Cocodatenut Surprise
The very sound of the word “dessert” can be alarming to those of us watching what we eat. Carbs and sweets have become a big no-no.
Recent research in the realm of diet and weight loss emphasizes the desirability of increasing dietary fiber intake. Whole foods, nuts, dates, figs, and dried fruits are tasty natural ways to increase fiber. Many commercial “high fiber” products are ground so finely that the benefit of the added fiber is nil; consequently, people tend to associate fiber with cardboard taste and general inedibility. Unbeknownst to many (because of the marketing efforts of the food manufacturing industry?) the greatest fiber benefit is found in familiar foods occuring naturally, with minimal processing (see highfibercooking.com for more information!)
Some high-fiber foods are very sweet in their natural form. With a few added elements, fantastic desserts are possible that are very beneficial from the standpoints of fiber intake, healthy fat intake, dietary balance, and good old enjoyment!
Cocodatenut Surprise
Ingredients:
10 Hazelnuts
4 Dates
2 dried figs
5 dried prunes
5 Walnuts
1 Tbsp shredded coconut or coconut chips
1 Tbsp natural peanut butter (NOT Skippy or Jif! No hydrogenated oils! EVER!)
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp flax seed
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp mace powder
Chop the nuts, dates, figs and prunes as fine as you’d like them. I use a food processor and pulse them for thirty seconds or so, although a knife on a cutting board would work fine.
Combine all ingredients and stir.
Transfer to ramekins and refigerate.
It tastes like a fantastic candy bar, but it’s healthy! Serve it with fruit or milk.
Umami Sauce
Fans of Thai food might have seen a condiment rack or tray on the table in some Thai restaurants with pepper powders and pastes, sometimes with a hot pepper-fish sauce among them. Thai condiments can be challenging; Thai food, when it’s hot, can be among the spiciest cuisines in the world.
The fish sauce-hot pepper combination is intriguing. Its salty, savory and sour elements add body to the spicy heat.
The Japanese refer to a quality of taste that they consider a primary element, like sweet, sour, salty, and bitter; this fifth taste is “Umami” in Japanese, translating roughly into “savory.” It’s present in ripe tomatoes, bacon, the browned outside of a cut of broiled meat – it’s “tangy.” It’s present in some natural potato chips, in avocados, cheese, etc. Fish sauce is Umami; as is anchovy paste, or beef, chicken, veal and other meat stocks. It might be another way of saying that all of the other elements are present. There’s a wonderful restaurant in Harmon, New York called “Umami;” Our first education in this taste was courtesy of their cuisine and website.
We started making the pepper fish sauce, and find that it is very useful, adding delightful and satisfying elements to many different kinds of dishes; its useful reach goes well beyond the confines of Thai or Southeast Asian cuisine.
Ingredients:
3-5 Fresh whole hot peppers:
Habanero, Thai chili, Japanese Chili, serrano, Jalapeno – whatever is available, and the hotter the better
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
1 lemon or lime
3 cloves Garlic
1 scallion
Dice the peppers. Keep the seeds in for extra heat and dietary fiber. Dice the garlic and scallions.
Pour fish sauce into a small jar with a lid.
Add the peppers, garlic and scallions. Squeeze the lime in. If the fish sauce doesn’t cover all the peppers and garlic, add some more.
Other optional ingredients would include a few drops of rice vinegar and/or toasted sesame oil.
This is very simple to make. The tastes combine; the salty fish sauce preserves the peppers, garlic and scallions while breaking down the harsher elements of the taste; after a few days in the refrigerator, the sauce has a very rich flavor, salty, spicy, and Umami all at the same time, adding fantastic life to just about anything.
Ingredients
In the grocery the other day, I saw a bag of dried Goya chickpeas, and thought about all the canned chickpeas I had to throw out—I’d use some and forget about them and the next thing I know there’s an odd smell coming from the refrigerator.
Wow, dried beans! Portion control! Brilliant. They’re easy – it only takes a little thinking ahead. I put some in water and left em out overnight, and this morning, ba-bing! Garbanzos, ready for whatever. So, I wanted a higher-fiber substitute for toast with my fried eggs.
The little bit of fat or oil required is completely excusable given the fact (new research!) that fat plays essential roles in the health of all cells – and stabilizes mood while preventing depression! Moderate fats and oils are GOOD. There’s more research about it here.
But I digress. Here’s the recipe:
1/2 cup chickpeas
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 cherry tomatoes, sliced
1/4 tsp cumin seed
salt and pepper to taste
There’s some chopping required. One thing I’ve noticed about high-fiber food is that there’s more work involved at every step of the process—it needs to be chopped or soaked or whatever, then it’s harder to chew, and then it makes your digestive tract work harder. All of these things are good, although maybe not as convenient as Couch-Potato America likes food to be.
