Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

I love Jamie Oliver! I have always loved watching and cooking Jamie’s recipes. I have his show set on my dvr and have saved them all in there. My daughter likes him as well- especially after I told her he is my favorite chef to watch. We watch his shows on the weekends and I love watching him cook in his garden in a rustic kitchen in the UK- I wish I could be there.

Now that he is all over television with his show, The Food Revolution, I love him even more. I remember watching him in the UK doing the same thing for the schools there and thinking I wish he would come here. Essentially, he is trying to make our schools healthier. He goes to a school and talks about all the processed food our kids are being fed and tries to teach the school how to make simple, healthy food out of real ingredients. All I can say is – why didn’t someone else do this a long time ago???

Healthy eating comes from the homes but our government makes it hard to eat healthy especially for families who are on a tight budget and find the processed foods a lot cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables- something is wrong.

When our kids are younger, like mine is (she is seven), we can still control what they eat. I pack my daughter’s lunch everyday except one day when she eats pizza. I am okay with one day of pizza as long as the rest of the days I can give her lunch- but I feel, as she gets older, she is going to want to eat at school and the thought makes me cringe. All the unhealthy food being served is very depressing. I am trying to raise her with healthy eating habits and it gets harder as she gets older. Everywhere I look there are tons of unhealthy food choices, chain restaurants, candy and sugar…

Since Jamie Oliver is trying to make a difference, I want to do everything to help. He has a petition we can all sign on his website. Please go ahead and do so and cook something healthy tonight!

I heard about these crackers on Joan Hamburg’s show when she was talking about a diet called the F-Factor which amongst other things, stresses on fiber. What got my attention was that most of us don’t get enough fiber in our diets. Even those of us who take the time out to make sure we are having enough fruits and vegetables. The crackers are called GG crackers and they claim to control appetite and are only 12 calories each.

Well, I thought these sounded really good. I went to Whole Foods to find them and there they were. I brought two packs home to test them out. First of all, they are not the kind of crackers you look forward to eating ever day. Four crackers a day will take care of about 80% of your required fiber intake- for that I don’t care what they taste like- I will eat them. I tried them with a smear of peanut butter and another time I spread some jam. I had them as a snack in between meals. I didn’t see much difference in terms of appetite control. I liked that I was getting a lot of fiber.

After a week or two of eating the crackers as a snack, I decided to incorporate them into a meal. I thought breakfast would be ideal- so I took three crackers, smeared some jam and scrambled an egg. Eating the crackers with the egg made them more tolerable and I was able to wash them down with my delicious coffee. I also had one more cracker with my lunch- which consisted of a salad with some protein and lots of veggies.

What a difference- I was far less hungry the whole day! I am hooked- I don’t miss eating regular bread with my breakfast and I certainly have not eliminated bread or pasta. This is just an additional thing I have incorporated into my daily routine.

Since it is Friday- it is a day to either highlight a top ten list or inform you of something I am very excited about- I thought writing about GG crackers would be ideal. They have the highest dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is a natural substance obtained from fruits, vegetables and cereals. Adequate fiber leads to lower cholesterol and is overall a good thing to add to your diet.

It is great to get fiber from fruits and vegetables but we would need to eat a whole lot to get about 25 grams for women and over 35 for men. So, if you want to incorporate more fiber in your diet- try these crackers.

This post is for all of my friends and acquaintances who have taken a cooking class at my house and have been very curious about all the spices in my cabinet, especially when we cook Indian food.

I buy most of my spices in Edison, NJ. I try to buy them whole and grind them myself- a little at a time. I buy in bulk and store them in one of my two freezers in the basement.

The picture you see is of a wooden box my Mom had custom made for me. I love this box- it looks weathered yet it is very practical. It has a top that slides securely to keep the spices covered.

It didn’t take me very long to come up with this list- since I use these spices all the time.

My list is as follows:

