Zucchini Noodles Primaver

I'm always looking ways for enjoying pasta without the calories of pasta.  One way is to use zucchini noodles in place of pasta.  What are zucchini noodles, you ask?  They're sometimes called "zoodles" (zucchini + noodles).  They're just zucchini cut into strips, like pasta.  There is a special tool you can purchase to peel your zoodles.  I have not yet found them pre cut in the supermarket, but I think some company will make them soon.  In the mean time, you will have to peel your own zoodles.  After you make the zoodles, you can make this delicious dish with scallops and a caper tarragon sauce.  You will love it.

                                                  Zoodles with Scallops and Caper Tarragon Sauce

1 T. olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
6 grape tomatoes, halved
12 large scallops
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
2 zucchinis
1 1/2 T. tarragon
1 T. capers

Use a spiralizer or a julienne peeler to slice the zucchinis into noodles.  Place a large skillet with olive oil over meduim heat.  Add garlic for 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Add tomatoes, scallops, zoodles, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  Let cook for 5 minutes.  Add tarragon and capers and toss to combine.  Cook for 2-3 more minutes, until zoodles are al dente.  Enjoy.

What It Takes To Live To 100+

More and more people are living to age 100 and more.  A recent study of centenarians revealed some commonalites, and lots of differences.  The first thing I noticed was that on the list of the oldest people in the world, 90% of them were women.  I'm not sure if scientists have studied why this is so, but of the 20 people I read about that were between 115 and 119, 18 of them were women.

These men and women were asked the following question:  "To what do you attribute your longevity?"  Here are some of the answers.  Many spoke of eating an olive oil rich diet, and eating lite meals, nothing too heavy.  Many people talked about stress, and trying to live a stress free life.  Bernice Madigan, a 115 year old American, contributes her longevity to friends and relatives, no children, and no stress.  Christian Mortensen, a 115 year old American, says that friends, a good cigar, no alcohol, lots of water, and singing have kept him alive.  Several people talked about getting a good night's sleep, and many mentioned hard work.

What none of them mentioned was exercise.  Maybe I've got it all wrong.  No one mentioned eating lots of fruits and veggies, although many talked about not eating junk food.  Dina Manfredire, 115 of age from America, said she did and ate everything in moderation.  This has been my mom's saying forever, and she's 91 and going strong.  No one mentioned meditating either.  A few had no idea why they had lived so long and said, "You'll have to ask the good Lord."

Most of the oldest people in the article I read were Americans.  A few were Japanese.  I know that Okinawa is one of the Blue Zones, and they have some of the oldest people in the world living there.  I don't know if every country was considered, but Americans accounted for 75% of the people.

What I took away from the article is that there is no blueprint for longevity.  Eating well, but not too much, working hard, and  keeping stress to a minimum are all important.  After that, it's hard to say.  What I do know is that no one that I read about said anything about exercise or eating organic or vitamin supplements.  Gives me something to think about!

Delicious Homemade Nut Bars

I have always loved granola bars, but when I look at the sugar content in most of them I usually don't buy them.  They are loaded with sugar and most have preservatives.  Here's an easy do it yourself nut bar that will curb your appetite and give you energy for the rest of your morning.  You can make so many variations of these, but this is my favorite.

                                                                 Nut Bars

1 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts (or pecans)
1/2 shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup golden raisins
2/3 pumpkin seeds
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
3 T. sesame seeds
3 T. chia seeds
1 T. orange zest
2 T. coconut oil (melted)
1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, then grease or spray with Pam.  Rough chop the nuts, then mix all ingredients except for the oil and honey in a big bowl.  Separately, mix oil and hone, then pour over the nut mixture, and stir until coated.  It will be sticky.  Pour onto the parchment paper, and spread evenly using your hand or a spatula.  Cook for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool, then lift the parchment paper with the nut mixture on it and put in the refrigerator for 30 minute.  Once the mixture is solid, cut into bars, using a sharp knife.  I like to put each in a small baggie.  You must do that or wrap in plastic wrap.  You cannot store them together, as they will stick.  Keep in an air tight container in your refrigerator.  I guarantee they won't last long.

A Day At the Art Institue

The Art Institute consists of 50 campuses throughout North America, teaching students such things as culinary arts, fashion design, web design, photography, interior design and graphic arts.  We spent a morning touring the San Diego campus, then had lunch at their student run restaurant, Palatte

Judy and Tema, members of our Newcomers group, planned the event.  We had an informative tour of the school first, followed by lunch.  We saw students working in computer labs, sewing garments in the fashion school, and cooking candy and cupcakes in the kitchen.  We even got to sample a delicious almond cupcake, just out of the oven.  The students and teachers were so warm and friendly, it made me feel they were one big happy family.

