during peak growing months and purchase good quality fruits and vegetables then have a freezing party at your home.  If you are too busy to freeze peak fruits and vegetables at home, no worries. You can find good quality frozen fruits and vegetables at your local market. 

Chef Meg’s Springtime Salads Video

Salads are a staple of any healthy eater's diet. Chef Meg turns the season's freshest ingredients into light meals and fresh side dishes.

Meet Crepes: Pancakes' Skinnier, Fancier Cousins

A crêpe might look like a skinny pancake, but it's so much more versatile than the good old American flapjack!
 
Yes, they are both made from a thin batter and cooked on a flat surface, but what happens to a crêpe after it comes off the griddle sets it worlds apart from the pancake.  
 
Unlike the pancake, the crêpe is generally used as a wrapper for other foods rather than the main attraction.  Crêpes can be sweet or savory, and they're eaten as hors d'oeuvres, entrees and dessert. It really is a world-class dish, and as such, it answers to many names:

In Italy, crêpes are crespelle. They're often filled with cheese and baked like manicotti. In China, they're known as "bing," and filled with everything from green onions to fruit. And in Russia, crêpes become blinis, stuffed with all sorts of sweet and savory ingredients.
 
Today we're focusing on the French version, the one we might know best stuffed with banana and Nutella and eaten out of hand on a Parisian street corner (in our daydreams!). They named their pancake "crêpes" because their thin, lacy edges resemble the fabric of the same name.  Traditional crêpes are made using lots of eggs and melted butter, then extra melted butter coats the crêpe pan for cooking. Ooh, la, la, that's heavy!
 
I found a way to put my crêpes on a slim-down and fiber up plan.   

Chef Meg’s Superior Sandwiches Video

For busy families, sandwiches are the greatest thing since sliced bread. 

Chef Meg's Egg-Cellent Tips and Recipes

Why did the chicken cross the road?  To take a vacation from all the egg laying.  Funny to me and you but not the chickens. 
 
When chickens first became domesticated animals, the only time you actually ate then was if a hen stopped laying eggs or on a holiday when no meat could be found.  If you ate an egg-laying  hen, you ate the business. 
 
My family has a long history of raising chickens for eggs. Back when my great-grandmother was raising hens, the birds--omnivores by nature--ate grain and roamed outside to peck for proteins in the form of bugs and worms.  Times certainly have changed from Ma's day. 

Can I Cook Rice in the Slow Cooker?

Nothing makes me crazier than investing money and time in a recipe only for it to fail. Even chefs aren't immune to kitchen disasters. I took upon a challenge to come up with some simple recipes for cooking grains in the slow cooker.  Well, after lots of testing, reading about how other people do it and talking to my "chef" friends, I've come to the conclusion that cooking plain rice or pasta all day long in the slow cooker is not a good idea.


But if you're a slow cooker lover, don't fret. Not all hope is lost.  I was able to cook brown rice in the slow cooker using a "stalling method," and I found that oats and quinoa steam nicely in the slow cooker, too.
 
The slow cooker provides a moist environment for cooking.  It's wonderful for simmering cheaper cuts of meats that have tough connective tissue; I love it for keeping warm mashed potatoes, and its genius for making soups that are waiting for you as you walk in the door after a long day. 
 
That cozy, warm, moist environment is exactly what made it a bad choice for cooking whole grains. Brown long grain rice after three hours was sticky and clumpy--a real mess. 

Video: Chef Meg’s Spice Blends

Chef Meg collects spices the way some women collect shoes. These zero-calorie, fat-free flavor boosters are her secret weapons for delicious healthy food. 

Buck Up! Try Buckwheat for Breakfast

Just like the boy of the same name would say, buckwheat is o-tay!  I recently became a big fan of the triangular grain that is growing in popularity.  Buckwheat is actually not part of the wheat family, which means it is gluten free.   It also provides eight amino acids, plus plenty of fiber and protein.
 
To learn more about this unfamiliar, trendy grain, I phoned my agriculture expert. He is actually on my speed dial under "Daddy."
 
Turns out, my dad has been growing buckwheat for years, which was a surprise for me. I know the farm and its fields well, and he has never mentioned buckwheat! Part of the reason I had never heard of the harvest was that my family does not harvest the crop.  My Dad grows it as a source of food for the deer and doves that call our farm home as well.  Buckwheat, as my Dad explained, is a short crop that does not require pesticides or fertilizers.  Because it is a short crop, meaning that the plant matures in about 30 days, farmers can come in after its harvest or consumption from animals and then plant a second crop during the same season. The short season makes it perfect for climates with shorter growing seasons like the upper Midwest of the United States.   

Chef Meg's Not-Fried Shrimp with Japanese Cocktail Sauce

Biting into a perfectly crispy fried shrimp is so satisfying. The 10 grams of fat per serving? Not so satisfying. This dish has all the crunch, with much less fat. 

Minutes to Prepare: 10
Minutes to Cook: 15
Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 4
Calories: 193.7
Total Fat: 2.9 g
Cholesterol: 172.3 mg
Sodium: 243.4 mg
Total Carbs: 12.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g
Protein: 28.0 g

Tips

Edamame are young soybeans. Find them in the frozen food section shelled or still in their fuzzy pods. If you can't find them shelled, thaw them and shuck them as you would peas or beans. 

Wasabi is Japanese horseradish. Find it in paste or powder form in the Asian section of most supermarkets. Use it sparingly--it's potent. Here, we've softened the bite with sweet edamame and fresh spinach. 

When breading the shrimp try to use only one hand for the wet ingredients and one hand for the dry. You will avoid lumps in the breading. 

Better than Storebought: Easy Homemade Salad Dressings

I love to accessorize, don't you?  A hat, scarf or belt can make or break an outfit, just as a sauce, dressing, or marinade can make or break a dish.

Like everything else in my life, it all circles back to food--even accessories.  For me, the perfect accessory for salads, cold meats, fruit plates, and even savory dishes is the dressing.  It can be spicy, herbal, creamy, served hot or cold. I love them all.  The trouble is that traditional recipes call for loads of fat in the form of oils or cream.
 
When you're cutting the fat in dressings, the trick that I have found is that the flavor has to come in with a loud punch to offset the smaller amount of oils and cream. 
 
"Dressing" is a vague term that can be used to describe vinaigrettes, dipping sauces, marinades, and even flavored oils.  Whatever you call them, they basically can be divided into two categories: vinaigrettes and creamy dressings. 

Chef Meg's Hearty Soups Video

Soup is the perfect food for healthy eaters. Make your own, with these expert tips from Chef Meg