Cello - Foundation Recipe

(pictured L-R: lemon, pink grapefruit, orange/vanilla, blood orange)

Do you have an Italian friend that makes homemade lemon cello, aka liquore di limone, or limoncino? If you don’t you are in for a treat. Assuming you enjoy an occasional adult beverage that is. Don’t have too much though, it will increase your probability of cancer.

For anyone that doesn't know "lemon cello" (the most commonly sold variety of cello in the US) it is a sweet lemon flavored liquor. It is typically served after dinner as an aperitif. You can find it in most large liquor stores in the US. In my opinion, the commercial stuff isn't nearly as tasty as the homemade version.

In Italy every household makes their own cello. I learned this on a trip to Italy in the early 90’s from a Tuscan housewife. Italians use grain alcohol for their cello, but I find vodka to be much smoother and easier to drink. I use Absolute since it is reasonably priced and fairly neutral in flavor. The fruit and sugar will be the stars of this beverage.

Whenever I am using citrus fruit I scrub the outside before I do anything else. Then I use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer most skin from the fruit (zest). Don’t go into the pith (the white inner membrane) or your cello will be bitter. Put the zest into the jar and cover it with vodka. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid and store it in a cool dry place (I use my pantry). I always have multiple bottles going at the same time (as you saw above). You may find it useful to label them if you do this since the zest will lose its color as it sits in the vodka. Then, as I use more fresh citrus I add the zest to the appropriate bottle. Allow the zest to sit in the vodka for at least a week, a month is better, and a year isn’t too long. Taste the vodka periodically to see if it has pulled the oils from the skin and tastes like the fruit. If you are happy with the level of flavor you can move to the next step.

Strain the zest from the vodka and press to get it to release all the flavored vodka. Now you can sweeten the flavored vodka how you like. Traditionally Italians use simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) that have been heated to dissolve the sugar and then cooled. Only add cooled syrup to your flavored vodka so that you don’t evaporate any alcohol. Add as much simple syrup as you like. Cello can be very sweet, or a little sweet.

Next put the finished cello into a pretty bottle (not completely full since frozen water expands) with a tight lid, and store it in the freezer until you want to drink it. It is good over ice in a frozen glass. We also like to use it with sparkling water (we use Pellegrino) and make adult lemonade. It is great over ice cream, or fresh fruit. The possibilities are almost endless.

If you want to make your cello your own you can change what you put inside. Our favorite is pink grapefruit and orange cello with cranberry syrup. We combine pink grapefruit and orange vodka with a cranberry juice that we sweeten with agave. Another very popular combination is orange and vanilla cello (excellent over vanilla ice cream). To make this one you add a vanilla bean to the orange zest. You could also add vanilla extract, but the little black flecks from the bean are very nice and more aromatic.

I hope you enjoy making cello. If you give it a try please let me know. Should you have any questions post a comment or drop me an email. I have made hundreds of bottles of this stuff and would be happy to answer your questions. By the way, this makes great presents if you have one of those hard to buy for friends. Just don't wait until the last minute to get started.

Middle Eastern Spiced Beets, Orange, Red Onion, Mint and Pistachio Salad

Beets are a food that people are passionate about. You are either a beet lover or a beet hater. My husband is a beet lover and I have learned to love them to, but it did take a while. If you aren’t a beet lover because you had some bad childhood beet experience give beets another chance. They are so good for you, and the flavor is wonderful if they are treated properly.

I decided to go Middle Eastern today with the beets. I knew I wanted to use them roasted and in a salad, but didn’t decide on the middle eastern twist until I went in the kitchen and saw the ras el hanout looking at me from the spice drawer. There is a recipe for the spice blend on my blog with a link in the recipe.

This salad is a combination of things that make me think of Middle Eastern food. I have included spiced beets, oranges, red onion, fresh mint and chopped pistachios. The beets are high in anthocyanins. The oranges provide vitamin C. The red onion is packed with antioxidants and is reported to be good for your heart and well as preventing cancer. The pistachios provide healthy fat. Most herbs are full of flavonoids, so I assume that mint is no exception.

