Persimmon Chips

So persimmon season is upon us, and as a result, a friend gave me bucketfuls of Fuyu persimmons from their tree. Having not tried persimmons before, I was gleefully filling bags of persimmons to take home. Because you can't go wrong with free food, am I right? 
Wrong! My family protested strongly when my heavy sack of persimmons was brought in-- apparently, not one of my family members enjoys the flavor of persimmons.  I was feeling helpless at that point-- the sudden fright of knowing that I selfishly hoarded pounds of persimmons without having a plan of what I'd do with them, brought on my guilty thoughts: I have struck a beautiful fruit useless. Given my scale-able sadness, I decided to try to eat one myself. Disappointingly, there is no fruit that I adore less than persimmons. 

I paced about the house for a couple days, wondering what I'd do with them, given that nobody really likes them. I pondered the idea of pureeing them and making a persimmon custard or pie, or even a persimmon souffle as I've done with yams in previous years. All, however seemed trite, and in addition, my family protested. After making apple chips a week before with apples that we bought in bulk and found going bad, it struck me to try Fuyu persimmon chips! To the dismay and outcries from the naysayers in my family, I replied, 'Yes, darn it! Chips!' 
Using the mandolin attachment that came with our food processor, the beauty of the persimmon chip was born. The novelty I discovered was that when the persimmon is sliced vertically, it appears to have a lightly colored line down the center. But when cut laterally, however, the light line transforms into the shape of a star/sand dollar! 
I placed the slices in the oven on a wire mesh grilling tray my parents had found at the dollar store many months before. This tray I've found very valuable in drying many of my excess fruits in the oven, and also in making chips of other types. 

I left them in the oven for around 1 hour and 15 minutes. The result was a crisp, sweet sand dollar chip! 
My friends liked them so much, one of my very good friends brought her own persimmons over to make more chips. 

Before last year, I had not known that there are two kinds of persimmons: the Fuyu, the kind you can eat right away, and the Hachiya, the horribly bitter kind you can't eat until they are very mushy. To tell the difference between them without being traumatized by the astringency, its easiest to note that the Fuyu are flatter, more pancake shaped, and the Hachiya are more oblong, similar in shape to a Roma tomato.  In any case, to make these persimmon chips, I found it easiest to use the Fuyu persimmons, because they are more firm when ripe, and they ripen sooner. I tried slicing the Hachiya persimmons when ripe and it became just a mushy mess! 



By the way, I believe I've found the only way my family will eat persimmons (aside from the souffle)!


The recipe is as follows:

Persimmon Chips
Ingredients: 

5 fuyu persimmons, washed with leafy tops removed


Directions: 

1. Slice persimmons laterally (across the fattest width of the persimmon) to 1/8 inch thickness
2. Place chips on a wire mesh tray, like a grilling tray or metal cooling rack that breathes. 
3. Bake in the oven at 200F for 2 hours and 15 minutes, or to the firmness that you desire.  

Some notes: 

• Thinner persimmon slices should be separated and baked on a separate tray because they require less cooking time (say 45 minutes for 1/16 inch thickness)
• There may be no need to oil the baking tray. The trays I used were aluminum, not nonstick, but the chips were easy to remove from the trays.
• After arranging my persimmons on the tray, I also tried sprinkling them with cinnamon and sugar, and a variant with cinnamon and Splenda (sucralose), both with wonderful results after baking. 
• These chips I've found taste wonderful with desserts containing nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon, but also pair well with other flavors like orange, ginger, and anise. 

For now I've exhausted my supply of persimmons, but I have great plans of a persimmon chip comeback, maybe using them as a garnish over pudding with a orange zest and ginger, or with a spice cake! For more unique ways to use persimmons, see my persimmon ginger souffle!


Meanwhile, you can take home the recipe, here!

