Passover Banana Coffee Cake (Parve)

This recipe is healthier than the original in several ways: I reduced the amount of sugar and fat by cutting the amount of streusel topping in half. I added walnuts for fiber and heart-healthy fats. Instead of margarine or butter, I substituted liquid oil (mild olive oil, canola or walnut oil) Given the sweetness of bananas, I used less sugar in the cake itself.

Streusel Topping

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup matzah meal

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons oil

Cake

6 large eggs, separated

½ cup white sugar, divided

4 large ripe bananas

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 2 packages vanilla sugar)

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup matzah meal

½ cup potato starch

13 x 9 inch (33 x 23 cm) baking pan

Preheat the oven to 325 F (165 C). Oil the baking pan or line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, stir together all of the topping ingredients.

Using a food processor, process the yolks with ¼ cup of sugar until they're thick and pale. Slice the bananas and add them to the yolk mixture along with the vanilla, salt, matzah meal and potato starch. Blend until smooth and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they form soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, beating until the whites hold stiff peaks. Fold ¼ of the meringue into the banana mixture to lighten it. Gently fold the rest of the meringue into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and sprinkle with the streusel.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a cake rack. 

Chag Sameach V'Kasher to Everyone!

My 5771 Dietary Guidelines

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently published their 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  These guidelines, revised every five years, are vague. They advise us to "eat less salt, trans fat and sugar" and "eat more whole grains, dairy products, fruits and vegetables".  

Why can't the USDA be more specific? Why, for instance, do they not come right out and say: "Don't drink soda pop and don't eat fatty meat"? 

It has to do with conflict of interest.

The root of the problem is that the USDA is a "bi-polar" agency. While it's mandated to encourage healthy eating, it's also mandated to promote American food industries, regardless of the type of food they produce. So any dietary guidelines it publishes must not be overly offensive to industry lobbyists, such as the influential meat and sugar lobbies.

I'm not indebted to the food industry, either in the US or here in Israel. (When Coca Cola sent promotional coupons to Israeli dietitians, mine went straight into the recycling bin.)  With that in mind, I offer you my straightforward and simplified dietary guidelines,  including what to eat and what not to eat this Passover.

5771 Dietary Guidelines

Do:

Eat home-cooked food

Eat plenty of colorful vegetables and fruits every day

Choose whole grains instead of processed grains

Use olive and canola oil

Drink water

Eat fish, poultry and low-fat dairy foods

Eat real food

Don't:

Rely on catered, take-out or restaurant food for most of your meals

Buy commercial baked goods high in sugar and saturated fat

Eat highly processed foods

Drink soft drinks

Eat fatty meat

Eat foods that contain trans fat

Passover Guidelines

Pesach presents its own set of dietary challenges. Eating whole grains is the hardest, unless you eat quinoa or kitniot. But there's still plenty you can do to eat right during Passover.

Stay away from highly processed Passover food

Eat fruit for dessert instead of candy, cookies and cake. When the occasion calls for a cake, bake your own using nuts, fruit and eggs. (Try the recipe for Banana Coffee Cake in my next blog.) Reduce the amount of sugar called for in your recipe by at least a quarter. Stay away from cake mixes and store-bought baked goods. Most of them are high in sugar and trans fat.

Drink water. Just because Coke is kosher-for-Passover, you don't have to buy it.

Use olive oil as your cooking, baking and salad oil during Pesach.

Make your own matzah balls instead of using a mix. It will only take a little longer, but you'll be getting a lot less salt.

Spread matzah with mashed avocado, fruit-only jam or low-fat soft white cheese instead of margarine or butter. Go easy on the matzah altogether.

Snack on fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, nuts and low-fat yogurt and cheese.

Plan holiday meals using lots of vegetables (think soup, salad and vegetable-based main courses); Serve a small amount of low-fat protein, like chicken, turkey and fish and go easy on the potatoes, knaidlach, kugels and matzah.

Eat real, home-cooked food!

Pre-Pesach Leftovers: Turn (some of) them into Granola Bars

After Purim, many of us start thinking about Pesach. I'm not the "Spring Cleaning" type, but I have started going through my pantry and refrigerator. I actually enjoy the challenge of using up leftovers. I just tried this recipe, using some of my own leftovers. I'm not a big granola bar fan, but these are yummy. Soft, not too sweet and certainly healthier than most anything you can buy. And ...they don't even need to be baked. Just mix, refrigerate and cut them up!

There's plenty of room for variations: Use any chopped dried fruit instead of raisins; or peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips; Double or halve the recipe.

