Book Feature and Recipes -- Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start

If you need to lose weight and start getting your life under control - food and health-wise, this easy to follow 30 day plan will start you on the way.

The book is formatted so you can take it one day at a time, giving you a menu plan and exercises to do each day for thirty days. At the end of that period you'll look better, feel better, and have established some healthy habits that you can continue to lose more weight or maintain a happy healthy way of living. Throughout the book are Trainer Tips from Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, along with insight from actual show contestants who have been there.

Even if you have a lot of weight to lose and/or are extremely out of shape, this book will give you the tools to actually tackle the problem in small steps that you can handle, so you can start moving forward and do something about it. Supposedly this was the plan the contestants who were sent home from the ranch on the television show were given to follow.

If you're already working out regularly, the workout plan may be too light for you (I know I already work out more than the book recommends), so be assured the contestants you see on the actual show are doing MUCH more than what you'll be expected to follow on this plan. But if you're just getting started, this will give you a practical guide to help you on your way to better fitness. The exercises don't require any special equipment save a couple of light dumbbells, and can be done anywhere.

The best part of this book, however, is the recipes. Cheryl Forberg, who serves as the nutritionist for the show and co-wrote this book, was a classically trained chef before she became a dietitian. Her recipes are amazing! Low calorie, low fat, high fiber, and healthy...and delicious! She gets maximum flavor out of the quality ingredients she uses. Several of the recipes in this book (like the muffin recipe linked to below) have become everyday staples in my kitchen. The food is easy to prepare and especially for "diet" fare is unbelievably tasty and satisfying . You get three balanced meals plus two snacks a day.

I loosely followed the program and am now down 14 pounds. The plan actually gave me more food than I'm used to eating on other weight loss plans, so I was never hungry, and it was just the kick start I needed to break through some bad habits I'd slipped back into and get back to a healthy lifestyle.

For more information about this book, or to order through Amazon.com, click here.

Sample Recipes -- Check This Book Out!

• Mini-Blueberry Bran Muffins (pictured above left)
• Baked Eggs in Turkey Cups (pictured right)
  
• Easy Raspberry Sorbet (pictured bottom of this post)

More Biggest Loser Fun!
Click here for Cheri's interview with Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper.

Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's - Book Feature

I believe there has long been a need for a Trader Joe's cookbook, so much so in fact that I approached the Trader Joe's company about the idea several years ago. They wanted no part of it, citing the reason that they don't always keep the same items in stock at all times. While that may be true, they keep plenty enough of them, and often when one goes out, something similar takes its place.

Authors Deana Gunn and Wona Miniatihad the same idea for a cookbook, but they didn't let TJ's reticence keep them from pursuing the project. They wrote and produced a Trader Joe's cookbook on their own. And they've done a fabulous job. I couldn't have done it better myself!

Each and every recipe in this book can be made entirely from ingredients typically found at your local Trader Joe's store. This alone should cut down on the amount of running around you do when grocery shopping. Like the merchandise at Trader Joe's, the fare is modern and current -- the kinds of food you and your family will run to the table for. Full color photos accompany each recipe, enticing you to head out for TJ's and start cooking.

While the recipes we chose for samples can be made from ingredients that you can get at Trader Joe's or other stores (so as not to leave out those FabulousFoods.com readers who are not lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's store nearby), know that many of the recipes in the book utilized Trader Joe's signature brand items -- such as sauces, salsas, and prepared foods. As the authors say, having a Trader Joe's nearby is like having your own chef staffed prep kitchen.

Recipe chapters include:
A Few of Our Favorite Things; Appealing Appetizers; Soups, Salads, and Light Meals; Main Meals; On the Side; Delicious Desserts and Daring Drinks; Begin with Breakfast; Bachelor Quickies; Trader Joe's Store Locations.

Sample Recipes from Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's

• Honey Mustard Chicken (pictured right)
• Creamy Lemony Linguine (pictured middle left)
• Almond Pudding
  

For more information about Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's or to order through Amazon.com, click here.

Baking with Agave Nectar

If you keep up on healthy foods, or are a fan of Oprah and the good doctors Oz and Roizen, you already know about the virtues of using agave nectar as a sweetener – namely an all natural sweetening ingredient with healthful properties that, best of all, does not cause blood sugar spikes in those who consume it. Diabetics, parents of sugar addicted kids, or anyone else who wants to cut refined sugars should definitely give agave nectar a try for all your everyday sweetening needs, including beverages, cereals and cooking.