Simple Summer salad

This summer has been lovely for my family's garden, providing us with some very large quantities of tomatoes, cucumbers.  Our trees are also dropping to the ground with lemons, so wherever possible, I'll add a lemon or two.
Our family grows these crops year after year without hesitation and I feel that they are some of the most important and common ingredients in Lebanese cuisine.
Plus, its hot here and I don't want to cook much... So I'll do very little, make my beautiful vegetables do the hard work of tasting delicious, light, juicy and refreshing, and I'll rest until its dinner time. :-)

Tomato and Herb Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 4 large tomatoes, chopped to large pieces
• 10-15 leaves of mint, sliced into thin strips (about 1/2 cup)
• 4 cucumbers, lightly peeled
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 TB olive oil

Directions:
Slice the peeled cucumbers into thin rounds and place them in the salad bowl.
Add to these the to the chopped tomatoes with the garlic, lemon and oil.
Chop the mint and add it just before serving to prevent the mint from discoloring.


Nutrition facts for 1 cup of tomato/cucumber salad:
45 total calories, 4gm total carbohydrate, 3 gm fiber, 0 protein, 1 gm fat
(0.25 Carbohydrate (0 NET carb), 0 Fat, and 0 protein exchanges)

A Most Decorated Salad

Tabbouleh is a parsley and tomato salad popular during the summer months. It requires extra time and effort to chop the variety of ingredients, so it is usually done when there is extra time to spare. Tabbouleh differs from kitchen to kitchen, with many people adding their own touches, like allspice instead of seven spice, or additional vegetables such as radishes lettuce or cucumber, or simply different ratios of ingredients, most commonly, more bulghur (cracked wheat).

My tabbouleh I prefer unaltered, moist with vegetables and tomatoes, and plenty of lemon.
This dish is filled with plenty of antioxidants, vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, monounsaturated fats, and fiber.

Tabbouleh
Makes enough for 6 people
Ingredients

• 1 cup water 
• 1/2 cup bulghur (cracked wheat), fine or medium ground
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped fine 
• 3 stalks fine green onion, chopped fine
• 2 bunches fresh parsley, chopped with stems removed (approx 3 cups)
• 10 fresh mint leaves, chopped (approx 1/2 cup)
• 3 medium tomatoes, diced fine
• Juice from 1 lemon (approx 1/4 cup)
• 2 TB olive oil
• 1/2 tsp seven spices
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. start by rinsing the burghul, and soaking it in water for about 30 minutes.
2. While the burghul is being soaked, chop the vegetables and combine them together in a salad bowl, chopping the tomatoes last. 
3. Fold the burghul gently into the vegetables to prevent the tomatoes from being smashed.
4. Garnish with diced tomatoes and sumac or sliced radishes and paprika and serve!

Nutrition facts: 

Nutrition facts for 1 cup of tabbouleh:
60 total calories, 7gm total carbohydrate, 4 gm fiber, 1oz protein, 1gm fat
(0.5 Carbohydrates (0 NET carbs), 0 Fat, and 0 protein exchanges)

Healthy Lebanese Kabsa

Kabsa is a dish made from braising and stewing meat with spices, tomatoes, onions and rice. Some people mix more variety of vegetables to make it more like a spanish paella or a rice-based casserole in a pot.
It is usually cooked until the rice absorbs the water and the Kabsa is dry. That, however is not my style.

First I brown some of the onion, adding a bit of grated garlic towards the end. Meanwhile I rub the meat in plenty of spices and allow it to marinade. The most common meat to use is lamb and traditionally it is made with larger chunks of meat, like whole chicken pieces with skin and bone, or lamb shank or shoulder. My family prefers chicken.  I used boneless, skinless free-range chicken breast that I cut into small cubes to allow for a more dispersed flavor and more equal quantity of meat in every serving.

We sear the meat with the onions and then add peeled tomato, some tomato paste and more spices. We then add the water of meat broth and cook until the rice is ready and has soaked up the juices. I usually add carrots and extra water (sometimes also yellow squash if I have it) to keep my kabsa soft and juicy. From start to finish, it takes around 1 hour. I use brown rice, making the cooking time almost double, and very lean chicken. I also use fresh lemon for flavor in the end instead of adding salt to the dish. If fresh lemons are not available, I may use half of a preserved lemon instead. The recipe is below.