1. Salt- kind of an obvious choice. You can’t make anything taste good without salt. I once heard someone say, “the difference between a good cook and a great cook is the amount of salt they use”.
2. Garam Masala- this spice personalizes a dish. Each household in India has their own recipe or a mixture of spices they use to make garam masala. It is a mixture of whole spices ground up together. Garam masala is used as a spice while cooking a dish or as a garnish on top. I make my own- I find the store versions are not flavorful and full of cumin. I make mine in bulk and store it in the freezer. Next Friday I will post the recipe for those of you interested in making your own. Once you make your own- you will never go back to the store bought one.
3. Cumin Seeds- I love cumin seeds- it brings a nice smoky flavor to all the dishes. I keep it whole and grind it as needed. I also roast a bit and keep it in a small bottle. Ground roast cumin is a delicious garnish for raita.
4. Coriander Seeds- I buy seeds and grind a small amount for my spice box. I find a huge difference in flavor compared to the store bought ground coriander.
5. Cayenne Pepper- Even if you don’t like things too spicy, cayenne pepper brings out the flavor and is definitely a must in a well stocked pantry.
6. Turmeric- Besides providing a nice color to Indian dishes, turmeric is an anti-inflammatory. It makes sense why all the Indian dishes have a dash of turmeric.
7. Mustard Seeds- I love using mustard seeds- brown to be precise. Regular markets have yellow mustard seeds which have a similar flavor but definitely not as nutty as their brown counterpart.
8. Cardamom Seeds- This spice is one of my favorites. It is extremely versatile yet can take over a dish if too much of it is added. It is great in sweet and savory dishes alike. Look for a vibrant green color when shopping for cardamom.
9. Cloves- A little goes a long way. I love using cloves in my rice. It has very flowery, earthy flavor. If you ever have a tooth ache- press down on a clove between your teeth and you will feel immediate relief.
10. Cinnamon Sticks- I use whole cinnamon sticks for all my Indian cooking. A small stick is enough to flavor a meat or a rice dish. This spice is also great with sweet and savory dishes.

Have the right lipids in your pantry is extremely important. The list below are the ones I have in my kitchen and I use each one for different purposes. I realize not everyone has the space nor the inclination to keep so many different oils but they do all have their own uses.

If you want to have just a few- extra virgin olive oil , extra light olive oil and one really good extra olive oil for drizzling on top.

Have a look at my list and let me know if I am missing anything. One oil I usually have on hand but was out when I was doing this list is walnut oil. I love having it on hand for making salad dressings. Another one I have heard a lot about is avocado oil- it is supposed to be very healthy to cook with. I will definitely buy it and get back to you on it.

Here is my list…

1. Extra light olive oil- I do all my cooking with this oil. Most Indians are very surprised since I use this lipid for cooking Indian food as well. It has no flavor and has the goodness of olive oil. It is great for frying as well.
2. Extra virgin olive oil- What can I say about this oil. I love having it around all the time. It sits right next to my cook top. I use it for Italian dishes and a quick salad dressing.
3. Sesame oil- All my chinese stir fries, etc get a drizzle of this oil while cooking. It provides a great nuttiness to the dish. Store it in the fridge to avoid rancidity.
4. Peanut oil- This oil has a very high cooking point. I don’t fry very often, but when I do, I use peanut oil.
5. Truffle oil- Great to drizzle on top of pastas and other Italian dishes. It has a delicious, earthy flavor. I love having it on hand.
6. Mustard oil- Mustard oil is very popular in Indian cooking. It has a very distinct mustardy flavor.
7. Meyer lemon olive oil- It is nice to have some super fancy olive oil on had for salad dressings or for drizzling on top of pasta dishes.
8. Grapeseed oil- I use this oil for making homemade granola. It is high in antioxidants and vitamin E.
9. Sportoletti extra virgin olive oil- I got this from Spello, Italy this past summer. I have not opened it as yet. I would use it purely for drizzling. It is super fresh and I can’t wait.
10. Altomena extra virgin olive oil- Another fancy oil in my pantry. I love having a variety of these lipids to choose from.

I love collecting vinegars. They are relatively inexpensive and last a long time. Well, I guess depends how often you use them. I do end up making salad dressing at home but also have a bunch of store bought salad dressings in my fridge. So, the point of this list is not to make you feel guilty if you don’t make your own dressing. Although it is the most easy thing you could do. It takes all of 5 minutes to whip up a yummy dressing. Especially if you have the necessary ingredients- hence the vinegar list.

I recently bought the muscat orange champagne vinegar from Trader Joes. It is delicious. I made a blood orange salad and used this vinegar and it was unbelievable. I paired it with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of honey. The vinegar is very soft and subtle, yet very flavorful.

I would love to know which vinegars you have in your pantry…

1. All purpose white vinegar- it really is an all-purpose vinegar. It can be used for cooking and cleaning. If you ever run out of a particular vinegar- use this one.
2. White wine vinegar- delicious in any salad dressing and/or a sauce.
3. Balsamic vinegar- I use this for everything, mostly an everyday salad dressing. A bit of balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper – just drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and you are done…
4. Rice vinegar- Great for stir fry sauces, etc.
5. Red wine vinegar- I consider this an all-purpose vinegar as well. Good have.
6. Sherry vinegar- Special vinegar- for spanish dishes and to give a kick to your usual salad dressings.
7. Malt vinegar- I used it for some Indian recipes.
8. Raspberry vinegar- Same as sherry vinegar. Great to have. This goes fabulously well with walnut oil and makes a great salad dressing.
9. Champagne vinegar-Special occasion vinegar- love it.
10. Apple Cider vinegar- Any time I add apples to a salad, I use this vinegar to make the salad dressing.