Agave nectar comes in light and dark varieties (much like corn syrup) with the dark having a more pronounced flavor. In my experience, however, both are very mild in flavor (virtually undetectable in cooking) and can be used interchangeably, regardless of what the recipe specifies. Find agave nectar in natural and health food stores. If you're lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's store near you, you can pick up agave nectar at reasonable prices anytime.

Ten Speed Press and author Ania Catalano have recently come out with a great book entitled Baking with Agave Nectar, which is a great introduction to cooking with this beneficial ingredient, as well as to healthy baking as a whole, as it gives you lots of wonderful recipes for healthy baked goods. When I say healthy, I’m not talking just exchanging refined sugar for agave nectar. The author revamps the entire recipe to include healthy ingredients as much as possible without losing taste and texture, including the use of healthy whole grains wherever possible. The results are baked goods of all kinds that you can feel good about eating and serving to your family. My freezer is almost always stocked with agave nectar sweetened whole grain banana bread – perfect for breakfasts or snacks. Many, but not all of the recipes in the book are vegan.

Yes, you may have to go to a health food store (or order online) for some of the flours and ingredients, but the results are worth the effort. Agave aside, this is a great whole grain baking book. My only criticism is that I wish it included nutritional information for the recipes, as the audience for this book certainly has interest in, and need for. such information, especially those dealing with diabetes.

Recipe chapters include Muffins, Tea breads, and Breakfast Dishes; Cookies and Bars; Cakes and Cupcakes; Pies, Tarts, and Crisps; Ice Creams, Frozen Yogurts, and Sorbets; Special Treats; Frostings, Fillings, and Sauces; Glossary of Ingredients; Sources.

Sample Agave Sweetened Recipes from Baking with Agave Nectar

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Filled Cupcakes (pictured top of this post)
• Frozen Margarita Pie (pictured at right)

New Orleans Muffuletta Sandwich Recipe and more N.O. Recipes

Here's a my version of New Orleans' famous Muffuletta Sandwich. Missing my youthful adventures in The Big Easy, I came up with this recipe for a picnic at the Hollywood Bowl -- a night of New Orleans music with Dr. John and Pete Fountain. This is also perfect fare for tailgate parties or even watching the big game at home, or any other kind of entertaining. Since you can make it well in advance, it helps makes the event stress free for the host/hostess.

While we used ham and salami, you could substitute your favorite blend of cold cuts instead.

This sandwich was invented and made famous at New Orleans' Central Grocery Store, a French quarter landmark. It's the olive salad that makes this sandwich what is is. You could pay a bunch of money and buy a muffuletta type olive salad in a jar at a gourmet shop. But if you have a food processor, it's quick and easy to make at home.

Although technically a salad, this recipe is usually served as a spread, as in this sandwich. However, it is a versatile ingredient that can be used to season pastas, vegetable and meat dishes as well. Think of using this much in the same way you could use pesto.

Muffuletta Olive Salad

1/2 cup black brine cured olives, such as kalamatas
1/2 cup green olives
1 cup finely chopped celery, with leaves
1 cup Giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables)
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
3-4 clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pit olives (if necessary) and combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixed, but still somewhat chunky -- do not puree (see photo). For the best flavor, cover and refrigerate for a few hours before using.

Muffuletta Sandwich -- Serves 6

1 recipe olive salad (see above)
1 8-10 inch round loaf of French bread
4-6 ounces sliced smoked ham
4-6 ounces sliced Genoa salami
4-6 ounces Provolone cheese
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced

Cut the bread horizontally in half. Remove some of the soft center to allow room for the filling (use bread centers for another purpose). Spread half the olive salad on the bottom of the bread. Follow with a layer of cheese, followed by layers of meat and veggies. Finish off with another layer of cheese and the remaining olive salad. Wrap sandwich tightly in foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving (you can make this a day ahead of time and it will still be great). Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 wedges to serve.

Recommended Reading:
New Orleans Food: More Than 225 of the City's Best Recipes to Cook at Home
by Tom Fitzmorris

It's obvious that New Orleans native Fitzmorris knows these recipes intimately well. His descriptions and background information really help to bring this vibrant cuisine even more to life. His instructions are clear and concise yet detailed, making the recipes well within the grasp of even beginning cooks. Many of the recipes in this book are based on those served at classic New Orleans restaurants, some are historic recipes. Not to worry, Fitzmorris has adapted them for today's home cooks, and always gives tips and details to make preparation seamless.

Long respected as one of New Orleans' premier restaurant critics, his radio program The Food Show is broadcast daily on WSMB. Netsters can subscribe to The New Orleans Menu, a daily internet New Orleans restaurant review newsletter (www.nomenu.com). With this book we predict Fitzmorris will reach a much larger audience. Even if you can't visit the Big Easy, these recipes will bring the flavor of it into your home kitchen, and Fitzmorris's entertaining commentary is the next best thing to being there.