Chicken Kabsa

serves 6

Ingredients: 

• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 TB olive oil
• 2lb chicken
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 TB tomato paste
• 1c carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 cups brown rice
• 2.5 cups chicken broth or water
• 1 TB hot chili paste
• juice from 2 lemons
• 1 green onion chopped for garnish

Directions

1. Rub the chicken with the dry spices (cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, paprika, cumin) and set aside. 
2. Sautee 3/4 of the diced onion with oil on medium heat in a large pot until slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. 
3. Add 3 of the grated garlic cloves and sautee for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.  
4. Remove the onions and garlic from the pot. 
5. To the same oil and pot as the onions were in, add the spiced chicken and sear it for about 3 minutes on each side. 
6. Return the onion/garlic to the pot, adding also the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix these well with the chicken and onions. 
7. Add to this the carrots, brown rice and chicken broth and stir to combine. Boil on medium heat for 20 minutes with the lid on the pot.
8. Add the remaining 1/4 onion, and 1 clove of grated garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 1 hour. Remove lid and continue to simmer uncovered for the remaining 15 minutes on low if the recipe seems more watery than you prefer.
9. Dish out approximately 1-1.5 cup servings for adults, squeezing lemon over the plate and garnish with green onions to serve.

Nutrition facts for 1 cup of kabsa:
255 total calories, 30gm total carbohydrate, 6 gm fiber, 20 oz protein, 6gm fat
(2 Carbohydrates (1.5 NET carbs), 1 Fat, and 3 protein exchanges)

Cucumber and Yogurt Salad

Cucumber and Yogurt Salad
Serves 6
Ingredients:

• 1 Pint plain, fat free greek yogurt, or homemade yogurt (get my yogurt-making guide here)
• 10 leaves of mint, sliced into thin strips (about 1/2 cup), may use 2TB dried mint instead.
• 4 cucumbers, lightly peeled
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 leaves of mint unsliced for garnish

Directions:
Mix the yogurt, salt and garlic in a salad bowl.
Dice the peeled cucumbers into very fine cubes and mix them with the yogurt.
Chop the mint and add it to the yogurt mixture just before serving to prevent the mint from discoloring.
Mix well and serve



Nutrition facts for 1 cup of cucumber/yogurt salad:
90 total calories, 12gm total carbohydrate, 2 gm fiber, 8oz protein, 0gm fat
(1 Carbohydrate (1 NET carb), 0 Fat, and 1 protein exchanges)

Its a Lemon River!

Lemons!

Now is the time in our Californian suburb where the weather is warming up and the lemons are falling from all the heat. The results? Liquid gold! A fridge full of lemons, a kitchen smelling of lemons, the neighbors and friends responding, 'thanks, but please! no more lemons'. I'm being drowned by my river of lemons!

So many lemons that when I step outside, I slip and make lemon puree! So many lemons that my patio is more yellow than the sunlit Californian sky!

What can I do with so many lemons? Some options are: lemonade, lemon juice ice cubes for winter, lemon bars, lemon meringue, lemon tarts, Moroccan preserved lemons... But what about the rest? My last idea? Lemon sorbet! YUM!

Ice cream, has a thicker, more viscous texture made from higher fat content, allowing the incorporation of more air when it is mixed, and better holding of the air bubbles, making the ice cream softer when frozen and easier to scoop. Sorbet, however, is basically frozen, flavored sugar water. It usually has an icy, less smooth feel. Plus, sugar generally helps the ice cream from freezing solid into ice, so even 1/4 cup of many sorbets can be much more than a diabetic carbohydrate serving depending on the manufacturer. Many manufacturers add thickeners like egg yolks, corn starch, protein powders, gelatin, or pectin. The problem with many of these is their starchiness, also some have allergies to eggs, soy or dairy proteins, and Muslims and Jews cannot have the majority of gelatin due to its sources being mainly from pigs.Other manufacturers add an alcohol-base to the sorbet mixture to increase its freezing temperature (also not religiously appropriate).

To my sorbet, I want to reduce the amount of sugar I add (keeping my family healthy) and make sure the consistency is thick and creamy enough that it won't turn completely to ice upon freezing but will still provide a nice smooth mouth feel. Plus I want to stay away from allergens starches and gelatin.