On Wednesday and Thursday the students enrolled in a specific culinary course prepare and serve lunch and dinner to paying customers who visit their student run restaurant.  The students write the menu, order the food, do all the prep and cooking, serve the food, and of course clean up the mess.  The students that we met today are ready for the professional world, based on the meal they served us to day.  We had a green lentil salad with butternut squash, artichoke hearts, cheese and vinagrette.   I loved it.  My main course was gnocchi with mushrooms.  This meal was not for anyone on a diet, but the calories were worth it.  Dessert was a hazelnut rolled cake filled with chocolate.  I cleaned my plate.  Prices are super cheap, but the food is as good as you'll get at any fine restaurant in San Diego.  One of the students told us that for Valentine's Day they offered a 9 course tasting menu for $45.  Can't beat that!

We all left happy we had discovered something new, and vowing to return for another gourmet meal very soon.  Another nice  new feature of the school is the courses they now offer to the public.  Many cooking classes, photography classes, and fashion  design classes are now offered.  Check the website for further information.

Next time you're in Mission Valley on a Wednesday or Thursday, try the Art Institue of San Diego for lunch or dinner.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.  Besides, you'll be giving the students the experience they need to make it in the culinary world.

Chutney Chicken

Linda and I were enjoying a beautiful morning at the dog park, when we started talking about food.  Linda just cooks for herself now, and is always looking for recipes for one or two people.  She shared a recipe with me that I have to share with you, because although I haven't yet tried it, I know how good it will be.  Here it is.

                                                            Chutney Chicken

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
Store bought jar of chutney (any kind)
1/4 cup heavy cream (I would use half and half, just to keep it lighter)
salt and pepper to taste

In a hot skillet, add a little extra virgin olive oil, and brown the seasoned chicken breasts on both sides.  Then, add chutney and cream.  The amount of chutney you add depends on how sweet you want to make the dish.  Mix to incorporate all ingredients, and cover.  Let cook for 5 minutes.  That's it!  Nothing could be easier.  I would serve this over rice, couscous or quinoa.  You could also serve over noodles.

Having company for dinner?  Just double or triple the recipe.  It's so easy and you can make it ahead.  Thanks, Linda, for a delicious recipe.  I hope you all enjoy it.

What's In Your Supplements?

Everyone interested in good health today is looking to supplements to enhance their diet.   Knowing which ones to take and how much is practically a full time.  So when you know what you want to buy, you assume that the supplement you want contains the ingredients mentioned on the label.  That may not be so.  The New York State Attorney General's office recently tested store-brand supplements from Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Target and GNC to see what they were really made of.  In five out of six cases, by using DNA barcoding technology, analytic testing disclosed that  the supplements tested were either unrecognizable or a substance other than what they claimed to be.  Many supplements were filled with rice or sand.

Some products were worse than others, but ginkgo biloba and St. John's Wort could not be found in the products sold with those labels in any of the stores.  GNC, Wal-Mart and Walgreens plan to stop selling the supplements just within New York state.  Target is more aggressive, and will pull them off the market nationwide.

So what's a consumer to do?  The best bet for consumers is to make sure supplements indicate that they are third party regulated on the label.  This means that they have been tested by a third party and found to contain what they say they contain.  Unfortunately for consumers there are no federal regulations on supplements as there are on drugs, which leaves us in a difficult position.  Who do you trust? I do not take vitamins or supplements (other than Vitamin D), so I don't know much about which companies have the best reputation.  If I did take supplements, I would do a bit of research and try to find companies where the products have been tested.  If the supplements contain what they're supposed to, companies should have no hesitation about being tested.  The reality is that we've got to have federal regulation of supplements to assure the public that they're getting what they want.  Are those that don't want the federal government in our business going to complain about this?  I hope not.  This is an example of where the government should intervene, to help keep us safe.