No-Bake Granola Bars

1 cup granola (homemade or store bought)

½ cup raw oatmeal (regular or quick-cooking)

½ cup chocolate chips or raisins

¼ cup finely chopped walnuts or almonds

¼ cup honey or date syrup (silan)

1 cup natural peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

Mix granola, oatmeal chocolate chips and walnuts in a bowl. Stir in the honey and peanut butter. Mix well. Spray an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with non-stick spray. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and refrigerate for an hour or so.

Turn the pan upside down on a cutting board and cut into bars or squares. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready for a little snack.

Purim – Mishloach Manot Ideas

I don't go all out with mishloach manot (Purim food gifts). Maybe it's because I packed thousands of them during 12 years of running a kosher gift business. I just remember the shipping boxes stacked up along walls and under the tables. By time I got to the synagogue to hear the Megillah reading, I was barely awake.

In our neighborhood, people have pared way back on Purim gifts. Cards to one's favorite charity are more common, especially when extra calories are not always appreciated (at least by us older folks!)

But one must still satisfy the mitzvah of giving edible Purim gifts to at least two people. And children do enjoy the thrill of getting goodie packages.

This year I found decorative but inexpensive 5-inch (13 cm) square metal containers at a local cosmetics/jewelry shop. Earlier in the month I made half a batch of lemon poppy seed cake, baked it in cupcake tins and froze them. I'll stuff dates with marzipan – both in the refrigerator and needing to be gone before Pesach. We'll buy a bag of juicy tangerines to include in our gifts.

As a finishing touch, I'll add a few chocolate-dipped pretzel sticks that my granddaughter Karen just made with me. It's an easy, fun (and messy!) project that your children or grandchildren will enjoy doing with you.

Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Sticks

Pretzel sticks – I found whole-wheat pretzels made with liquid vegetable oil and covered with sesame seeds.

Chocolate – We used a bar of parve bittersweet chocolate. You can use chocolate chips too.

Canola oil

Candy sprinkles – Optional; Karen decided not to dip all of the sticks in sprinkles.

Washcloth for wiping chocolate from hands, face and clothing.

Break up the chocolate in a pyrex measuring cup (this just makes it easier for children to hold the container). Add a teaspoon or so of canola oil. Microwave it on low power, stirring occasionally, until it's melted.

Lay out wax, parchment or sandwich paper on cookie sheets (for the finished sticks). Lay another piece on the counter or table and pour some of the sprinkles on it.

Dip half of each pretzel stick into the chocolate (a spoon helps spread and catch the drips). Roll the chocolate in the sprinkles and place on the paper-lined cookie sheet. Either set the finished sticks aside to harden, or refrigerate them for a short time. Store them in an air-tight container at room temperature.

CHAG PURIM SAMEACH!

HAPPY PURIM!

Israeli Parliament Leads the Way to Good Nutrition

Healthy eating means different things to different people. Some add more fruits and vegetables to their diets but keep eating lots of sweets. Others cut out trans fats but forget about adding whole grains.

While many Israelis have been adding salads and whole grains to their diets, they continue to munch on salty snacks and rugelach. They're actually eating more healthy foods. But at the same time, they're still eating their favorite un-healthy ones.

A recent survey found that 81.7% of Israelis agree that "eating healthy food is very important." But when asked if they actually eat healthy foods, only 62.4% of the respondents said that they were serious about doing it. While sales of olive oil, whole grains and other more healthy foods have increased, there hasn't been a decrease in sales of highly processed foods that are often high in fat, simple carbohydrates, sugar and salt.

But now our Knesset (parliament) leaders are now trying to set a good example for us. They're adding healthy foods and eliminating bad ones from their official meeting menus. We may not agree with their politics, but at least they seem to be on the right track with nutrition.

Cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser pulled high-fat bourekas and rugelach from the menu during government meetings. In their place, ministers are now served granola, hard-cooked eggs, low-fat yogurt and cheese, whole grain bread and fruits and vegetables. Sweetened soda has been replaced with water.

Of course, like all of us, Knesset members have their own preferences "after hours". Kadima head Tzipi Livni snacks on candy bars and salty snacks, though she says she's trying to eat more fruits and vegetables. Prime Minister Netanyahu enjoys fruit, vegetables, raisins and nuts. Foreign Minister Lieberman serves tap water, fruit and pretzels at his meetings. Then there's Defense Minister Barak, who eats raw lemons, unshelled pumpkin seeds and salty cheese. He's also known for his habit of eating food off of other people's plates. (See if he'll ever be invited to my house!)

Good nutrition means more than just adding healthy foods. You've got to stop eating the un-healthy ones as well. If the cabinet secretary can get our often unruly Knesset members to eat right, we certainly can do just as well, if not better with our own families.

