Belgian Style Homemade Hot-Chocolate

Chocolate chaud

Perhaps my most favorite cup of hot chocolate came from a small cafe in Bruges, Belgium a few years ago. The idea that three grown women can sit around sipping hot chocolate in the rain and laughing all afternoon seems a bit immature from our stoic American attitudes, but it was exactly what I needed that day. The comedy was provided by myself as I took the Belgian chocolates that had melted from the heat of saucer and dipped another chocolate into the soft melted goo. Sarah exclaimed "Liv!!! You're dipping your chocolate in your chocolate!" Yes, Yes I did, and I don't regret a second of it.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 3/4 cup white sugar 
• 1 pinch salt 
• 1/3 cup boiling water 
• 3 1/2 cups milk 
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream 

Directions

Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an slight boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between four mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

Le Sandwich Américain - "The Most Perfect Comfort Food Ever"

One night while eating a sandwich Americain I asked those around me to name one, any single comfort food that rivals the sandwich Americain? Some named fried chicken, some nachos, some mash potatoes, but in the end they all agreed that nothing rivals Le Americain (also known as a mitraillette in Belgium), with its "toasted, buttered, full baguette filled with at least 5 fast-food type hamburger patties, dripping with cheese, (Gruyère or Emmental) doused in ketchup, then filled to the brim with fries". I first heard about this gut buster from Shannon while studying abroad in France.

Le Sandwich Americain, (The American Sandwich) which is not to be confused with the steak tartare version common in Belgium, is perhaps the most brilliant and clever combination of ingredients and flavors anyone has ever created. Similar to the English's chip butty, the Americain's massive proportions are a joke upon American's girth as well as the solution to answer any and all food cravings. Of course I've always loved that in French the word for fat is "gros" as in "gross". On one hand I should be disgusted that Europeans believe that any human, especially an American could eat five beef patties and a full baguette. On the other hand, since I haven't ate in about 18 hours, spent an hour at the gym, and I'm staring at the photo above while writing this, the fat American in me makes me want to scream "Donnez moi".

Salty, meaty, bready,  and buttery.

I think even the French were surprised when they accidentally stumbled upon culinary comfort food of perfection.  Les Sandwich Americains are now sold served by street vendors all over France as take-out comfort food in mass proportion to both locals and fat Americans. Sold for about 5€ ($6.75) for a half of baguette (Le Petit), or about 8€ ($13.40) for a full baguette. Variants of Le Americain include adding a fried egg, and there's even a chicken version often called "Le Sandwich Mexicain", however the basic ingredients of any Le Americain are generally the same.

• 1 toasted baguette
• 5 hamburgers
• butter caramelized grilled onions (with a bit of garlic salt)
• romaine lettuce
• tomatoes, and pickles
• Gruyère or Emmental cheese
• French fries (frites)
• Any possible combination of mayonnaise, mustard, and ketchup.

Le Sandwich Americain Recipe (Recette)

Grilling onions and frites.

Method:

1. Gather the above ingredients along with some butter, oil, salt, and pepper.
2. Chop up your onion, take 1/4 stick of butter and sautee your onions till caramelized and brown.
3. Deep fry some frites (french fries), and salt.
4. Cook up some hamburger patties, seasoning as necessary.
5. Cut the baguette, and add fresh pickles, sliced tomatoes and grilled onions.
6. Place hamburger patties, and cover in cheese. Top with French fries and more cheese.
7. Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 375F for about 6 minutes. Remove, attempt to create some recognizable form of a sandwich , top with your romaine lettuce and condiments, then prepare toenjoy.

A true Americaine

To say that this sandwich is out of the world is to truly underestimate how good it is. It's more than just a hamburger on a baguette. It's the world record for awesomeness in comfort food. It's beauty on bread, art you can eat, its what other foods can only dream of being. Le Sandwich Americain is a crispy bread soaking with grease and butter- filled with the world's best sharp cheese and a "salad" to boot. It's sad but true that we Americans may have the appetite to eat it, but weren't smart enough to create it. Worse yet, most introverted Americans may never know this wonderful sandwich. However for those few who become aware of this masterpiece, the insult is worth a chance to lay our lips upon this gastronomical miracle.

Low Fat Welsh Cakes Recipe

Low Fat Welsh Cakes

In Wales, a right of passage is having your mother pass on the family Welsh cake recipe. Made popular by the coal miners of Wales, Welsh cakes were packed in the miners lunches by their wives. They eventually became popular among everyone as quick delicious treats, and it was common for the Welsh to whip up a batch from common household ingredients upon a visitor's arrival. In this version we replace the butter with a low fat version and egg substitute that still leave us with a treat reminiscent of the Boom Town coal days.

