Are Higher Food Prices Actually Good For Our Diet?

Yesterday, April 2nd, there was an article in the "Dining & Wine" section of "The New York Times" titled "Some Goods News on Food Prices" which I read with great interest and hope. The article points out that most American shoppers are agonizing over the sharp increase in costs of most food items they encounter at the local grocery store, this actually might be a good thing for all of us. To read the entire article follow this link: Some Goods News on Food Prices

The argument goes like this: As energy costs continue to climb, that increase eventually effects everything we buy and consume, it simply costs more to manufacture, package and transport these goods and thus that cost must be passed on to the consumer. As that takes place, what was once considered inexpensive food i.e. fast-food, processed frozen dinners, soft beverages, synthetic snack foods, etc. may no longer look that attractive from a purely financial point of view. And in turn, may actually make items that are all-natural, organic, sustainable and locally raised more approachable by more and more Americans.

ALLELUIA!!! Don't get me wrong here, I hate to pay more for everything we buy today, but for some time now, I have been advocating that when consumers actually take the time to shop and compare the "true" costs associated with these so-called "inexpensive foods", they might just be surprised to find that there is very little if any savings. Today the American diet is so out of whack and yet study - after - study show the correlation between our diets and our national health crisis, I not talking "Universal Health Care", I'm talking the alarming increase is diabetes, the obesity of our population, our growing concerns about pesticides, artificial growth hormones, etc. Not to mention the whole "sustainability" aspect of watching out for Mother Earth!

I have found that when I go grocery shopping and take my time to shop wisely, it is fairly easy to find products that aren't laden with high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavorings and colorings, partially hydrogenated oils and a whole list of ingredients that one cannot even pronounce. Instead I can choose ingredients that are all-natural, organic, grass-fed, sustainable and delicious and best of all that actually cost about the same!

Have you noticed that even Wal-Mart is now advertising organically grown-sustainable coffee beans? When Wal-Mart takes notice folks it can only mean one thing...this is the future and I for one say "it's about time"!!!

Here are a few tips for anyone needing to grocery shop soon:

1) Eat before you shop! We've heard it all before but shopping on an empty stomach feeds (no pun intended) our desire to buy junk food. Those "Whoopee Pies" always look better on an empty stomach!

2) Try and do 80 - 90% of your shopping in the "outside aisles" of the store! Most grocery stores are set-up pretty much the same way...you walk in near the produce area, behind or next to that is the deli counter, followed by the fish counter, butcher area along the back wall usually. Then the dairy section is most times next. All on the "outside aisles". The danger foods are usually found in the center of the store - try to avoid these as much as possible.

3) Buy what is in season! Right now they say it's Spring (we still have at least 3 feet of snow on the ground), this time of year you will find asparagus, artichokes, strawberries, tangerines, grapefruit, some grapes, papaya, blood oranges, some melons, a whole lot of beans, broccoli, micro greens, spring onions, vidalia onions, spinach, carrots, along with other fruit and produce. These items will cost less this time of year. Follow this link to find a: "Seasonal Fruit & Vegetable Guide" on my website http://www.cookwithjohn.com/ .

4) Don't be afraid to check out the store brands! In our hometown there is a new "Stop & Shop" and I have found that they have a store brand called "Simply Enjoy" that offers a lot of

items which are actually pretty darn good from a nutritional, as well as flavor, point of view. I recently bought a jar of "Simply Enjoy Tomato-Basil Sauce" which only contained all-natural, real ingredients and it was much cheaper than the "big name" pasta sauces which tend to be loaded with sugar or corn syrup. The other day, my wife and I were looking for a salad dressing which wasn't loaded with calories. I spotted a "Simply Enjoy Mango Lime Vinaigrette" which only contains 50 calories and only 3.5 grams of total fat per 2 tablespoons - and this isn't a "low cal" or "Low fat" dressing. (It does contain some corn syrup and some xanthium gum, but not nearly as much as some of the other "big brands"). I'm sure that most large grocery chains have similar offerings.