Coming to Your Table Soon - Weeds from the Negev Desert

Bedouin living in the Negev once survived on the wealth of wild plants growing in the desert. Purslane, Mediterranean saltbush, desert stork's bill and sea aster (photo at right) are among those plants that are now being domesticated for today's market. Agricultural researchers in Israel are creating high quality strains of these wild plants that will be easy to grow, have a long shelf life and appeal to modern consumers.

Why not just stick with the cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes that we're all used to?

Good nutrition is one reason. Purslane, a wild green that's already popular in Arab countries, is high in vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. Sea aster is also high in iron and calcium, as well as vitamin C, protein and fiber. Desert stork's bill was once used as a sweetener. Maybe it will join stevia and agave syrup on supermarket shelves.

Besides nutrition, it's always exciting to expand your palate. Why not do it with native plants grown in your own (at least my own!) back yard?

Red Yeast Rice – an Alternative to Statins?

Red yeast rice (RYR) has been eaten for centuries, mainly in Asia. There it's known for its medicinal properties in aiding digestion and circulation. In the West, it's become increasingly popular as an alternative lipid-lowering agent, especially among people who can't tolerate or aren't comfortable taking prescription statin drugs.

Just what is it? Should you consider taking it if you have high cholesterol?

When rice is fermented with the fungus Monascus purpureus (a type of yeast), it takes on a reddish-purple color. It's eaten fresh or dried and also pasteurized and sold as a paste. As the rice ferments, several chemical compounds are formed, including monacolin K, which is chemically identical to the drug lovastatin.

In controlled studies, RYR was shown to raise HDL (healthy lipids) and lower LDL and triglycerides (unhealthy lipids). A large Chinese study showed a marked decrease in heart attacks among patients taking RYR for nearly 5 years.

Here's the difference between RYR and lovastatin:

Lovastatin is a prescription medication which is standardized and regulated by the government. You know just what (and how much) you're getting.

RYR is an over-the-counter "food supplement". The amount of monacolin K can vary from one product to another. In a recent study of 12 different brands of RYR, scientists found levels of monacolin K that varied widely – from 0.10 mg to 10.09 mg per capsule.

An additional concern with RYR is the possible presence of the toxin citrinin, another byproduct of the fermentation process. Four out of the 12 brands of RYR tested had high levels of citrinin.

So the main question is whether you want to take a regulated and standardized prescription drug or an unregulated and non-standardized food supplement.

If prescription statins don't work for you, you may want to ask your physician about RYR. (It can have some of the same side effects as statins, so it should be taken under your doctor's supervision.) Obviously there are companies who do produce a reliable product – the challenge is finding the right one.

As for me, I'll stick with prescription statins until RYR becomes standardized and regulated.

Heart Healthy Eating

You already know that eating plenty of vegetables, whole grains and fish is good for your health. But did you know how much these foods can actually help lower your risk of heart disease?

1. One serving a day of leafy green vegetables is associated with a 23% reduction in cardiovascular events.

2. Eat at least 2 to 3 servings of whole grains every day and your risk of having a heart attack may be decreased by 21%.

3. Two servings of fish each week is associated with a 27% reduction in risk of a fatal heart attack.

Eat all these and you may lower your risk of heart disease by over 20%. That equals or exceeds the results of some medications! (If you're already on cholesterol-lowering medication, don't stop taking them without consulting your physician.)

It's easy enough to eat leafy greens – 1 cup of salad greens (dark green lettuce please, not iceberg) is one serving. Then there's spinach, chard, kale, and a variety of Asian-style greens (like Napa cabbage and bok choy) that can be stir fried or used in soups, omelets and casseroles.

Kasha, bulgur, farro, barley, brown rice, quinoa and millet are just some of the whole grains to try. One way to cook them easily is to add them to a pot of boiling water – just like you'd cook pasta. When they're done to your liking, drain in a strainer. Whole grains work as a side dish and as part of a m

ain course. Start your day with half a cup of cooked whole oats and you've already eaten one serving of whole grains!

If you enjoy fish, eating two servings a week shouldn't be difficult. But with warnings ab

out mercury, farm-raised fish and endangered species, it's often hard to know (or to find) the healthiest fish choices. And if you just don't like fish, what are you supposed to do?

For cardiovascular health, fish oil is often recommended, especially if you don't eat fןsh regularly. Fish oil contains EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which have been found to lower triglycerides and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with known

heart disease. It may also lower blood pressure and slow the buildup of atherosclerotic plaque.

Dosage varies, depending on your age and state of health, so talk to your health care professional before starting to take fish oil capsules. If you've tried fish oil and stopped because it caused you to burp, store the capsules in the freezer and swallow them while they're still frozen.

Next: Red Yeast Rice for Heart Health?

Baking – How Much Can You Change a Recipe?