I cheat. I have a food processor, but one of those hand-choppers like they used to advertise on Late-Nite TV would work just as well, as would a long knife and a cutting board. Chop the chickpeas, garlic and cumin seed together with a sprinkle of oil, salt and pepper. Heat the rest of the oil in a non-stick frypan; add the chopped chickpea mix, and stir it with a wooden spoon to brown it. Break 2 eggs into a small bowl and have it handy. When the chickpeas start to brown, put around 2/3 of the contents of the frypan onto a plate. Add the eggs to the remaining chickpea mixture in the pan and cover.
After a minute or so, add a tablespoon of water to the egg pan and let the steam firm up the tops of the egg whites. When the eggs are done, plate them with the chickpea mix. Garnish with the chopped onion and tomato. The chickpea mix functions very much like bread for sopping the egg yolk, and the taste is divine!
By Dean Poling
VDT View —
JUST CAN’T WAIT
Jon Burr Band
Bass player Jon Burr is a stand-up guy. The bass player has worked with luminaries such as Buddy Rich, Tony Bennett, and Chet Baker. In creating this CD and accompanying live DVD, Burr couldn’t wait to work with all-star contemporaries such as Anat Cohen, Joel Frahm, Houston Person, Howard Alden, Bob MIntzer, and Ted Rosenthal. He works with his daughter, Tyler Burr, who co-wrote a few of the lyrics for this CD’s songs. “Just Can’t Wait,” however, is all driven by Jon Burr’s vision and passion as a lyricist, composer and arranger. And let’s not forget as a performer. From the studio-produced CD to the live DVD at New York City’s’ Birdland, this is one album well worth the wait.
The Untold Secret to Melodic Bass
“Jon has come up with a great book for bassists, and anyone else for that matter, which delves into the construction of compelling bass lines. He is very thorough in his approach talking about what the bassist does and all the why’s and how’s. Jon is a great musician, and his take on this subject matter is a welcome addition to the topic.”
- Bob Mintzer, Grammy-winning saxophonist/composer/educator
“Jon Burr shares valuable secrets of jazz bass playing, and he writes in a clear and direct manner. This book will help students and pros alike in developing swinging, melodic and groove bass lines. “
- Ted Rosenthal, pianist, composer and instructor at Juilliard School of Music
“After decades as a first-call bassist on the New York jazz scene, Jon Burr reveals his concepts and musical wisdom in this concise and easy to understand tutorial. A must-have for the aspiring jazz bassist. “
- John Goldsby, author: The Jazz Bass Book
“If you want to be a creative BASS player, this is the book for you.”
- Houston Person, saxophonist/producer/jazz master
“I finally had the time to actually play thru the book thorougly… it’s fantastic. It’s great to see someone addressing in print the stuff that makes melody sound so great. I love that last paragraph…It’s great to have stuff that veteran bassists learn to do intuitively explained in clear, logical language. It’s a wonderful, and as far as I know, unique, book.”
- John Loehrke, bassist and educator
“Jon has made a science of of building bass lines with his extensive professional experience. With this Gem-of-a-book, he turns it into an understandable language, then into a practical application. It’s broken down to the responsibilities of the Bass Player and, where he has freedom within the bass line.” It’s a must-have publication for any bassist.”
- Morrie Louden, bassist, composer and recording artist
“Jon has taken his years of experience and turned them into a clear and concise method for studying the bass.”
- Ben Wolfe
“The Untold Secret to Melodic Bass is an outstanding rethinking of how expert jazz bassists actually conceptualize and navigate chord changes. Written from the perspective of a seasoned jazz veteran but set forth in a straightforward and engaging fashion, this book is an excellent addition to the library of any jazz bass student or teacher.”
- Jason Heath, bassist, instructor, host/author of doublebassblog.org
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Bassist, composer, producer, arranger, and bandleader Jon Burr has learned to not only be an astute musician, but also to be an astute diplomat when it comes to dealing with other musicians, and bringing out the best from them. His latest release is a CD/DVD set entitled Just Can’t Wait that features live footage of him on the upright bass, performing with his band for a special show at the Birdland in New York City. Accompanying Burr on the recording are vocalists Hilary Kole, Laurel Massé, Ty Stephens, Yaala Ballin and Jon’s daughter Tyler Burr, in addition to saxophonists Houston Person, Bob Mintzer, Anat Cohen, and Joel Frahm; trumpeter Dominic Farinacci; pianists Ted Rosenthal, Jon Davis and Loston Harris; and guitarists John Hart, Yotam Silberstein, and Howard Alden. Jazziz Magazine touted the release as, “This is a terrific recording.”
back in 1992. It appeared on my first recording as a leader, “In My Own Words,” released in 1996 on the now-defunct Cymekob label. The thing gives it its particular quality is the suspended melody against the piano/guitar ostinato. It was originally more of a Latin-new agey thing, but the consulting producer I was working with thought it might sell more if we included a backbeat… so, the result is the product of a negotiation, but it works nonetheless. There’s a particularly strong collective improvisation between John Hart and Bob Mintzer on the CD, and Joel Frahm and John Hart on the DVD.