5) If you live near a wholesale club like Sam's, Costco, BJ's, etc. check them out for all-natural & organic groceries. I recently bought a beautiful 1-pound package of Organic Baby Spinach at BJ's for about $5.00, you can expect to pay about $4.00 in the grocery stores for a 7-ounce package of the same. I also have purchased a great Sea Salt Grinder there as well as a lovely Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

6) Buy better quality and cut the portion size! I don't know about you but I cannot stand most of the "less expensive" cold cuts available at most grocery stores today. They simply pump them with excess water and salt to add weight. I would much rather pay a little extra for the all-natural turkey, the Black Forrest ham or the lean all-natural roast beef...then when I make a sandwich or Chef's Salad, I simply use 3 ounces (which is plenty) instead of 4. Same goes for all-natural grass-fed meats...go for the quality but instead of serving an 8-ounce portion of hormone enriched beef, scale it down to a 4-6 ounce portion. Did you know that all-natural, grass-fed beef tend to be much lower in total fat than grain fed products. For example, a sirloin steak from a grass fed steer has about one half to one third the amount of fat as a similar cut from a grain fed steer. In fact, grass fed meat has about the same amount of fat as skinless chicken or wild deer or elk and it actually lowers your LDL cholesterol levels.

7) Find ways to use most, if not all of the products you buy! Sounds simple but in actuality it is alarming how much food we throw-out as a nation. Here's a nice little example: For Easter we served asparagus as the vegetable. There were 8 of us dining and so we bought 2 pounds of asparagus (remember - it's in season now). Hopefully, most of you know to "snap-off" the bottom stem part which can be a bit woody...most people would simply throw that part away. Not us, my wife Cindy made a lovely batch of cream of asparagus soup (we just had a bowl for lunch). Cindy had to puree the soup and pass it through a chinois to remove any of the real woody pieces, but all-in-all it made for a great tasty treat.

8) Don't do your grocery shopping at "dollar" stores!!! I know that these "everything for a dollar or less" stores are cropping up all over the place. Believe me, I've been to the local one with my "frugal" mother and I was astonished at how awful the ingredient lists were on most of the food items offered. There is a reason it's only a buck!!!

I hope that these tips are of help to at least one person out there.

I've been providing a recipe with each posting so here is one that is easy to put together in less then half an hour. It's tasty and has 612 calories per serving.

Grown-Up Mac & Cheese with Wild American Shrimp

Servings: 8

1 Pound Wild American Shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 Pound Macaroni, cooked and drained

2 Each Large Eggs, slightly beaten

1 Cup Whole Milk

2 Cups Fontina Cheese, shaved

3 Cups Parmesan Cheese,shaved

4 Ounces Proscuitto Di Parma,small cubes

4 Cloves Garlic, finely minced

2 Each Vine Ripened Tomatoes, cored, seeded &diced

1/4 Cup Fresh Basil Leaf,chiffonade

To Taste Sea Salt

To Taste Cracked Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons Organic Unsalted Butter

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a rapid boil over high heat. Once water is at boil,
add the macaroni and cook "al Dente", about 8 - 9 minutes, uncovered. Once pasta is cooked,
strain through colander, rinse under cold water to stop cooking

While the pasta is cooking, mince the garlic; core, seed and chop the tomatoes; chiffonade
the basil and shred the cheeses. Reserve 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese for the top of the
casserole. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl along with the eggs and milk.

When the pasta is done cooking and has cooled, toss into bowl with other ingredients, add the
shrimp and toss well to coat.

Use the butter to slightly grease a large casserole dish on bottom and all sides. Pour the
Mac & Cheese into casserole dish. Top with the reserved Parmesan cheese and place on middle
rack of oven. Bake for 35 minutes or until cheese has melted to golden brown color.

Remove from oven, toss ingredients and let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve in warmed pasta bowls along with some crusty bread and enjoy.

Until Next Time,

Chef John

www.cookwithjohn.com

john@cookwithjohn.com

Feeling Lazy Lasagna

Here I am standing on my "soap box" screaming about all-natural, organic, sustainable and healthy eating choices and right under my nose my mom (who lives about a mile away) has become a junk food junkie. I simply cannot allow her to consume this rubbish- artificial chocolate snacks, ice cream, processed instant dinners that are loaded with sugar, artificial ingredients, trans fats and worse.

A few weeks ago, we went grocery shopping together (she called it inhumane treatment) and I kept reading the "ingredient list" of the items she wanted to buy...scary stuff. Several of the items contained ingredients that a common person (like myself) cannot even pronounce, let alone understand what it is and that reminded me of something Jack Lalanne (known as the godfather of fitness) has always said..."If it comes from man, don't eat it." Jack is in his 90's and still exercising daily!!!