A portion of the benefits of this book will benefit Habitat for Humantity.

Sample Recipes from New Orleans Food

• New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp -- One of the four best dishes in all of New Orleans cooking, this dish was created in the mid-1950s at Pascal's Manale Restaurant.
• Redfish with Sizzling Crab and Herbs -- Use your favorite white fish to make this crab stuffed fish recipe that's topped with clarified butter.
• Bread Pudding Alaska -- This rich, beautiful and really delicious bread pudding, made with lots of eggs, cream, and cinnamon, is a thing apart.

Blueberry Crumb Cake Recipe and Blueberry Cookbook

For some reason, I have no idea why, autumn seems like coffee cake weather to me. I almost never make these treats any other time of year. Maybe it's because they pack so well in lunchboxes, I associate them with back to school.

For whatever reason, my annual craving returned, and I baked up one of my favorite coffee cakes. It's an easy to make cake that's perfect for a breakfast treat, a pick-me-up with an afternoon coffee break, or a homey dessert after dinner. It travels well, so also makes a great "gift from your kitchen." You can even freeze all or part of the cake, wrapped well in aluminum foil, for future noshes.

I hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do.

Makes 14 Servings

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces sour cream
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cup fresh blueberries, washed and dried

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch tube pan with a removable bottom.

Beat together butter, 1 cup sugar and cinnamon, continue beating until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and beat in 2 cups flour until well blended and mixture is crumbly. Set aside 1 cup of crumbly mixture.

Mix remaining flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well blended. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Increase mixer speed and beat for about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the flour mixture and mix until just blended. Fold in 1 1/2 cups blueberries and spoon the batter into the prepared tube pan. Sprinkle the reserved 1/2 cup blueberries around the top of cake, followed by the reserved crumbly mixture.

Bake for about 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for about 10 minutes before loosening from the sides of the pan with a knife. Carefully remove cake from pan by lifting up from the bottom. Cool completely on a wire rack, crumb side up.


Recommended Reading:

Blueberries are not only one of the most delicious foods we can eat, they're also one of the healthiest. Likewise this little cookbook is a find as it contains over 40 recipes that utilize this super food in lots of scrumptious ways. You'll find traditional blueberry recipes like muffins, pies, and coffee cakes, plus lots of creative new and unexpected recipes utilizing blueberries, like salads, sauces, appetizers and even savory entrees. For any blueberry lover, this is a small but mighty tome, filled with delicious recipes to make again and again.
Sample Recipes from Very Blueberry

• Blueberry Buckle -- Serve this versatile cake at a brunch with coffee or for a snack in the afternoon. In the evening, it makes an irresistible dessert warmed and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Venison with Ancho Chile Blueberry Sauce -- Venison is similar to beef but much leaner, a great alternative for those looking for a healthier choice. The combination of blueberries and venison dates back to the Native Americans in the Northwest Territories. Legend has it that Lewis and Clark's first meals with the natives of the northwest was venison cured with blueberries.

Click here for more information about Very Blueberry or to order through Amazon.com.

Cookbook Focus Plus Authentic Chinese Recipes

The Seventh Daughter: My Culinary Journey from Beijing to San Francisco
by Cecelia Chiang and Lisa Weiss

This book does double duty as cookbook of authentic Chinese recipes that you’ll want to prepare in your own kitchen, and as a memoir that reads like a novel. It tells the story of a courageous woman who lived an adventurous life that spans from the China of the 1920s and 30s to San Francisco in the 60s and beyond.

Cecelia Chiang is largely credited with popularizing Chinese regional cuisine with Americans via her famous San Francisco restaurant, The Mandarin (unfortunately now closed). She started the restaurant against popular wisdom outside of San Francisco’s Chinatown when it was believed she was committing financial suicide. Instead she succeeded and flourished, presiding over what became a restaurant empire.

The recipes in this collection contain many Mandarin favorites along with authentic Chinese recipes from Cecelia’s own family. Interspersed between the recipes are chapters of Cecelia’s life in China during a tumultuous time in its history, her eventual immigration to the United States, and a behind the scenes look into one of America’s most respected and successful restaurants and restaurateurs.

She brings a unique perspective to both Chinese and American cultures in this fascinating memoir, including the immigrant experience and the perspective of an independent woman setting up a successful buisness in a man's world.

It’s hard to choose which of the two sides of this book are more enjoyable. Perhaps its best use would be to cook yourself some delicious Chinese recipes, then read while you eat.