The variety of lemon I use for desserts is called the Meyer lemon because of its sweeter, less tart flavor. This, along with adding a little distilled orange blossom water and the juice from an orange allows for the addition of less sugar. Then the question arises of what type of sugar? Well, naturally, I'll aim to make a simple syrup to impart a slight thickness to my sorbet and remove the graininess of natural sugar. Not exactly diabetic friendly, but that will depend on portion size as well.

To improve viscosity of the sorbet, I'll gradually incorporate a powdered gum base, so the addition of starches or other thickeners became unnecessary.

LEMON ORANGE SORBET

Ingredients

• Juice from 5 lemons (approx 3/4 cup)
• Juice of 1 large orange
• 1 tsp orange blossom water
• 1/2c water
• 3/4c simple syrup (recipe here)
• 2TB powdered gum mastic (also known as gum arabic or gum acacia)

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a pot on low heat, and allow mixture to simmer until combined, but not boil.
2. Add to this powdered gum mastic and blend well, until any percieved lumps of gum powder have been dissolved. Remove from the heat and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. 
3. Place the cooled sorbet mixture in the ice cream maker bowl and blend for 30 minutes or until thick.

So, I've made another batch with orange-blossom honey instead of simple syrup, and the taste is phenomenal. Albeit not exactly my taste preference, but still imparting a wonderfully natural flavor to the sorbet. The texture of the sorbet is still not perfect: it remains a bit icy and doesn't maintain a ball shape when you freeze it. Regardless of perfect presentation, it tasted delicious!

Another option is for the addition of Agave nectar to the sorbet for a reduced sugar option. Instead of using simple syrup, I added 1/2c agave nectar. The results slightly darker yellow color sorbet (negligible), and no noticeable change in taste. Still the texture was the same: soft and fluffy, bot not a cohesive creamy texture.

 I'll post the third trial aimed at improving texture shortly. One goal is for an ice cream that doesn't crumble during my scooping, another is for the ice cream doesn't freeze solid. To this end, I intend to try one batch with added egg yolk, one with rice or corn starch, and one with the addition of orange-flavored liqueur (such as grand marnier), in addition to coconut milk for added smoothness.  Keep checking back!

Oranges and Dark chocolate

Do you want a low sugar, low fat dessert that is healthy for a diabetic as well as someone with heart disease? Do you want more antioxidants? Are you wishing there were healthier desserts and snacks out there?
I peeled a few oranges removing the white rag with the peel, and sliced them horizontally into rounds, arranging them nicely on a plate. After which I simply took a bar of dark chocolate with orange flavoring and grated it over the orange slices using a micro-planer. Ohhh, I love this little tool for grating parmesan, or for micro-grating/zesting orange or lemon peels. It is also handy in making little chocolate and white chocolate shavings over coffee or as a topping for cakes.

I decided to add a bit of color, also because I was overambitious ran out of oranges! So I used some grapes that a farmer from my work gave me as a centerpiece.  Because my dad was watching his sugar intake, I made him this instead of an extravagant cake, and we shared it family-style with appetizer forks.

My saving graces: by using high quality chocolate, freshly picked fruits, and having a pleasing presentation, this light dessert satisfied our sweet tooth, gave us antioxidants in the form of dark chocolate and vitamin C, and was very well loved.

Ingredients:

• 4 oranges peeled with white outer rag peeled off
• 1/4 bar of Lindt 'Intense Orange' dark chocolate
• Garnish as desired. I would prefer mint leaves or halved green grapes

Arrange orange slices on a plate in whatever pattern you desire. Grate chocolate directly over the slices, making sure chocolate stays cool and is grated quickly.
Yum!


Nutrition facts for 3 orange slices:
40 total calories, 10gm total carbohydrate, 1 gm fiber, 0.25gm fat  (0.5 Diabetic carbohydrate exchange)

And here's version 2, adding chunks of chocolate and brighter fruits provide more contrast and a beautifully delicious display. Add a mint leaf to the center strawberry for added color and appeal.