Middle Eastern Spiced Beets, Orange, Red Onion, Mint and Pistachio Salad
serves 4

Spiced Beet Ingredients:

2 ½ pounds of beets, cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
2 teaspoons of ras el hanout
½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of champagne vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Remaining salad ingredients:

1 orange, segmented and cut into bite sized pieces
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of vinegar to soak the onion
½ cup of fresh mint, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of pistachios, roughly chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Put all the ingredients into a glass baking dish (if using metal increase the temperature to 350 degrees) and toss to combine the spices.

Roast the beets in an uncovered pan for 60 minutes and check the beets for tenderness with the tip of your paring knife. The exactly cooking time will depend on the size you cut the beets. Cook the beets until they are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife.

Cool the beets and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. These beets can be served cold or hot. It serving hot you can reheat them in the microwave if you don’t want to make the salad.

Add the segmented orange to the cold beets. Soak the slivered onions in a little white vinegar to take the edge off the bite. After 15 minutes drain the vinegar from the onions and add them to the cold beet and orange.

Add the roughly chopped mint just before serving. Sprinkle the pistachios on the top of the salad and serve cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 196.73
Calories From Fat (18%) - 35.66

Total Fat - 4.21g
Saturated Fat - 0.59g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 330.95mg
Potassium - 1062.22mg
Total Carbohydrates - 37.59g
Fiber - 10.8g
Sugar - 19.47g
Protein - 6.34g

Comments:

These beets have a lot of flavor and a terrific aroma from the ras el hanout. The beets could be served hot on their own, or as part of this salad.

The next time I make this salad I will add another orange. If you weren’t watching your fat as closely as we are the salad would be fine with a few more pistachios, and the inclusion of a few sliced black oil cured olives would take the salad over the top.

Spinach Salad with Orange Segments, Dried Cherries and Seitan

My lunch today was a salad with a little fruit and seitan. I used the spinach in place of lettuce for its superior nutrition. I was in the mood for citrus today and had an orange in the refrigerator. I included the dried cherries for a pop of color and sweetness. The seitan slices were added to get the calories and protein up on the salad. If you want a little more crunchiness a little thinly sliced cucumber would also be good in this salad. If fat is not a probably for you I would suggest you add a few slivered almonds or cashews to this salad.

Spinach Salad with Orange Segments, Dried Cherries and Seitan
Serves 1

Ingredients:

½ tablespoon of sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon of canola oil
a pinch of sea salt
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
3 cups of raw baby spinach, rinsed and spun dry
½ orange, segmented
2 servings of pressure cooked lunchmeat, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of dried cherries

Directions:

Combine the sherry vinegar, canola oil, sea salt and pepper. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Toss the spinach in the dressing. Add the orange, seitan and dry cherries and toss to coat everything.

Serve immediately on a chilled plate.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 278.88
Calories From Fat (12%) - 32.81

Total Fat - 3.75g
Saturated Fat - 0.36g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 88.2mg
Potassium - 676.78mg
Total Carbohydrates - 25.86g
Fiber - 4.45g
Sugar - 6.82g
Protein - 38.83g

Comments:

I intentionally reduced the salad dressing I used today and wasn’t certain it would be enough to moisten all the leaves. I was surprised to find that today’s salad had enough dressing. I liked the combination of orange and dried cherries with the sherry vinegar. The seitan was included for protein and calories. Overall, this is a good salad that is filling and refreshing at the same time.

(This note is for Sue …… I know you were surprised to see the oranges had been supremed. I did save the membrane that is between the segments to add to a citrus salad dressing later today. I wouldn’t want to miss any opportunity to reduce cholesterol and fight cancer).

Tropical Cabbage Salad with Grapefruit, Orange, Cardamom and Vanilla

We enjoyed the cabbage salad I made last weekend, so I wanted to make another version this weekend. Cabbage is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family so it has the same cancer fighting properties as broccoli.

The citrus and cardamom are a favorite combination of mine. My husband thinks I will put cardamom on anything. I don’t think I am that bad, but I do love the aroma of cardamom. The vanilla also added a nice floral aroma to the salad. If you don’t have fresh lime juice and want something other than the lime and vanilla salad I made last weekend, this is a nice substitute.