Sample Recipes from The Seventh Daughter:

• Tea Eggs -- These beautiful marbleized eggs are the ultimate snack food. They’re nutritious, can be served warm or cold, are portable, and best of all, are easy to make. But not only are they perfect for a picnic, they’re quite elegant on a platter at a buffet.
• Eggplant in Garlic Sauce -- This dish is one Cecelia served since her early days on Polk Street in San Francisco. At first, her customers had difficulty with the idea that eggplant could be served cold. Most eggplant recipes at this time were fired and served hot. But this spicy version quickly won them over.

Click here for more information about The Seventh Daughter or to order through Amazon.com.

Cheri Raves About Waiter Rant

Like many Americans I spent a fair amount of my young adult life waiting tables. It wasn’t a particularly memorable or happy part of my life, and I am happy to say I have left it far behind. So when I got this book to review I looked at with lukewarm interest at best, but nonetheless packed it on an overseas trip that would afford me the luxury having time to actually read a book cover to cover. Boy am I glad I did.

The author, who penned this tome anonymously under the name of "The Waiter,” is one of the best writers I’ve come across in years. In his skillful hands, the subject matter of waiting tables at an upscale Manhattan restaurant becomes the stuff of psychology, philosophy, and the human drama.

While reading this memoir, I found myself laughing out loud, for much of the book is indeed hilarious. I marveled at how you can never underestimate just how strange some people can be. And I even cried, for every now and then in the midst of drama, chaos and hilarity, the author sneaks in a bit of heart warming humanity, humility and grace. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being immersed in the writer’s world, his cutting edge style and keen observations bringing to life a cross section of society in their native habitat from a vantage most of us will never have.

After watching my reactions during reading, and hearing the snippets of prose that were just too good for me not to share at the moment, my traveling companion couldn’t wait to lay claim to the book as soon as I finished reading.

According to The Waiter, eighty percent of customers are nice people just looking for something to eat. That’s encouraging news for the human condition, but it’s the remaining twenty percent, the “socially maladjusted psychopaths,” that make for fascinating reading, replete with tales of customer stupidity and arrogant misbehavior, and restaurant owners, chefs and coworkers with extreme paranoid tendencies and grudges to carry..

On the practical side, The Waiter reveals the secrets to getting good service, proper tipping etiquette, and how to keep servers from spitting in your food (and worse, much worse).

The Waiter’s writing career started via a blog, also called Waiter Rant (click to www.WaiterRant.net, or see the blog list on this page). The fact that such a blog could parlay into a full time writing career and a book contract with a major publisher (Harper Collins) is testament to the quality of the writer’s ability to tell a tale and engage an audience. I can’t recommend this fun and insightful read highly enough.

Click here for more information or to order from Amazon.com.

How to Make a Roux with Marcelle Bienvenu

I had the pleasure of traveling to Louisiana last year to explore the food of Cajun country. My tour guide was one of the world's foremost authorities on the subject -- Marcelle Bienvenu (she's the gorgeous woman in the photo at right). Marcelle's illustrious gastronomical career includes stints at Commander's Palace, Brennan's, and other top New Orleans restaurants; owning her own restaurant in Lafayette (Chez Marcelle); authoring books on her own and with culinary superstar Emeril Lagasse; and penning a popular column, Cooking Creole, for the New Orleans Times Picayune.

Since rouxs are such an important part of Cajun and Creole cuisine, Marcelle agreed to teach our readers her foolproof method for creating a perfect roux. She also shared her recipes for some Cajun classics (links below).

To non Cajuns, rouxs can seem mysterious. Heck northerners often don't even know how to pronounce the word (roo), let alone how to make a roux.

But according to Marcelle Bienvenu, too many people have made too big a deal out of what is really a simple process, thereby intimidating the uninitiated.

A roux is nothing more than flour and fat, cooked together to form a flavorful thickening agent for cooking. Rouxs are used to thicken gumbos, stews, fricassees and other hearty Cajun dishes. Marcelle's mom's elementary Cajun cooking lesson was always, "If you make a roux, you have a stew."

"Paul Prudhomme fries his roux," says Marcelle, "but this is tricky and if you get it wrong you have a burned mess. The trick to making a good roux is to do it slow and easy."

Marcelle prefers cast iron for making roux, but she admits you can also use stainless steel cookware. Nonstick cookware just doesn't work well for making rouxs.

Block out a little time to make your roux. Marcelle warns that once you begin the roux making process you cannot even THINK about leaving it on the stove. Marcelle playfully claims that family members could have died writhing and screaming on the kitchen floor and still her mother wouldn't abandon stirring the cooking roux.