I'm often asked if it's possible to substitute oil for margarine, honey for sugar, or whole-wheat flour for white flour in cakes and cookies. Of course it's possible, but the results may not turn out to be very good!

So my answer is "it depends". Solid fats like margarine and butter create a different texture than oil does in baked goods. Margarine contains water, whereas oil is 100% fat, so the measurements need to be adjusted. Honey is a liquid, so it doesn't substitute for sugar without adjusting other ingredients in your recipe. Whole wheat flour gives a heartier taste to baked goods, so you might not want to use it when you're looking for a delicate or subtle flavored product.

Here's the recipe for a cake I baked last Shabbat. The original recipe called for white flour and 1 ¼ cups of sugar. It also called for a larger bundt pan (24cm/9 ½ ") than I had. So I divided the batter between my 20 cm (8") pan and a mini pan that could go into the freezer later for another occasion. Did you know that if you serve a large cake, people are likely to eat more of it than if the cake is smaller to begin with?

The recipe contains flavorful spices and citrus zest, so I felt comfortable substituting whole-wheat flour for all of the white flour. And because most cakes are just too sweet for my taste, I cut back on the sugar by ¼ cup.

The results – excellent! Nobody even guessed that it was made from whole-wheat flour or that it wasn't sweet enough. It's also quick and easy. You'll need an electric mixer, but otherwise this cake goes together in just a few minutes.

Orange Spice Cake (Parve)

3 eggs

1 ¼ cups sugar (white or demerrara)

2 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour

2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

(Or substitute one 350 gm package of self-rising whole-wheat flour for the flour and baking powder)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 tablespoon grated orange zest (preferably organic)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (preferably organic)

¾ cup orange juice

¾ cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar (optional)

Heat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Spray a bundt pan (see above for size information) with baking spray.

Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed, until they've significantly increased in volume and are light colored and thick.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, orange and lemon zest together in a separate bowl.

Measure the orange juice and oil in one measuring cup and add the vanilla extract to it.

When the eggs are ready, lower the speed of the mixer and add the flour and liquid ingredients to the eggs. Scrape the bowl occasionally and mix to get out any lumps.

Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 15-20 minutes, then turn the cake out of the pan and let it cool completely on the rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Two New Books

No doubt about it – kosher is "in", and not just within the kashrut observant community. The popularity of kosher food in the US has soared, as have the number of products now boasting kosher supervision. New kosher cookbooks are following the trend.

I've just had a chance to review two of them.

Gil Marks spent years researching material for his fascinating Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. He's written over 600 pages on every subject related to Jewish food that you could imagine – and many that you've probably never heard of. (How about Csipetke, Kharcho and Dukkah?) With much detail, Gil discusses ancient and modern foods from Jewish communities all over the world. This is not a standard cookbook, but many delicious and moderately easy-to-make recipes are included.

Although the book cover is absolutely gorgeous, smatterings of black and white photographs don't make this a glamorous read. In fact, it's not a "read through" kind of book at all, unless reading encyclopedias are your thing. But I've been making my way through it slowly, enjoying it immensely and already using it as the exceptionally well-written and interesting reference it's meant to be.

The Kosher Baker by Paula Shoyer is a glamorously designed book with an eye-catching cover and top-notch color photographs throughout. It's organized by preparation time, rather than type of food, which I found a bit awkward.

The premise of Paula's book is that you can re-do any of those gorgeously fancy dairy baked goods you've drooled over for years and make them parve.

She may be right, but at what price to your health? Most of her recipes call for large amounts of solid fat (stick margarine or Crisco), parve whip topping, parve coffee creamer, parve sour cream and cream cheese, and frozen puff pastry.

Here are the ingredients of some of the products called for in her recipes:

Rich's Whip Topping: Water, high fructose corn syrup (sugar), hydrogenated coconut oil, partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, more sugar, gums, stabilizers and other various chemicals, flavors and colors

Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry: Unbleached enriched wheat (white) flour, water, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils, mono and diglycerides derived from hydrogenated soybean oil, and soy lecithin

Although some of her recipes do use canola oil and soy, rice and almond milk, the majority are dependent on artery-clogging hydrogenated fats and lots of sugar. While recommending these products, Paula claims in her introduction that "…many studies link milk consumption with various medical symptoms and diseases."

Is she referring to dairy allergies or lactose intolerance? If so, how can you compare these to heart disease – the number one cause of death in the US, brought on in large part by diets high in saturated fat, sugar and way too many calories?

I guess Paula and I are just on different wave-lengths when it comes to parve desserts. Her idea is creamy, rich, sweet and loaded with saturated fat, while I prefer desserts made with fresh and dried fruit, nuts, whole grains, olive and canola oil. Maybe there's another kosher cookbook waiting to be written?