Tropical Cabbage Salad with Grapefruit, Orange, Cardamom and Vanilla
Serves 4

Ingredients:

¼ a large head of cabbage, finely shredded
1 grapefruit, sectioned and cut into bite size pieces
1 orange, sectioned and cut into bite size pieces
14 ounce can of pineapple, cut into bite size pieces
½ teaspoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla
¾ teaspoon of cardamom, ground
1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
approximately 1/8 teaspoon (1 gram scoop) of powdered stevia - optional
1 tablespoon of unsweetened, reduced fat grated coconut (Let's Do Organic Brand)

Directions:

Combine everything except the coconut, and toss to thoroughly combine. Allow the salad to marinate in the refrigerator for at least a few hours so the flavors can marry. The stevia is not required, but did add a very subtle sweetness to the background.

To serve, sprinkle each serving with a quarter of the grated coconut on top.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 96.93
Calories From Fat (11%) - 10.48

Total Fat - 3.86g
Saturated Fat - 0.39g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 8.67mg
Potassium - 140.1mg
Total Carbohydrates - 21.75g
Fiber - 2.67g
Sugar - 16.47g
Protein - 0.87g

Comments:

If you aren’t as concerned about keeping the fat down, as we are. I would suggest adding a few sliced or slivered almonds to this salad. The almonds would add a nice crunchy texture.

We had this salad last night with the cold rice salad for dinner. The two dishes together were very filling. We ate dinner rather early (6 pm), and neither of us was hungry before bed.

Orange, Red Onion and Spinach Salad with Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

We eat a lot of salads in our house. I tend to rely on a few different salads most of the time, but like to a change things periodically.

This salad uses raw spinach, which is a nutritional powerhouse that is also a cancer fighter. The orange contains a nice sweetness and vitamin C (an antioxidant). The red onions are added for flavor, and for their flavonoids. Consuming onions has been linked to a reduction in a stomach and colon cancer.

The combination of orange, onion and olives is a classic Italian combination. I decided to make black olive vinaigrette to get the olive flavor without the texture. Not all the members of my family like olives, but they do like this salad dressing.

Orange, Red Onion and Spinach Salad with Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette
Makes 4 starter salads

Ingredients:

1 recipe for Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette (below)
8 cups of baby spinach, stems removed
½ red onion, thinly sliced in half moons
1 navel orange, peeled and sliced

Directions:

Prepare Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette.

Remove stems from the 8 cups of baby spinach. Wash and spin the spinach dry. Toss the spinach with the olive vinaigrette. Slice the red onion as thinly as possible into half moon shapes and add to spinach. Toss the salad to evenly distribute the onions. Place dressed spinach and onions on four salad plates.

Remove peel and pith from one orange. Thinly slice the orange into 12 slices (3 per salad). Top each salad with 3 orange slices.

Serve cold, preferably on cold plates.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 81.41
Calories From Fat (56%)- 45.51

Total Fat - 5.17g
Saturated Fat - 0.52g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 137.62mg
Potassium - 396.68mg
Total Carbohydrates - 8.33g
Fiber - 2.33g
Sugar - 3.23g
Protein - 2.19g

Kalamata Olive and Sherry Vinaigrette
makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

6 black olives
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons of sherry vinegar

Directions:

Place ingredients in a small food processor and puree until you have a thick dressing. If you don’t want to use a food processor you can finely mince the black olives with your chef’s knife and whisk the olive oil and vinegar together and then add the minced olives. This dressing gets plenty of salt from the olives. You can add a little black pepper, but the dressing does not need to flavor boost.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 45.24
Calories From Fat (95%) - 42.93

Total Fat - 4.86g
Saturated Fat - 0.47g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 89.46mg
Potassium - 3.78mg
Total Carbohydrates - 0.58g
Fiber - 0g
Sugar - 0g
Protein - 0g

Comments:

This is a very flavorful salad that is also low in calories. The salad gets a lot of flavor from the black olives and red onion. This is a very fast salad that comes together with only a few ingredients. It is a nice salad to know if you need to add something to a menu that needs another small dish.