Microwave Roux
In addition to the method below, you can brown flour for roux in a microwave - start with equal parts oil (Marcelle uses regular vegetable oil) and flour. Cook the mixture, stopping to stir every 5 seconds or so, until browned to your liking.

Make Extra
You can make lots of roux, Marcelle usually does. Keep what you don't use in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator for up to three months.

Making Roux Step by Step

1. Using a heavy cast iron skillet, heat equal parts oil and flour over medium heat (you can use the oil of your choice -- Marcelle used vegetable oil. You can also use lard like they did in the old days.

2. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture, incorporating the flour into the oil and stirring until the mixture becomes smooth.


3. Once the oil begins to foam, it begins to brown. Watch it carefully and stir constantly. When making roux, don't even THINK about leaving it. There's a fine line between a perfectly cooked roux and a burned mess and constant stirring is the key.

4. Rouxs can be used at various stages of cooking -- from lightly golden to deep nutty brown. Your recipe will usually specify. The darker the roux, the more pronounced nutty flavor it will have. The photo below shows this advanced stage of cooking the roux.

Authentic Cajun Recipes from Marcelle Bienvenu
During my trip, I actually got to cook with Marcelle, in her own kitchen on the beautiful Bayou Teche. Each of the recipes includes step-by-step photos so you'll have no trouble recreating the Cajun Queen's recipes in your own kitchen.

• Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
• Crawfish or Shrimp Etouffe
• Jambalaya

More About Marcelle Bienvenu
The petite chef with the engaging smile maintains that she never intended to be in the food business. Fate intervened and soon after graduating from the University of Southwestern Louisiana she was offered an opportunity to work as a contributor to the Acadian-Creole foods edition of the the Time-Life Foods of the World series. That lead to an illustrious gastronomical career. Click here for Cheri's profile of Marcelle Bienvenu.

Check out Marcelle's book:

Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux?
This book was so popular its original publisher sold out. After long being out of print, Acadian House has lovingly republished Marcelle Bienvenu's classic Cajun cookbook.

Fans of Cajun and Creole cuisine will delight in the more than 200 recipes. Many are for well known Cajun classics. Others are more obscure to the uninitiated. But all are authentic recipes culled from Marcelle Bienvenu's life in the heart of Acadian Louisiana.

With its unique combination of recipes interspersed with Marcelle's family photos and essays, the book is an almost voyeuristic view into the author's family history. And like the histories of many Cajun families, its memories are intimately linked with food. It's a terrific bonus, for in addition to a terrific repertoire of authentic Cajun recipes, readers will come away with a fascinating insight into the Cajun way of life in Louisiana, both then and now.

Click here for more information or to order through Amazon.com.

Fabulous New Healthy Cooking Book and Recipes

Even though this post is a hearty recommendation for Holly Clegg's Trim and Terrific Diabetic Cooking, I purposely didn't want to put "diabetic" in the title because everyone who likes good food and wants to eat in a lighter healthier manner is likely to enjoy this book.

FabulousFoods.com readers are already familiar with Holly Clegg, through her six previous Trim and Terrific cookbooks and through her numerous feature articles at this website. Her seventh Trim and Terrific cookbook is every bit as fabulous as her previous works - with an important difference - this is Holly's first diabetic cookbook and her first book published by the American Diabetes Association.

Since a diabetic diet is healthy way to eat for most people, I maintain that this book should have a much wider appeal than just those concerned with living with or preventing diabetes.

In Holly's hands, the diabetic recipes are always tasty, not to mention quick and easy to prepare. There are over 200 recipes here that can be on your table in 30 minutes or less. In addition to recipes, Holly peppers the book with lots of tips and tidbits to make cooking even easier.

Chapters include:
Appetizers; Breads, Muffins, and Brunch; Soups, Stews, and Chilis; Salads; Vegetables; Poultry; Fish and Seafood; Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Veal; Pasta; Sweet Treats; Stock and Pantry; 7 Days of Menus; Recipe Suggestions.

Sample Recipes from Holly Clegg's Trim and Terrific Diabetic Cooking

• Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Vinaigrette -- You can throw this salad together in 10 minutes by taking advantage of rotisserie chicken and preshredded carrots.But fresh mint and ginger are a must!
• Pasta with Shrimp and Feta -- When plump juicy tomatoes are in season, make this pasta dish for a scrumptious summer meal. Or leave out the shrimp for a great vegetarian variation. The leftovers make good pasta salad.
• Berry Tiramisu --This fabulous favorite stars berries layered with ladyfingers, raspberry preserves, and an orange cream cheese filling. Use your favorite seasonal berry combination and serve this gorgeous tiramisu in individual parfait glasses for extra pizzazz. Garnish with a curl of orange peel.