Ingredients:

2 cups of self rising flour	1 stick of low fat butter or margarine.
1 tablespoon of fat-free milk	1/3 cup of egg substitute
3/4 cup of sugar	3 oz currants, raisins, etc.
½ teaspoon of mixed spice

Method:

Preheat your stone (or iron skillet) to medium-low (3). Mix all your ingredients in a bowl and then roll into little balls. Flatten out your balls of dough on a floured surface and transfer to pan and cook for about 4 minutes then flip and repeat.

Sprinkle a small amount of sugar and serve warm. ** You also need some non-fat cooking spray.

Chicken Enchiladas and Rice Recipe

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Enchiladas are a popular Mexican dish which uses tortillas dipped in a tomato based sauce and baked. Originally a finger food where a flat bread was dipped in a sauce, the dish evolved into the baked dish it is when people began stuffing and rolling the tortillas similar the cabbage and olive wrapped dishes of Europe.


Ingredients:

1 pound skinless chicken breasts	tortillas
salsa caliente (this works great)	½ onion chopped
16 ounces of your favorite cheese	cilantro to taste
non-fat cooking spray	Mexican rice (as a side)

Method:

Chop chicken and onion and grill on stove with non-stick spray. Transfer to bowl. Add 8 oz of cheese, chopped cilantro, and 1 cup of salsa then mix. Take warmed tortillas and add filling. Roll, and place in large baking pan which has been sprayed with non-fat cooking spray.

Take additional amounts of salsa and top rolled enchiladas. Take second block of cheese, shred, and top over sauce. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350° F preheated oven. Serve with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream.

How to make pizza low fat - Thin crust recipe

Pizza is one of my favorite foods, and the thought of not being able to eat pizza was a very difficult idea for me to accept while dieting. I went in search for healthy options, and not many existed. For a while I used a thin crust wheat pizza which was a great replacement, but then one day on a whim I tried a tortilla. What do you know, it was better. 

For 6 grams of fat you can have a delicious veggie pizza. Comprised of 1.5 grams in the tortilla, and 4.5 grams in the light mozzarella cheese. You can lower your fat intake even more by going with Cabot 75 cheddar in lieu of the mozzarella and save an addition 2.5 grams of fat per serving.

Adding additional toppings like black olives, or turkey pepperoni does add additional fat and calories, but if you can't live without them, this is still a much better alternative than your grocer's freezer section offerings.

My spouse makes a low-fat Canadian bacon and pineapple version and loves that the tortillas actually crisp and harden in the oven to form a cracker-like thin crust.

QUICK FACTS:

• The city of Naples, Italy gave birth to the pizza.
• The average Italian consumes 26 gallons of wine a year and half a pound of bread a day.

How to make pizza Low Fat 

Ingredients:

• burrito sized tortilla
• Italian marinara 
• baby portobello mushrooms
• red onions
• green peppers
• black olives (optional)
• light mozzarella

Method:

Preheat oven to 450° F Place tortilla on pizza sheet. Place empty tortilla in oven for one minute. Remove from oven.

Add marinara, and toppings as desired. Re-insert pizza for about 6 minutes.

How to make Mexican Rice

How to make Mexican Rice

It's one thing to toss a lot of oil or butter in your rice. It's an entire thing all together to make a rice that goes great with vegetarian dishes, as well as those in the traditional sense without the fat. This recipe has no oil, no butter, tastes great and is perfect to fill tacos, burritos, or enchiladas. It's not a Spanish rice in the traditional sense, since it includes no tomato paste or sauce, but uses several flavors to accent your main dish. It's the perfect combination of flavors and colors to accent great Mexican food.

QUICK FACTS ON RICE:

• The word rice literally means “food” or “meal” in Mandarin and Japanese. It symbolizes luck, life, wealth and fertility and is traditionally used in ceremonial rituals such as marriage.
• In Asian cultures; songs, poems, and festivals celebrate with rice.
• Rice which is technically apart of the grass family, is actually the seed of the rice plant.

Ingredients:

2 cups of rice 32 oz chicken broth juice from ½ a lime. 2 teaspoons “Southwest Seasoning” (page: 47)

chopped “fresh” cilantro leaves. 2 cloves of chopped garlic

Method:

Place all ingredients minus the cilantro in a medium sized pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook untouched for 18 minutes. (36 for brown.)

2. Once cooked, fluff, and stir in fresh cilantro.

Alternate Version:

If you're vegetarian (or prefer an alternate version), you can always replace the broth with four cups of water and two large Knorr vegetable bouillon cubes.

The world's most dangerous recipe for home fries.

The most dangerous hash-browns in the world.

Warning: This is perhaps the most dangerous, unhealthiest recipe for hash-browns in the world.

So the story goes, ten years ago I was living in a small studio apartment in Ventura California with my room-mate Shannon at the time, and both of us were having a craving for hash browns. My initial attempts to cook hash-brows led to potatoes which were burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. Some people just can't cook hash browns she said perhaps a bit drunk. Shannon had decided to embarrass me in front of a group of friends by making it known she was certain I'd never be able to make a decent plate of hash browns. She then stated, "If she ever manages to make me hash-browns, I'll turn lesbian and marry her."