Pomegranate Juice Cocktail in the Style of Sangria

(Pictured: Pomegranate Juice Cocktail before adding club soda)

I like to have a carafe of sangria in the refrigerator to accompany a Spanish meal. Sangria is one of those beverages that most people seem to enjoy. My husband and I both enjoy our vino. However, we also know that drinking alcohol, while good for your heart, increases your risk of many forms of cancer. Frequently I will make versions of some of our favorite beverages that contain less or no alcohol.

This particular beverage was inspired by my friend Reiko that asked me about non-alcoholic sangria. My first thought was to use a non-alcoholic wine, but pomegranate juice is a great substitute for red wine due to the natural tannins. Including pomegranate juice is good for your health and preventing cancer. Fruit in general is high in antioxidants I try to include it whenever I can.

Pomegranate Juice Cocktail in the Style of Sangria
Makes 8 servings (approximately 1 cup each)

Ingredients:

3 cups of pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon of lemon extract
1 orange, cut into bite size pieces
1 lemon, cut into bite size pieces
1 apple, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup of grapes, cut in half
2 cups of club soda or sparkling water (like Pellegrino or Perrier)

Directions:

Combine everything but the club soda and refrigerate. It is best if you make the beverage at least 8 to 10 hours ahead of time. Add the club soda before serving in a chilled glass with ice and a slice of fruit on the rim.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 95.75
Calories From Fat (3%)- 2.82

Total Fat - 0.16g
Saturated Fat - 0.03g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 19.48mg
Potassium - 338.4mg
Total Carbohydrates - 24.47g
Fiber - 2.12g
Sugar - 17.7g
Protein - 0.61g

Comments:

This is a nice beverage when you want something that mimics Sangria without the alcohol. If you want to reduce the calories and carbohydrates increase the amount of club soda and lemon extract. I think this is nice flavorful beverage that the entire family can enjoy.

Cold Melon Soup with Pinot Grigio and Harissa

Last week in the cooking class the topic was soup. The melon soup was my favorite, but I wanted to make my own version. This soup is my version of what we did last week in class.

It is important to use a white wine that you like in this soup. The wine flavor is stronger than the fruit and its flavor is prominent. I use Pinot Grigio because it is my white wine of choice, but use any dry white wine you like to drink.

I added the orange for a little additional sweetness in this soup. I thought of adding only the juice, but I decided it might muddy the color of the soup and I didn’t want that to happen. In the end I liked the bits of orange in the soup.

The harissa adds a nice background heat to the soup. The soup will not be hot, but you will know the heat is there. Please don’t be tempted to add more harissa until the soup has had time to sit in the refrigerator so the flavors can marry. Once the heat is in there the only way to moderate the intensity is to make more soup without heat and combine them.

I included the green onions on top of the soup for color and because I wanted a little sharpness periodically while eating the soup.

Cold Melon Soup with Pinot Grigio and Harissa
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 honeydew melon , peeled and seeded
1 cup of Pinot Grigio (dry Italian white wine)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon of harissa
1 navel orange, peeled and cut into small dice
1 cup of green grapes, cut into quarters
4 tablespoons of green onion tops, finely sliced – for garnish

Directions:

Remove the rind and seeds from the honeydew melon. Cut ¾ of the melon into large chunks and put it into the blender. Add the pinot grigio, salt and harissa to the blender and puree until smooth.

Cut the remaining melon into small dice and add it to the soup. Cut the orange into small dice, and the grapes into quarters. Add the orange and grapes to the soup. Store the soup in the refrigerator in a covered container until ready to serve.

When ready to serve garnish with a few sliced green onions.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 183.42
Calories From Fat (2%) - 3.94

Total Fat - 0.47g
Saturated Fat - 0.12g

Cholesterol - 0mg

Sodium - 283.01mg

Potassium - 704.88mg

Total Carbohydrates - 35.56g

Fiber - 3.13g

Sugar - 29.47g

Protein - 2g

Comments:

This soup has the lovely scent of honeydew. However, the taste is far more complex. You will taste honeydew, but you also taste the Pinot Grigio followed by the heat from the harissa. This soup is not hot, but the heat from the harissa is definitely a strong background note due to the subtle flavors of the soup. This is nice summer soup when it is too hot to cook, or whenever you want something cold to eat. If you don't want to use the wine I would substitute sparkling water (like Pellegrino) or half apple juice and half water.

