Julia Lite
We hosted a dinner party recently, and one of the guests said to me "Jude, you are Julia – low fat"!
I was delighted with the reference. But, I could see the connection. With my Cordon Bleu background and the turn toward healthy (but good!) about 10 years ago, I have created many recipes based upon those classic "French Chef" days.
I Think Julia would be pleased.
December 18, 2009
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Jude · 
Comments Closed
Posted in: Beef
Converting your vices to cold, hard cash
Gorgonzola Potato Pizza & Nutty Curried Tuna Salad
A long, long time ago, when the earth was still cooling and I was a fledging ingĂ©nue, I went into a store to buy a pack of cigarettes. Yes, I did smoke then – because it was “way cool”.
I reached for a pack, and to my horror noticed that the price had gone up about 25%. That did it for me. I calculated in a nanosecond how much I could save by not smoking and when I realized how many pairs of shoes I could buy with the money I would save…I’ve never smoked since!
By no longer smoking I accumulated about 42 pairs of really adorable shoes and, of course, improved my health. That simple but effective way I stopped smoking could be applied to other things, like diet and nutrition.
If you want to cut back on fattening foods or limit your beer intake, total up the cost and figure out how much you can save by, if not giving them up entirely, cutting back a little. Then, determine out how much of your favorite stuff you can buy with the money you save – it may surprise you!
Let’s say you go out for a fast food lunch 3 times a week, and it costs $5 per visit. Limit the visit to once a week, eat some leftovers. You can exercise both your brain, and body by calculating what to eat instead; and then making it with food in the fridge. Now you’ve saved $10 per week. That’s over $500 a year – that buys a lot of shoes!
Or, let’s say you like to sit down at night after work and consume a couple of brewskies while you watch TV. Open just one can and, instead of gulping, savor each sip. This will save you at least $1.25 per can. That’s $456 a year – think how many tools that would buy!
Here are two easy recipes for really, really cheap, but healthy and good tasting lunches. Now, get out there and go shopping!
October 24, 2009
· Jude · Comments Closed
Posted in: Cheese, Fish, Gorgonzola, Nuts, Pizzas & Calzones, Tuna, Vegetables
Food by Jude on your iPhone!
I’ve installed the WPtouch iPhone Theme (well, my tech gurus did it!) so now it’s easy to view Food by Jude on your iPhone or iPod Touch! Just open up Safari on your iPhone or iPod Touch and go to http://foodbyjude.com and voila!
My categories are actually a recipe index so just choose the category you want and you will get a list of all my posts that contain recipes in that category.
(click the images for a full-size view)
October 23, 2009
· Jude · Comments Closed
Tags: Cool Stuff, iPhone, iPod Touch · Posted in: Announcements
Something for Nothing and Your Sunshine for Free
Mini-Mushroom Bites, Green Bean & Mushroom Salad a la Touraine
Want something for free? No kidding. You can have something that is totally free; nontaxable, and good for you – with no strings attached!
No, it isn’t advertised on Gotcha! TV, Scams-r-us or www.con. It is real, natural, and found right in your own backyard. It’s called sunshine – the world’s greatest provider of Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is important for good health. It aids the body in absorption of calcium and phosphorus, essential for strong bones and healthy teeth; maintains the nervous system, heart action and natural blood clotting.
Unfortunately, most Americans are lacking this warm and sunny supplement.
Northerners, living in areas above 37 degrees latitude (San Francisco and up) don’t get a lot of sunshine between November and February.
Many people work indoors, limiting their exposure. And, a lot of us don’t spend a lot of time in the sunshine for fear of skin cancer, or premature aging.
So, what’s the answer?
Natural food sources of this valuable vitamin are minimal, but include the popular tasty treat cod liver oil; along with mackerel and milk; a good source because it is fortified with vitamin D, as are some cheeses, breads and cereals – check labels.
But, there is only one vegetable or fruit source of Vitamin D – the miraculous, munchable mushroom.
In ancient Rome, mushrooms were reserved for the elite; the Greeks relished the delicacy so much that it was referred to as “food of the gods”.
How lucky we are! Mushrooms are, plentiful, versatile, have great flavor and many nutritional benefits. In addition to vitamin D, the fantastic fungus is also a good source of protein, phosphorus, iron, thiamin, niacin and riboflavin – all at approximately 130 calories and $3.98 per pound. “D”-lightful, sunshine or not.
June 10, 2009
· Jude · Comments Closed
Posted in: Salads & Dressings, Vegetables
Cheese Please!
I love cheese. To all the people who say cheese is fattening, I say it has calcium for strong bones. If I look fat, it’s because my bones are healthy and big, and, I can bench press a wheel of Brie. Have you ever had that orange cheese that looks like melted Tupperware?
I had a dream once about that cheese – I sculpted a sneaker out of it, and then laced it up with string cheese. I think about cheese a lot. Since I’m always creating recipes, and then trying to make them as healthy as possible, I’ve had quite a time with the “cheese issue”. Cheese is definitely not on my No List of ingredients. Of course, it is on the Atkins diet, but so is every fat known to man, with the possible exception of axle grease. Cheese goes great with both bread and fruit. Either combination being guaranteed to offend someone’s diet, and spark a tirade of vitriol that would sour a 1/2 gallon of skim milk quicker than you could say gorgonzola. Here are the real facts about cheese, and a favorite recipe.
There are 3 types of cheeses – natural, processed and processed cheese food. Natural cheeses are, well natural, and made the old fashioned way from curds and whey. Processed cheeses are made from natural cheeses which are ground up and mixed with emulsifiers, coloring and preservatives and have a shelf life that Tutankhamen would envy. Processed cheese food, is made like processed cheese but often with other dairy products added, giving it air of mystery.
One ounce of natural cheddar cheese provides about 20% of the recommended daily allowance of calcium, and approximately 9 grams of fat. Fortunately, cheese manufacturers have come up with some decent reduced fat cheeses, that work quite well in cooking. Shredded cheeses like Kraft 2% and Sargento Reduced Fat are not bad at all.
I used to grate my own Parmesan Cheese, far preferring it over the cheese in the green container. I recently discovered that the pre-grated Parmesan cheese found in the dairy case of the supermarket is just as good, and costs the same as the wedge I had to grate myself. A little bit of cheese can go a long way. In Tratorria Artichoke Spinach Dip, 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese only adds 1 gram of fat per serving. Ah, cheese without guilt. NOTE: If you’re looking for a special recipe, or have a food or diet question, I’m here to help!
May 4, 2009
· Jude · Comments Closed
Posted in: Cheese, Spreads & Dips, Vegetables