Cauliflower Muffins

I recently discovered a new web site that I now find myself going to again and again.  It's www.ornabakes.com.
  Orna is a former Weight Watcher leader and fabulous cook.  I just love her recipes.  She gives you some unique weight watcher recipes, gives the points value, and all the nutritional values.  When I first saw the recipe for cauliflower muffins I thought to myself, "How can these be any good?"  but when I made them I changed my tune.  At just one point for two mini muffins, you can eat a number of them and still stay on the program.  I made them one night for dinner, gave a few away to my weight watcher neighbors, and froze the rest.  Orna's recipe makes 32 of the little muffins, which I will do next time, but since this was an experiment that I wasn't sure would work, I cut the recipe in half.  Below is the recipe I made, with a slight variation.  It made 16 mini muffins.

                                             Cauliflower Muffins

1 12 ounce bag of cauliflower florets
1 egg, plus 2 T. egg whites
1/2 c. low fat cottage cheese (non fat will probably work too)
1/2 c. parmesean cheese
3-4 tsp. Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute, or Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
4 grinds of pepper

Pulse raw cauliflower in blender until it's the consistency of rice.  Do this in small batches.  Then, cook in microwave, uncovered, without water, for 8 minutes.  In the meantime, mix together all other ingredients, then add the cauliflower.  Your batter is ready.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray mini muffin pans with cooking spray.  Fill each cup to the top, patting down the batter a bit.  These muffins do not rise.  Cook for 20-30 minutes, and check the bottom of one muffin to make sure they are cooked through.  I cooked mine for 20 minutes and they were perfect.  Remove, allow to cool a bit, and remove.  They are best when eaten slightly warm, and can easily be frozen and reheated.  My neighbor Arthur thought they tastes like quiche.  Well, maybe a little bit.  But they were a nice accompaniement to our meal of boneless short ribs and Asian slaw.  Delicious,  Weight Watchers dinner.  I love the muffins, and could eat them any time, even breakfast with some scrambled eggs.  They are 29 calories each, so you can have 4 of them for the same calories as a slice of toast!  Enjoy.

First Impressions Of Ocean Hills

We moved into Ocean Hills on March 11, so we've been just one month.  We'd been thinking about this move for quite a while.  Ron was ready for it.  I wasn't so sure.  It took a while for me to come around.  I had a million reasons why I didn't want to move there, but over time it became more and more attractive.  My biggest resistance was the location (the only thing that won't change), but I decided the positives outweighed the negatives, so here we are.

For those who don't know, Ocean Hills is a 55+ community of 1632 homes in Oceanside, near Melrose and Cannon.  It looks like a Greek village, with white washed homes, rolling hills of grass on the 18 hole executive course, beautiful landscaping.  Did I mention that it's quiet?   IT'S QUIET!  I take Pepper out for a short walk around 8pm and there's usually not a sole on the street, walking or driving.  Ron is sleeping better than he ever has.

My first impression of Ocean Hills is how friendly the people are.  There's not a grouch in the community.  Even before we moved in, neighbors were coming over to introduce themselves.  As I walk the loop around Ocean Hills most every morning everyone smiles and waves.  They may not know you, but they smile and say hello.  Next, many people are very active.  I went on a 5 mile hike yesterday with about 25 members of the community, with ages ranging from 60-85.  Everyone is busy.  This morning as I walked the loop I came upon two walkers and a wheel chair walker.  Even though the man could no longer walk, he was out in the fresh air in his electric wheelchair, walking with friends.  I thought to myself, "This is great."  I have also noticed a willingness by new residents to get involved.  There is so much to do here that if you're bored, it's your own fault.  A weekly schedule is published each week, which includes some of the following:  yoga, zumba, sit and get fit exercise, tap dance class, ballet class, line dancing, square dancing, ballroom dancing, golf, water aerobics, pickle ball, tennis, bocce, hiking, woodworking shop, bead making class, art class, sailing club and photography club.  This is just a portion of what is available!  It's like a cruise on land.  I am trying out various activities to see what I like and don't like, and to meet as many people as possible and see where I fit in.  I'm not sure where I fit yet.

Yes, there are some negatives.  As I said before, location has always been an issue for me.  It is 18 minutes north east of our old house in Carlsbad.  That means that I must add 20 minutes to most of the things I used to do and places I used to go.  I love the Encinitas Y, and it's a 25 minute trip to the Y.  For most people, that would be a deal breaker, but I enjoy my workouts  and my social visits at the Y so much, that I am keeping my membership and trying to get there three times a week.  I am just not ready to give that up.  Also, my favorite dog park in Encinitas is out of the question.  It's just too far away.  Walking with Fran from the Lumberyard is also quite far, but we will work that out and find a more central location.  I'll say it again, location is the biggest drawback, but this is requiring me to more organized and plan my week more efficiently.  The other negative is rules.  There are lots of them, and I am trying to conform.