Anyway, for the past month or so I have been preparing dishes for my mom that she can simply put in the microwave for a minute or two and have a delicious, nutritious and healthy meal without any of this junk. I also have her drinking bottled water & V8 Fusion instead of soft drinks. Have her eating snacks such as yogurt covered cranberries (160 calories per serving and a great source of anti-oxidants) and exercising a little bit each morning and she is feeling and looking much better, even though I suspect she still has a stash of some of her favorite junk foods hidden away somewhere.

So yesterday I had planned on making a lasagna made with all-natural ground sirloin, fresh spinach, homemade tomato sauce, low-fat ricotta cheese, roasted garlic, onions and Parmigiana Reggiano for her to enjoy. But it was a really nice day here in southern Maine and it had been a week since Cindy & I took the dogs for a "long" walk on the beach, so I thought, "what would be better than going to the beach before hitting the grocery store to pick up what I needed for the lasagna."

We decided to park the car in Lower Village, making the walk over 3 miles, which was great. The dogs loved it and I could really use the exercise...as I still need to lose about 35 pounds. We walked and chatted, the dogs ran and played and it was a really great time.

By the time we got back to the car, I was feeling rather hungry and so I suggested that we have a quick lunch at Alisson's (great New England family food restaurant in Kennebunkport). One of the things I love about Alisson's is that they actually know how to properly pour a "Black & Tan" so I found myself giving into the craving and ordered up a pint!

Lunch was delicious and the frosty beer was fantastic but as Cindy & I got to the car we both commented on how nice it would be to take an afternoon nap!

Shortly after returning home, I found my favorite leather chair, kicked off my shoes and drifted off to sleep only to awake around 4:00pm. Oh what a lazy day it was!!!

Remembering that I haven't been to the grocery store yet and don't really feel like heading there now, I figured that I would look in the fridge and cupboards and see what I could whip-up (thinking that the lasagna would have to wait for another day). Yes I was being very lazy, one beer and off to sleep I go! Not the way it was back at Fairfield Prep, was it Roger?

I discovered that I had the ricotta cheese, plenty of Parmigiana, the ground sirloin, some sweet Italian sausage, some portobello mushrooms, the lasagna sheets, garlic, and onions. I didn't have any spinach or nice vine ripened tomatoes to make the sauce with but I did have 2 jars of artichoke hearts, a jar of roasted red peppers and a jar of real basil & tomato sauce (no artificial ingredients, no additives, no gums, etc.) and so I thought what the heck, it won't be great but it won't be terrible either.

So I put a pot of salted (sea salt) water on for the pasta and proceeded to chop the onions & garlic, drain the artichokes and red peppers, slice the mushrooms and before I knew it (about 30 minutes) I had the lasagna in the oven and cooking away.

About an hour and a half later I was taking the lasagna out of the oven and it looked and smelled fantastic!!! I decided to grab my camera and take a couple of shots to show you how it came out.

I have to say, without tooting my own horn, that it was simply delicious, the artichokes, portobello and roasted red pepper added a nice mellow taste and the sausage added just enough complexity to give the dish some style.

Anyway, here is the recipe for anyone who wants to give it a try...I'm calling it my Lazy Lasagna recipe as you can make this dish and still fit a nice long nap into your day. If you don't have a particular ingredient, simply substitute something else.


Lazy Lasagna
Serves 12 - 15











1 tablespoon - organic extra virgin olive oil
12 each - lasagna sheets
1 pound - all-natural ground sirloin
1 pound - all-natural sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium - Spanish onion, chopped
8 cloves - garlic finely minced
10 ounces - fresh portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 25 ounce jar - basil & tomato sauce(don't get the stuff loaded with sugar and preservatives, look for one that is all-natural without gums, corn syrup, etc.)
2 tablespoons - dried Italian seasoning
2 12 ounce jars - artichoke hearts in water, drained and sliced in half
1 16 ounce jar - roasted red peppers, drained
1 pound - low-fat ricotta cheese
1 pound - Parmigiana Reggiano cheese, shredded
Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 385 degrees.

Put a large pot filled with about 6 cups of cool water and a teaspoon of sea salt over high heat, covered and bring to a boil. Once a rapid boil i reached, add the lasagna sheets and cook for 9 minute or until pasta is "just" cooked "al dente". Remove from heat and drain into a colander. Rinse quickly with cool water to stop the cooking process and allow to drain completely.

