Decadent French Toast Soufflé

"Decadent" doesn't begin to describe this confection. It's ooey, gooey, and absolutely guaranteed to satisfy anyone's sweet tooth.

For the Soufflé:
4 large or 5 medium croissants, baked
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup maple syrup, divided
10 eggs
3 cups half-and-half
1 tsp ground cinnamon
powdered sugar
chopped pecans (optional)

For the Topping:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup maple syrup

Using your hands, coarsely rip croissants into 1-inch pieces. Distribute the pieces evenly in a greased 13 x 9 casserole dish. Combine cream cheese, butter, and 1/4 cup maple syrup. Spread the mixture evenly over the chopped croissants.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, 1/2 cup maple syrup, and half-and-half. Pour this over the croissants and cream cheese mixture in pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, remove the pan from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until puffed and golden.

For the topping, heat 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup maple syrup in a small saucepan. Pour over the warm soufflé as it is being served.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and chopped pecans, if you like.

Recipe courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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Quotations About Cooking

Here are some fun and provocative quotations I found about cooking:

“There is one thing more exasperating than a spouse who can cook and won't, and that's a spouse who can't cook and will.”
--Anonymous

“Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.”
--Craig Claiborne

“Please understand the reason why Chinese vegetables taste so good. It is simple. The Chinese do not cook them, they just threaten them!”
--Jeff Smith

“Good painting is like good cooking: it can be tasted, but not explained.”
--Anonymous

“The best sauce is cooked in an old pan.”
--African Proverb

“I'm not saying my wife's a bad cook, but she uses a smoke alarm as a timer.”
--Bob Monkhouse

“Cooking is like making love, you do it well, or you do not do it at all.”
--Harriet van Horne

“Try to cook so that it will surprise a little, agreeably and astonish slightly, without shocking.”
--Jean Marie Arnat

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Greek Roast Potatoes

This is a great accompaniment for Greek style lamb chops, or for any broiled meat, really.

4 Russet potatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken stock or water
juice of one lemon

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Peel potatoes and cut into quarters. Peel garlic cloves and slice thin.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well to coat the potatoes.

Transfer to a roasting pan (10x13 works well). Cover. Roast one hour.

Uncover. Roast 1/2 hour more, or until potatoes are golden but not brown.

Serves 4.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes, the fast-growing recipe site.

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Lamb Koftas with Mediterranean Vegetables

This is a wonderful Greek dish. Serve with rice pilaf and a Greek salad for a complete dinner.

For the Koftas:
1 lb ground lamb
2 medium onions
12 cherry tomatoes
12 button mushrooms
1 egg
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
Paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
Dried rosemary
Salt & Pepper
12 wood or metal skewers

For the vegetables:
2 zucchini
1 medium eggplant
3 peppers: green, red, yellow
4 tblsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic

For the Koftas:
If using wood skewers, soak them in water overnight (or for at least an hour) to prevent burning.

Cut one onion into 1-inch cubes and and reserve for skewers. Chop the other onion fine.

Heat 1 tblsp of olive oil in a pan and gently saute the chopped onions and garlic, remove from the pan and leave to cool.

Mix the ground lamb with the cooled onions & garlic in a food processor or by hand. Add a pinch of paprika, rosemary, salt and pepper and mix well. Add the egg. Add the breadcrumbs and combine until the mixture is moist but not sticky.

To assemble:
On the skewers, place 1 cherry tomato, a cube of onion and a golf ball size of lamb. Mold around the skewer and shape into a sausage shape.

Add another cube of onion and finally a mushroom.

Cook in a pre-heated 375-degree oven or over a medium-high grill for about 15-20 minutes, turning if necessary.

For the vegetables:
Slice the garlic and gently heat together with the olive oil for a couple of minutes.

Slice the vegetables and brush lightly with the infused olive oil.

Cook on the grill or in the same oven with the skewers until colored but not dark.

Serve the Koftas over or alongside the roast vegetables.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes online.