For more great Trim and Terrific recipes, and to keep up with Holly's many personal appearances as well as television and radio guests spots, be sure to visit her website at www.HollyClegg.com.

Juicing - Tools, Tips and Recipes

My business partner, Mitch Mandell, has the juicing bug. No, he's not a body builder hooked on steroids. Rather he's like a lot folks who don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. To compensate, he bought a juice extractor and started getting some of his vitamins, minerals and phyto nutrients in liquid form.

Most nutritionists agree that Mitch and his kind would do their bodies a better service by actually eating the fiber rich fruits and vegetables themselves rather than turning them into juice. There's good wisdom to this advice, especially if you are trying to shed pounds. But I maintain that for picky eaters who wouldn't otherwise get enough of these important foods, juicing can be a great way to supplement nutritional intake.

But fresh juice is not only about nutrition, there's taste to consider. If you like drinking fresh juice, and I don't mean the kind of juice you can only squeeze out of an orange, then a high-speed juice extractor is what's needed.

Over the 20 plus years I've known Mitch, he has gone through several juice extractors (the man like his fresh juice). Ever since that hyper-active guy with the bushy eyebrows pitched the Juiceman about 20 years ago (not a bad juice extractor according to Mitch), he's been making fresh fruit and vegetable juices several times a week. He's had juice extractors at all ends of the spectrum, from cheap to high end and has come to be a bit of a connoisseur on the subject. Here are tips for selecting one that will do what you need.

What To Look for in a Juice Extractor
Not all juicers are created equal and perform as expected. There are a wide variety of juice extractors available at an even wider variety of prices. In many cases, you get what you pay for, as more expensive models will generally have more powerful motors. But price shouldn't be the only consideration. These tips will help you choose the best juicer for your money.

• Buy the juicer with the most powerful motor you can get in your price range. Insufficient power will cause your motor to slow, especially when juicing hard veggies.
  
  
• The wider opening for inserting your fruits and veggies, the better. The more narrow the opening, the more you will need to chop your produce before juicing it.
  
  
• Look for a juicer that is easy to clean -- ideally most parts should be dishwasher safe. Juicing can make a mess, so look for a juicer with smooth exteriors -- anything with little crevices and creases will accumulate bits of pulp and juice and take more time to clean. Ease of cleanup will probably become a factor in just how often you actually use your juicing machine, so don't ignore this factor.
  
  
• A finer screen will give you less pulp and vice-versa. Look for one that fits your personal taste.

Recommended Reading

Juice! by Pippa Cuthbert
Anyone who owns a juicer owes it to themselves to pick up a copy of this book. Anyone who doesn't own a juicer will surely be tempted to get one after perusing these pages. You'll find over 110 delicious recipes (you can find many samples in the juicing recipes below). Some are for smoothie type drinks, but many are pure juice. Beautifully styled full color photos show the drinks can look as good as they taste.

The wide variety of ingredients used will put your farmer's markets to the test. Most ingredients are readily found, but any shopping searches for some the more exotic ingredients used in a few of the recipes will prove well worthwhile when you sip the resulting healthful beverages they create. The recipes are creative and innovative. You'll use your juicer and blenders in ways you never dreamed of before.

Beyond recipes, there's a lot of important (and interesting) information about the health benefits of the fruits, vegetables and herbs used in the recipes. Especially handy is the chapter entitled "Juicy Ingredients." This comprehensive reference gives an ingredient by ingredient synopsis of how to buy and store the fruit or veggie, tips for juicing preparation, health benefits and the approximate amount of juice you can expect each ingredient to yield. Another chapter on the medicinal uses of common culinary herbs will make you look at your spice rack with renewed respect. Both resources are sure to inspire you to go beyond the recipes and start concocting your own super healthy juice combinations.

In addition to a chapter on "cleansers," recipe chapters are conveniently divided by time of day (in other words, the type of juices you are likely to want at various points in a 24 hour period) and include: Seven AM : Wake-Up Call; Twelve PM: Hunger; Three PM: Energizers; Five PM: Cocktail Hour; Nine PM: Evening Relaxers. Presumably the Cleansers are appropriate anytime you need them. It's also important to note that while the Five PM Chapter is entitled "Cocktail Hour," there is no alcohol in these recipes.