Fruit Salad with Whole Grain Bagel, Peanut Butter and Banana

Since “what makes a good vegan breakfast” is a recurring question, I will be posting our breakfast items when they are different from what I have previously posted.

I normally keep a few whole grain bagels in the freezer for mornings like this when I don’t want a smoothie, or to spend a lot of time making breakfast.

A quick defrost in the microwave and a little time in the toaster and we had breakfast. I added the peanut butter for protein and fat (so we can absorb all the fat soluble vitamins in our breakfast). The banana was included to hopefully protect us from a recurrence of kidney cancer. The banana also includes a nice amount of potassium, which is necessary for healthy blood pressure.

Any meal that goes from the refrigerator and freezer to my plate in under 10 minutes is my idea of the perfect meal. I also used the fruit salad I made last night and added a few strawberries for color and we were ready to eat.

Fruit is a great thing to incorporate in your diet on a daily basis. If you take a look at the USDA website for the ORAC values fruit scores very high in antioxidants. By having a big container of fruit salad in the refrigerator at all times you can easily eat four servings of fruit everyday.

Fruit Salad and Whole Grain Bagel with Peanut Butter and Banana
Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 cups of fruit salad (1/2 of what I made yesterday)
6 strawberries, sliced
3.5 ounce whole grain bagel
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
4 ounce banana, sliced

Directions:

Slice bagel in half, and toast. Spread each bagel half with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and top with banana slices.

Remove fruit salad from the refrigerator. Add strawberries to the fruit salad.

Eat immediately while the bagel is still warm and the fruit salad is cold.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 391.44
Calories From Fat (20%) - 78.64

Total Fat - 9.4g
Saturated Fat - 1.96g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 349.49mg
Potassium - 956.47mg
Total Carbohydrates - 72.56g
Fiber - 8.11g
Sugar - 35.01g
Protein - 12.06g

Comments:

This breakfast is light but filling. I like that the salad is cold but the bagel is warm. I always like a mixture of warm and cold items. I also like the crunchiness of the bagel with the gooey texture of the peanut butter. Overall this is a nice quick breakfast with good nutritional content.

Fruit Salad – Cantaloupe, Orange, Apple and Grape

The idea for making large containers of fruit salad ahead of time goes to my friend Sue. She shared this idea with me about a month ago and I have been enjoying it ever since. If you haven’t tried making fruit salad on the weekend to last a few days give it a try. It works like a charm. Thanks Sue!

Fruit Salad – Cantaloupe, Orange, Apple and Grape
Makes 3.2 quarts

Ingredients:

1 cantaloupe, cut into bite size pieces
1 orange, peeled and cut into bite size pieces **
1 gala apple, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup of green grapes, halved

Directions:

Mix everything together and refrigerate. This will last a few days in the refrigerator if covered tightly.

** Please note, Sue would supreme her oranges. I, being the rebel that I am, leave the membrane between the citrus sections for extra fiber and cholesterol protection. I read that the membrane of the grapefruit helps to remove the existing plague from your arteries and began leaving all citrus membrane on my fruit. Before you ask, I don't know if the membrane theory has any validity but on the outside chance it does I figured why not give it a go.

Nutritional Information (entire recipe):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 456.32
Calories From Fat (3%)- 14.81

Total Fat - 1.76g
Saturated Fat - 0.43g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 92.9mg
Potassium - 2260.14mg
Total Carbohydrates - 114.68g
Fiber - 14.14g
Sugar - 99.7g
Protein - 7.88g

Comments:

When something like this fruit salad is on the top shelf of the refrigerator, it becomes my default mid afternoon snack of choice. Since the entire container (which no human could possibly eat) is only 456 calories, this makes a great dish for when you need a little something but don’t want a lot of calories. You could jazz this up with a few toasted walnuts or almonds when you get ready to serve. A little drizzle of lemon cello over the fruit would also be divine. If you have mint in your garden you could add some julienned mint leaves or a nice minty syrup you made with agave. The options are endless for dressing this up.