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Crockpot Hamburger Stroganoff

This one is extra-convenient. It takes just a few minutes prep in the morning, then set the crockpot and forget it until it's almost dinnertime. Cook some egg noodles, put together a green salad, and you have a complete dinner in under 30 minutes.

1-1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup beef broth
3 Tbsp. sherry
1 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 cup sour cream

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Drain fat. Add to crock pot with remaining ingredients except for sour cream. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. Stir in sour cream. Heat through. Serve over egg noodles.

Serves 4.

Courtesy of the Virtuous Recipes searchable site.

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Quick Flank Steak, Mexican Style

1 lb flank steak
3 garlic cloves, minced (2 tsp)
1/2 lime
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cumin

Put steak on a plate or in a shallow dish. Smear minced garlic over the surface of the meat. Squeeze lime over the steak and turn it repeatedly to coat meat in lime juice.

Combine remaining dry ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture into both sides of the steak.

Heat broiler or grill to high setting.

Cut shallow slices (about 1/8 inch) in a diagonal diamond pattern, about 1 inch apart, across both sides of the flank steak. Broil or grill the steak about 4 inches from high heat for 5 minutes per side, or until done the way you like it.

Allow steak to stand 5 minutes or so before carving. Carve on the slant into very thin slices. Serve with salsa, lettuce, and tortillas.

Serves 4.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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Salmon Burritos

This is a fabulous and healthy variation on a Mexican theme, with Pacific Rim overtones.

1 cup white rice, cooked according to package directions
1 cup canned black beans, drained
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tblsp canned chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped
2 ripe Haas avocados
2-1/2 Tblsp fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 medium red onions, thickly sliced
2 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the grill
Six skinless salmon filets, around 6 oz each
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
Six 12-inch flour tortillas

Mix the rice and beans lightly in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, yogurt and chipotles.

Scoop the avocado flesh into another medium bowl. Add the lime juice and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and cover with plastic wrap.

Prepare the grill or broiler. Brush the onion slices with 2 tblsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill the onions over a low fire for about 20 minutes, turning once, until caramelised but not blackened.

Brush the grill or broiler pan with oil. Season the salmon with the cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Grill the salmon over a low fire or broil 6 to 8 inches from the element for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just cooked through. Transfer the salmon to a plate.

Warm the tortillas on the grill or in a dry skillet for a few seconds until softened. For each burrito, spread some of the grilled onions on a tortilla and top with a salmon filet, some of the rice mixture and avocado and 2 heaping tblsp of chipotle cream.

Fold in the bottom, sides and top of the tortilla to enclose the filling and serve.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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Interview with a Nutritionist, Part One

Q- We would like to explore some of the specifics about unhealthy
eating and nutrition. If you had to define nutrition what is it?

A- Well in general terms it’s going to probably depend on the
individual. Through the years I have developed this concept: one
level nutrition doesn’t work for everyone. We come from different
backgrounds and different genealogical makeup or whatever you
want to call it. You might find that works well for one individual may
not work for another individual.

There is a set of guidelines that the government publishes for 20 or
so different vitamins and minerals and nutrient and the
carbohydrates and those values or based on population studies
where they go out and look at the health and consider what people
consume on a regular basis.

Q- Would it be safe to say that nutrition is based on certain food
stuffs?

A- If you wanted to generalize it I would say that it would be just
getting all the right balance of nutrients necessary for good health.

Q- What is the difference between nutrients and food stuffs?

A- Basically none. You can look at anything that provides nutrients to
the body like carbohydrates, protein, minerals and vitamins. They
are the vitamins and minerals that everyone knows about and then
there are the ones like micronutrients like selenium, chromium and
zinc and some of those that aren’t so talked about. But food in
general is just a carrier for nutrients. You can take a loaf of bread
it…has starch in it and protein and non-fat dry milk, the non-fat dry
milk will contain lactose. It will contain a high amount of minerals
usually. The non-fat dry milk will contain casing, which is a non-fat
dry milk protein. You break down the constituents in the food and
each one of those provides nutrients for the body.