Place the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes and then add the chopped onions, stirring to coat the onions. Saute until the onions Begin to become translucent, about 2 - 3 minutes, add the mushrooms and saute about minutes more. Add the ground sirloin and Italian sausage and cook until meats begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, drain off excess fat then return to stove, add the chopped garlic, basil & tomato sauce and the Italian seasoning. Simmer ingredients together for about 4 - 5 minutes or until sauce is warm. Adjust seasoning with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Remove from stove.

Using a small amount of olive oil, grease the bottom and sides of a large casserole pan and then layer 3 sheets of lasagna across the bottom of the pan. Next ladle about 1/4 of the cooked meat sauce over the lasagna sheets. Spread a thin layer of ricotta over the meat sauce and then sprinkle some of the Parmigiana over the ricotta. Next place 3 more lasagna sheets on top, followed by the roasted red peppers, some of the ricotta and more Parmigiana, another 3 sheets of lasagna followed by the artichokes, another 1/4 of the meat sauce, more ricotta and Parmigiana, the last 3 sheets of lasagna then another 1/4 of the meat sauce, topped with the last of the ricotta and Parmigiana. Keep the last 1/4 of the meat sauce for the serving plates.)

Place casserole dish onto baking sheet, cover top with aluminum foil and place on center rack of oven for 1 hour. Remove aluminum foil and bake another 20 minutes or so until the top is nice and golden brown.



















Remove from oven, allow to sit for 10 minutes prior to cutting. Using a sharp knife, cut into desired size portions. Place a small amount of the reserved meat sauce in center of each dinner plate, place lasagna portion on each plate, garnish with some fresh rosemary and enjoy with a nice glass of Italian Chianti or Argentinean Malbec.














Several of you have inquired about the dogs so here is a picture of the "kids".


















Also, I've had a number of you ask about the "real kids",
so here is a picture of the whole "human" family.















Until next time,

Chef John

www.cookwithjohncom
john@cookwithjohn.com

Not Your Mama's Shepherd's Pie

Last week I received a nice letter from a woman asking if I had any recipes that used ground beef or ground pork. She stated that she has been receiving the old family battle cry..."not meatloaf again!" and she was wondering if I could possibly help her out.

Well Lesley this recipe is for you, your family and anyone else who would like to try it. It contains both ground chuck and ground pork and I find it is a great way to sneak some vegetables into the family diet.

You will see that I use individual 6-ounce ramekins rather then one casserole dish, I think it helps dress the dish up a bit, but use whichever you prefer.

I know that it costs a bit more to use all-natural and organic products but I honestly believe that our bodies are worth it...remember -"we are what we eat".

Not Your Mama's Shepherd's Pie
Makes 8 Servings

1 pound - 80/20 All-Natural Ground Chuck
1/2 pound - All-Natural Sweet Italian Sausage (casing removed)
1/2 pound - All-Natural Hot Italian Sausage (casing removed)
1 medium - Spanish onion (white), chopped
1 cup - organically grown carrots, 1/4" chop
1 cup - organically grown fresh peas, blanched
1 cup - organically grown corn kernels, cut from the husk
6 each - garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons - Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 large - baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 tablespoons - unsalted organic butter
1 cup - All-Natural Beef Stock
3 tablespoons - A-1 Sauce
To Taste - Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.


In a medium saucepan, place the cubed potatoes in cold, slightly salted water until potatoes are just covered. Bring to boil over medium-high heat until potatoes are tender (you can pierce them with a knife), about 20 minutes. Drain off the water and add the unsalted butter and work the potatoes until whipped. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper and set aside.


While the potatoes are cooking, pour the olive oil into a large saute pan or skillet and add the onions and carrots over medium heat and saute until onions begin to become translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the peas and stir. Add the corn and stir and lastly add the garlic and stir. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.


Return the pan to the stove and add the ground chuck and the sausage and cook until the meat has browned, about 5 minutes. Add the A-1 sauce and the beef stock, stir and reduce heat to simmer. Continue to cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper and remove from stove.


Add the cooked meat to the cooked vegetables, toss well to incorporate and portion into 8 individual ramekins or 1 casserole dish. Top with the whipped potatoes and using a fork, decorate the top with ribbons.


Place on baking sheet on middle shelf of oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to get a light golden brown color.

Serve with some steamed fresh vegetables and enjoy!!!




Until next time,

Chef John

http://www.cookwithjohn.com/

john@cookwithjohn.com