Favorite Juicing Recipes

• Mitch's V-6 Vegetable Juice Blend -- Mitch's personal favorite juice blend.
• Strawberry Peach Necarine Juice Blend -- Drinking this juice makes you wonder how anyone can buy store-bought concoctions.
• Avocado Ice Juice Blend -- You’ll love this nutritiously delicious and refreshing liquid, a Japanese-inspired guacamole on ice.
• Heaven Scent Lychee Juice Blend -- This sweet beverage is rich in vitamin C.
• Strawberry Coconut Juice Blend -- Imagine you're on a beach on a balmy summer's afternoon. A strawberry and coconut lover's dream.
• Cranberry Grapefruit Juice Blend -- Ruby red grapefruit gives this drink its brilliant pink color and a sharp edge that will wake up any sleepy head.
• Thai Style Carrot Coconut Juice Blend -- The coconut milk in this revitalizing recipe is a mix of grated, unsweetened coconut flesh heated with water or scalded milk, then strained.

Sneaky Juice!
Author Missy Chase Lapine, author of The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kid's Favorite Meals uses healthy juices to infuse some of her kids' favorite dishes with extra nutrients. If you're the parent of a picky eater, you need this book -- it is one of the best everyday family cookbooks we at FabulousFoods.com have seen in years.

Missy, the former publisher of Eating Well Magazine, has a bag of tricks to rival most magicians, only her tricks will have your kids looking forward to eating things like cauliflower, spinach, beans, broccoli, carrots, tofu and even sardines! In most cases, these healthy super foods are hidden in such a way that kids (and even picky adults) will never know the difference.

Most of the recipes are quick and easy to prepare - even for busy moms and dads with extremely hectic schedules. There are even 5 minute quick fixes for Jello and other kid friendly mixes. The Make Ahead Chapter allows you to always have healthy Sneaky Chef components on hand - such as fruit and vegetable purees and juices (see sample recipes below) and whole grain flour and breading mixes.

Instructional chapters will arm you with important information to feed your family healthy wholesome foods, such as the 12 most important foods to buy organic and the twelve most contaminated foods, important foods to stock your pantry with, and strategic ways to introduce your family to healthy eating - slowly and in moderation.

Sneaky Chef Juice Recipes and What to Make with Them

Purple Puree Juice Blend -- Puree healthy greens like spinach or collard greens with blueberries to sneak healthy elements into Brainy Brownies that everyone will love.

Green Juice -- Use to make spinach juice puree to sneak Popeye's favorite food into an Earth Day Milkshake that's perfect for breakfast or a healthy snack.

Fabulous Coffee

As I gaze out the window of my Big Bear Lake, CA home I can see (and feel) evidence of the season changing. There's a distinct chill in the air and I can see the dog's breath as they run around the yard chasing squirrels. Soon the "Silent Rain" (my business partner Mitch Mandell's name for snow) will start to fall.

Likewise, I know the time has come to change my morning ritual of iced coffee and answering email to the more traditional hot coffee and answering email.Coffee is such an integral part of the average American morning routine that many folks take coffee for granted, which is something I don't understand. What other food has such a wide discrepancy between good and bad? Think about it.

What could be better than a fresh, hot cup of perfectly brewed coffee? And what could be worse than a bad cup of coffee - old, stale, with more sludge in the bottom than the Mississippi River delta.

So today I thought I'd give you some tips, tricks and trivia related to making
Fabulous Coffee, as well as links to even more detailed info and great recipes so that all your coffee drinking experiences will be fabulous!

Kinds of Coffee
There are two main types of coffee that are produced in various parts of the world: Arabica and Robusta.

Arabica Beans - Named for the Arabs who first grew them, Arabica beans are characterized by rich, complex flavors. The individual coffees will vary in flavor and nuance depending on where they are grown. Coffee connoisseurs prize Arabica Beans. Coffee fanatics will be able to distinguish the different regions where the Arabica beans came from, much in the same way that wine experts can recognize where certain grapes were grown. The finest coffee beans tend to come from mountainous tropical areas near the equator.

Robusta Beans - Higher in caffeine than their Arabica cousins, Robusta beans, despite their impressive sounding name, have less complex flavors. Most of your mass produced supermarket blends will be made from Robusta beans, sometimes with a little Arabica thrown in to boost the quality.

Coffee Brewing Tips

• Never pour water over used grounds a second time. You will not get a stronger coffee, you will get a cup of coffee filled with bitter and acidic elements - in other words, the part of the coffee that you want to stay behind with the grounds.


• Water quality matters - if the water you brew with has an off flavor, so will your coffee. Use bottled or filtered water if necessary to get a great tasting cup of coffee.


• Instead of using paper filters, consider a gold plated metal filter for better taste. It's also more economical over the long run as gold plated filters can last for several years. They also eliminate paper waste so are better for the environment.