Overall, we are enjoying our life at Ocean Hills.  We have tickets to see The Kingston Trio next month, and we are also going to see a comedy night show of comedians from the Comedy Club in LA.  Lots of fun stuff to do without ever getting in your car.  So far, it's all good.  I'll keep you posted.  Thank you, Regina, for keeping after me about moving here.

Multitasking Damages Your Brain And Career, New Studies Suggest

I always admired people that could multitask.  I thought they were so smart.  How could someone talk on the phone and compose an e-mail at the same time?  The answer is, most people can't, at least they can't do both as well as they could do one at a time.  A new study explains all this,

A recent study at Stanford University found that multitasking is less productive than doing a sing thing at a time.  The researchers also found that people who are regularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information cannot pay attention, recall information, or switch from one job to another as well as those who complete one task at a time.

What if some people have a special talent for multitasking?  The Stanford researchers compared groups of people based on their tendency to multitask and their belief that it  helps their performance.  Heavy multitaskers were actually worse at multitasking than those who do one task at a time.  Frequent multitaskers performed worse because they had more trouble organizing their thoughts and filtering out irrelevant information.  They were also slower at switching from one task to another.

Multitasking reduces efficiency and performance because your brain can only focus on one thing at a time.  When you try to do two things at one your brain lacks the capacity to perform both tasks successfully.  Research also shows that multitasking lowers your IQ.  A University of London study found that people who multitasked during cognitive tasks experienced IQ score declines that were similar to those that had smoked marijuana or stayed up all night, a drop of 15 points or so.  New research also suggests that impairment in cognitive  skills from multitasking is permanent, not temporary as was formerly thought.  A University of Sussex study found that high multitaskers had less brain density in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region responsible for empathy as well as cognitive and emotional control.

When I was much younger, my mother was always telling me to turn off the radio while I was studying.  I did, and the result is that to this day I need quiet to study or read a book.  I could never multitask.  I think about driving a car and texting, or even talking on the phone.  Doing both tasks at once definitely reduces the quality of your performance.  We're living in a world of technology, where multitasking is the norm.  Remember that for the really important stuff, one task at a time is best.

Salted Caramels Are Just Minutes Away

One of the most popular new items in desserts and candy is to mix sweet and salty.  How about making some homemade caramels, sprinkling them with some coarsely ground kosher salt and having delicious caramels?  It's so easy and so quick.  Here is all you do.

1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Wisk all ingredients together.  Microwave all ingredients for four minutes, stirring every two minutes.  Line a pyrex pan with plastic (two layers is best), then pour caramel into the pan. If you want them to be salted caramels, sprinkle coarsely ground salt on them before the mixture sets, so the salt will stick.  Every microwave is different, and with my first batch I microwaved for six minutes.  That was way too long.  I got something like caramel brittle.  At four minutes my caramels were nice and chewy.  I might do my next batch for four minutes and 20 seconds.  Don't use too big a pan or your caramels will be very thin.  Let the mixture set for two hours, then place in refrigerator for a few hours and then cut caramels into bite size pieces.  Wrap each candy in parchment paper or waxed paper, twisting the ends.  You've got homemade caramels that are as good or better than anything you can buy, and a lot less expensive.  Stick them in the freezer if you want.  They freeze well, and enjoy.  One clean-up tip:  wash the pan containing the hot caramel immediately after pouring it into the baking dish, before it has a chance to harden.  Clean-up is tough if you don't do this.  One more thing.  I will add vanilla flavoring to my next batch as I think that will make them even better!

Lemon Parmesean Cappellini

Thank you, Regina, for sharing this recipe with me.  We were on our way to try the new Bottega Americano restaurant in East Village for the first time, and naturally started talking about food.  Regina mentioned she had made a most delicious recipe that she got from Giada, on the Food Network.  It's so simple, and can be served as a main course or a side dish, and the best part is, it takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish, including cooking the pasta.  Here it is in it's original form.  After you try this and love it, you can vary it in many ways.  Enjoy.

                                                          Lemon Parmesean Cappellini

1/4c. olive oil
1/4c. parmesean cheese
1/4c. lemon juice (possibly a little less the first time you make it)

1 package cappellini (or in my case, whole wheat spaghetti)

Combine top three ingredients and set aside.  Cook pasta to desired doneness and drain.  Add the olive oil mixture and toss and serve.  It's so delicious.  The cheese melts and the lemon gives the dish a nice tang.  Just don't overdo the lemon juice on your first try.  You can always add more next time if you like more.  Variations of this dish are as follows:  Grill a few shrimp or scallops, and place on top of pasta for a meal with protein.  Take leftover veggies, like zucchini or fresh tomatoes and put on top of pasta.  Don't forget some fresh basil, chopped.  It always completes a past meal.  Hope you like this as much as I did, and thanks again, Regina, for sharing.