Q- How does one go about breaking years and years of bad eating
habits? And we are going to talk more about eating and diet a little bit
later but what would be the start point for someone?

A- It gets pretty interesting and I have written some articles on the
subject. If there were an easy answer to the question we wouldn’t
have the problems we have today like obesity. You know right now
in the US 60% of the population has a weight problem. “Morbidly
Obese” is clinically defined as being 100 pounds or more
overweight. In our population, the number of people being
morbidly obese is increasing year after year.

People with just such a weight problem are continuing to increase
every year. I personally think that there is a root for that problem
and one of those is that in our culture today there is an over
abundance of food available. You know, on every corner there is
fast food and billboards and everywhere you turn there is an
advertisement for fast food. You know starting almost from infancy
where you have two working parents they get home from their job
and they are more likely to park there kids in front of the TV.

One of the things that I have noticed is the amount and length of
the ads seem to be increasing: More and more year after year the
cable companies seem to be just filled with everything you can
imagine and not very nutritious food. You get exposed to that and it
gets ingrained in your thinking about food and, if you will do the
research on it, many of those ads are geared toward influencing
children. When they go back and do the research on the influence
what mom and pop pick off the grocery shelf, they find that the
children have a tremendous influence. So they target those ads at
the children knowing that they are going to put the pressure on the
parents to buy them.

I don’t know if I am getting off track but what you can do to change
a person’s perception of food starts at such an early age. You can
show a person in black and white what foods are good for them and
what isn’t and it pretty much comes down to a conscious decision if
they want to consume healthy foods or not.

And it certainly would be a value to have a mentor or life coach or
fitness trainer or just a friend where there is some kind of
relationship when it comes to dealing with eating healthy.
The fact is that you need support and one of the reasons there are
so many weight loss programs is that they do something a little
different they have meetings and people get together and support
each other.

You know I mentioned Optifast and there is Atkins and when you
gauge how much weight people have lost and whether they keep it
off, all of those people probably within a 5 year period have gained
all that weight back because they have lost their support group. It
speaks volumes to me that if people are going to lose weight and
keep it off they need a support group. It has to be approached that
you are not on a diet to lose weight you are trying to make a
lifestyle change. It is going to be a new way of eating and new
habits even your daily activities it is something that you are going
to do for the rest of your life.

Q- What I think is very sad is generational obesity. You can be out
shopping or eating in a restaurant and where you see overweight
parents you are going to see overweight children. Why do you think
this happens?

A- In a way it is endorsement to the children that their eating habits
and lifestyle habits are acceptable. Just like any of us what better
role models than your parents. If they snack and eat unhealthy
then the children will as well.
You know what is interesting is that everyone is trying to answer
the question, “why are people getting fatter and fatter,” and even
Jay Leno makes jokes about people getting fat. You know the
notion out there is that it isn’t something that people can change
it’s just that people are genetically predisposed to getting fat. And
there is a genetic factor to it but you know that Dr. Phil responds to
it like you may be predisposed to it but you don’t have to succumb
to it.

Q- Do you think that much of those habits are linked to emotions?

A- Sure. Emotions and stress all those things get factored into it. I was
going to finish one point on the genetic side of it. Genetics will
change in a thousand years but not in the last ten years. You can
factor the genetic side of it almost entirely out of it. Everybody has
times of emotional needs.

You know I am almost 60 years old and I work out several times a
week and I can still keep up with people half my age. I am not
bragging but I am saying that just knowing what to eat and how
much to eat and what is healthy and maintaining enough sleep all
factor into just having a healthy lifestyle.