• When buying a drip coffee maker, try to get one with a flat bottomed filter cone, as opposed to one that that tapers to point. The flat bottom allows for better saturation of the coffee grounds, and likewise a more flavorful cup of coffee.


• The higher wattage on a coffee maker, the stronger the coffee maker's heating element. A higher heating element will produce a better cup of coffee than a weak one.


• Do not leave brewed coffee on the heating element for more that 10 minutes. After that transfer to a thermal carafe and turn off the heat. Some coffee makers, such as Capresso's 500 come with a thermal carafe instead of a glass pot, so you can brew your coffee and enjoy it all morning long, right from the very same pot.


• Be sure to clean your electric coffee pot every few months by running a mixture of one part distilled white vinegar and four parts water through the machine. Follow that by running clear water through the machine three or four times to get rid of any trace of vinegar flavor before brewing coffee. " As French Press or Plunger Pots cool quickly, rinse them with hot water before brewing to help the coffee stay warm longer. Transfer what you don't drink to insulated carafe for further drinking.


• Always clean the steam tube of your espresso machine immediately after using, as dried on milk can clog the tube.


• Got extra coffee? Don't throw it out! Pour it into ice cube trays and freeze. Use later in ice coffee - you'll get a delicious drink that won't dilute as the ice melts.
  

Favorite Coffee Gadget The Moka Pot
If you're looking for an easy, inexpensive way to make espresso, look no further than the Moka Pot. This little device brews right on the stove top. The pot consists of a tightly sealed bottom chamber (which holds the water), a central tube and filter basket, and an upper chamber to hold the brewed coffee. When water is heated in the bottom chamber, steam builds and forces the water through the center tube and filter and into the upper chamber. Moka pots are easy and inexpensive to use, and result in a cup of coffee with a flavor and consistency somewhere between regular drip coffee and that made by a pump espresso machine. An annual replacement of the
pot's rubber gasket is all that's necessary to maintain a Moka Pot.

Coffee Trivia
Are you a true java junkie? If so then you should know all about your favorite drink. This trivia will help make you the "Cliff Clavin" of coffee knowledge. (If you're a television junkie, you know who that is.)

• Espresso has 1/3 of the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee! That's right, contrary to popular belief, the darker the roast, the less caffeine the coffee will contain.


• ALL coffee is grown within 1000 miles of the equator between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.


• In the coffee world, "excelso" or "supremo" do not indicate the quality of the beans, but rather, the size of the beans.


• Coffee was first known in Europe as "Arabian Wine."


• Brazil, the world's largest producer, grows about 35% of the world's coffee.
  


• Because they ripen at varying degrees, all coffee beans must be individually hand picked.


• A mature coffee tree will produce about one pound of coffee per growing season.


• It takes 2,000 hand-picked Arabica coffee cherries to make one roasted pound of coffee - or approximately 4,000 beans.


• Coffee, grown in more than 50 countries, is the second largest export in the world (in dollar value) after oil.


• The heavy tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773, (remember the Boston Tea Party from your history class) was the catalyst that made Americans switch their beverage of choice from tea to coffee.


• The first commercial espresso machine was manufactured in Italy in 1906.
  


• Raw coffee beans, soaked in water and spices, are chewed like candy in many parts of Africa.


• Coffee represents 75% of all the caffeine consumed in the United States.
  


• Jamaica Blue Mountain is regarded as the best coffee in the world (not to mention the most expensive).


• Turkish bridegrooms were once required to make a promise during their wedding ceremonies to always provide their new wives with coffee. If they failed to do so, it was grounds for divorce!

Related Articles:

• Coffee Primer at FabulousFoods.com
• How to Brew Great Coffee
• How to Make Coffee House Drinks

Favorite Coffee Drink Recipes:

• Traditional Irish Coffee
• Caffe Shakarato con Cioccolato
• Chocolate Espresso Martini
• Mayan Iced Coffee
• Iced Black Coffee with Lemon Peel

Recommended Reading


Mocha
In a worthy follow up to his previous book, Hot Chocolate, author Michael Turback explores this combination in it most popular forms from cocktails to nonalcoholic drinks to decadent desserts. You'll find a collection of 50 recipes (35 drinks, 15 desserts) illustrated by more than 15 beautiful full color photos.

Coffee Creations
Coffee Creations will have you thinking about coffee in new ways, as there is a wide variety of recipes in this tasty little collection. Chapters include: Coffee Drinks; Coffee for Breakfast; Coffee for Lunch or Dinner; Coffee for Dessert; Gifts for Coffee Lovers.