Dealing With The DMV

I recently turned 70.  That means that the DMV wants you to come in and take the written test and check your vision.  The thought of going to the DMV puts fear into most of us, including me.  Thank goodness for appointments.  I made mine, and immediately started studying for the written test.  I don't know why I was so concerned about passing it, but I was.  I read the book twice and took all the practice tests.  I know what the fine is for leaving a dead animal on the side of the road, and I know how many days you have to report an accident.  There's so much information in the book that's not even related to driving  a car.  I wonder who makes up the tests.  Anyway, after about a 40 minute wait with an appointment, I took the test and passed, had my vision checked, changed my address, and was told my license would be sent to me within the next 2-3 weeks.  That did not happen, so I became suspicious that something had gone wrong

Something had definitely gone wrong.  After 5 weeks I still had not received my new license, and I was thinking I may have something to do with my change of address.  No, that was not it.  After several phone calls to the DMV, I finally got  a very helpful technician that tracked down the problem.  There was a malfunction in their program, and my license was sitting in "pending" mode.  First they told me to call a number in Sacramento, but after days of unsuccessful attempts to reach them I called back the DMV and spoke to a technician that really helped.  She called the local DMV and got me an appointment for next week.  (the online DMV site's first availability was May).  I need to go in and straighten this out.  It should be a simple matter once I get there.  As much as we love our electronic toys and need our computers, things do go wrong.  Had I not had the help of a caring employee at the DMV I may have been in limbo for months!  As it turns out, I should have my new license next week, but not without a lot of stress.  Why should this cause me so much stress?  I don't know, but it does.

Panca Peruvian Cuisine and Rotisserie

I've driven by Panca hundreds of times.  It's on Coast Highway in Oceanside, just north of Vista Way.  I thought it was just a sandwich and chicken shack, but when we finally went there one Saturday night, I was pleasantly surprised.  When it's busy, parking is a bit of an issue, as it shares the parking lot with the Laundromat next door.  It's a family oriented restaurant, very casual, friendly, with great service.  Don't be scared off by the fact that it's Peruvian.  The food is fantastic, the portions are generous, and once you try it, you'll definitely be back.

It's a small restaurant, maybe 10 tables, but the dining room feels spacious.  I like the fact that they do not serve bread before the meal.  That way I can save room for what I actually ordered, and enjoy it. We each ordered an entrée, then split dessert.  Next time I will explore the many appetizers on the menu.

Appetizers include ceviche, scallop wonton, quinoa cakes (quinoa mixed with a five cheese blend and deep fried), and Anticuchos (beef heart marinated in Peruvian spices, skewered and served with a side of Peruvian corn, salsa and grilled potatoes.  There are several other appetizer items that all sound very flavorful.  Salads include a Caesar, quinoa and house salad.  Ron's friend John has been eating at Panca since it opened, and always gets one of the many Peruvian sandwiches, like chicken sandwich, chicharron sandwich, lomito and a vegetarian sandwich.

Rotisserie Chicken is their specialty, and it sure looked delicious.  For $7.50 you can get 1/4chicken, with salad and a side.  Everyone eating the chicken raved.  Ron and I tried one of the several delicious sounding entrees.  Ron had Lomo Saltado, one of their most popular entrees.  It's tender beef sautéed with soy sauce, red onion, tomato and fresh cut French fries with a side of fluffy Peruvian rice.  Ron at it all.  I had the Aji de Gallina, chicken in a creamy spicy sauce with Parmesan, Peruvian yellow pepper and walnuts, served over a bed

of potato and a side of rice.  I cleaned my plate.  The entrees are all $12-$14, and sandwiches are $8.25.

Now, for dessert.  We shared the caramel crème brulee, not like any you've had before.  This was sweet and delicious, almost like Mexican flan.  I wanted the quinoa passion fruit mousse too, but was just too full.  Another time.

Panca has been open since 2012, and I expect it will be around for a long time.  Great food, great service, nice atmosphere and reasonable prices.  It's a winner, and I encourage you to try it if you're in the area.  Lunch and dinner only.