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Cappuccino Cheesecake

1 1/2 cups Finely Chopped Nuts
2 tbl Sugar
3 tbl Margarine, Melted
32 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
1 cup Sugar
3 tbl Unbleached All-purpose Flour
4 Large Eggs
1 cup Sour Cream
1 tbl Instant Coffee Granules
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 cup Boiling water

Combine nuts, sugar, and margarine; press onto bottom of 9-inch spring- form cake pan. Bake at 325 degrees F., 10 minutes. Combine cream cheese, sugar, and flour, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in sour cream. Dissolve coffee granules and cinnamon in water. Cool; gradually add to cream cheese mixture, mixing until well blended. Pour over crust. Bake at 450 degrees F., 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F.; continue baking 1 hour. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill. Garnish with whipped cream and whole coffee beans if desired.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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Cajun Chicken Wings

This wings recipes is tasty, spicy, and good for you. The par-boiling step takes out much of the fat.

12 Chicken wings -- tips removed
5 Bay leaves -- crumbled into bits
3/4 teaspoon Caraway seeds
1/2 To 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon Ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon Ground coriander
4 Garlic cloves -- finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons Dry mustard
2 teaspoons Paprika -- preferably
3/4 teaspoon Dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Brandy
2 tablespoons Fresh lemon or lime juice


Defat the chicken wings by cooking them in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a large mortar and pestle, grind together the bay leaf bits, caraway seeds, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, garlic, mustard, paprika, thyme and salt for about 10 minutes. Add the brandy and lemon or lime juice to the pulverized herbs and stir into a thick paste. With a pastry brush, cover both sides of each wing with the herb paste. When no more remains in the mortar, squeeze the last few drops from the brush. Arrange the chicken wings on a baking sheet. Bake until the skin turns deep brown and is quite crisp approximately 30 minutes. Takes about an hour to prepare.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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Grilled Spring Vegetable Salad

8 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
1 or 2 garlic cloves, to taste, minced
1-1/2 lbs new potatoes, cut uniformly into quarters or halves
1 lb asparagus, peeled or trimmed
mixed salad greens for six
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

The potatoes and asparagus can be grilled or oven-grilled. If grilling, prepare the grill at medium heat. If oven-grilling, preheat to 375 degrees.

Combine the olive oil, juice of the lemon, garlic, salt and pepper in a shallow dish or large sealable plastic bag. Add the asparagus and potatoes. Toss to coat the vegetables with the marinade. Let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables and retain the marinade for use as a dressing.

Grill or oven-grill the potatoes, turning every 10 minutes, until golden brown. This will take about 30 minutes.

Grill or oven-grill the asparagus until soft but not browned. This will take 8 - 10 minutes.

Arrange the mixed greens on salad plates. Top with potatoes and asparagus. Dress with the retained marinade. Top with Parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper.

Serves six.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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Super Gazpacho

Fantastic starter for a summer dinner or a quick alfresco lunch.

4 Cups Tomato juice, fresh
4 large Roma tomatoes, grilled (1½ Cup chopped)
2/3 Cup Filtered water or vegetable stock
2/3 Cup Cucumber, peeled, seeded & diced
2/3 Cup Corn, fresh or frozen
½ Cup Green bell pepper, diced
1/3 Cup Red onion, diced
3 Tbsp Lime juice, fresh squeezed
3 Tbsp Cilantro, minced
1 Tbsp shoyu, or to taste
1 Tbsp Basil, minced
1 ¼ tsp Cumin powder, toasted
1 tsp Garlic, minced
1 tsp Jalapeño pepper, seeded & minced
½ tsp Chilli powder
½ tsp Hot sauce
Pinch Cayenne pepper
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, ground to taste

Place tomatoes and juice in blender and blend until smooth. Place in a large mixing bowl with remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve chilled, the colder the better.

Courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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Jicama & Orange Salad

1 teaspoon White wine vinegar
1 cup jicama, peeled and julienned
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Line salad plates with lettuce. Top with orange slices. Mound each salad with jicama. Sprinkle with chopped red onion.

Blend juice, vinegar, salt & pepper in small bowl. Whisk in oil in thin stream. Spoon over salads. Garnish with minced cilantro.

Recipe courtesy of Virtuous Recipes.

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Welcome to Virtuous Recipes

This blog will show a selection of recipes from the Virtuous Recipes site plus tips on nutrition, health, and shopping.

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