Be careful who you serve them to.

To her surprise that was also just days before this girl accidentally and unknowingly stumbled upon a manner of cooking hash-browns named for their ease of cooking at home, thus I had discovered home fries. Known also in parts of the world as house fries or even cottage fries they're easier to cook because they're diced rather than shredded and deep-fried rather than shallow pan fried as traditional hash-browns would be. 

Hash-browns, an aphrodisiac? 

I didn't stop there though. I figured if my recipe for home fries are dangerous enough to turn average room-mates into a budding romance then they'd do so risking clogged arteries and cardiac arrest. So I topped my home fries with tomatoes, onions, cheese, bacon, sausage, and loads of cheddar cheese. Smothered, covered  and sinful as can be. I know it's wrong, but it just feels so right. If a single dish of potatoes can bring hearts together, can they really be all that bad?

Ingredients

4-6 washed, and diced potatoes
2 red ripe tomatoes
1 hopped red onion
1 LB sharp cheddar cheese
1 LB smoked bacon
1 LB ground sausage
cooking oil for deep frying

For the Seasoning:
3/4 teaspoon of salt
pinch of pepper
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne
1/4 teaspoon of thyme
1/4 teaspoon of paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon of all-season salt

Directions
1-Preheat oil and dice potatoes. Fry potatoes until golden brown.
2-In a separate pan cook bacon, sausage and onions.
3-Drain oil from meats and potatoes than combine into a single pan with seasoning.
4-Mix well, then plate and top with cheese.
5-Microwave, or warm plate in oven till cheese is melted.
6-Garnish with fresh tomatoes.

TJ's Deli Hot Sicilian Sandwich Recipe

Patterned after sandwich #60 from my local deli restaurant  TJ's Deli- this is my favorite sandwich in the world: The Hot Sicilian.

Sicilian food may have some vague familiarity with most American's palettes due to the fact it's a spicier variation of traditional Italian foods.

The food, like the word Sicilian originated from the island of Sicily, Italy whose cuisine, linguistics, and culture became varied as a result of its seclusion from main-land Italy.

Sicilian food is generally fast, great tasting, and relatively cheap.

Ingredients:

• bread rolls of your choice.
• Italian marinara
• Provolone cheese
• bacon
• pepperoni
• mayonnaise
• thin sliced ham
• shredded lettuce
• sliced tomato
• 1000 island dressing
• yellow sliced banana peppers
• grilled onions

Method:

Cook bacon & grill onions. Lightly grill ham and pepperoni on griddle. Warm marinara. Assemble sandwich with mayonnaise, dressing, banana peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, and meats.

Place on cooking sheet in preheated oven at 400° F for approximately 6 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Mars Muffin Recipe - Candy Bar Muffins

What is a Mars Bar Muffin? They're commonplace in the U.K. as the Brits have some odd food fetish with Mars Bars. Almost any petrol station will be filled with Mars drinks, Mars muffins, Mars candy bars and countless other derivatives. The Mars phenomenon is something you quickly get addicted to, so the moment I landed in London this last time I made a direct exit from the plane door and into a confectionery store for my long missed Mars muffin. It's a chocolate, caramel, nuggety muffin made with all the flavors of the traditional Mars bar, and topped in milk chocolate. It's a win-win for anyone who has a fondness of either muffins, chocolate, or both together.

There's one tiny problem with baking Mars bars muffins while living in the United States: You can't actually buy Mars bars anymore here. Like Scottish haggis, apparently they've been banned. More importantly, even if you could, the once available American version of the famed candy bar was never ingredient wise, the same as the European version. So how do you make Mars Muffins? Option one involves a eight hour flight to Heathrow then back again, which of course I'd be more than happy to do except for the unfortunately large sum of money involved, or option two is to use Milky Way candy bars because it's as close as you're going to get. I've also made the same recipe with Snickers, and loved them! So until my work visa comes through, I shall share my lovely anglophile Mars muffin recipe so that you too can enjoy the joys and wonders of my favorite across the pond treat.

Mars Muffin Recipe:

Ingredients:
8 Fun Size Mars Bars (MilkyWay in the U.S.) 4.62oz
7 oz of dipping chocolate. (I used Baker's microwavable)
2½ cups of all-purpose Flour
1¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
¼ teaspoon of baking soda
¾ teaspoon of salt
1½ sticks softened butter
1 cup of non-fat buttermilk
2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
non-fat cooking spray

1 cup of egg white substitute (or eggs)
1/2 cup of "Dutch" dark chocolate cocoa

Method:
1) Cut up the candy bars into chunks (about 1/8")
2) Mix with sugar, (sifted) flour, baking soda, powder, butter, vanilla, buttermilk, cocoa, eggs, and vanilla.
3) Mix with electric mixer well, then pour into cupcake pan sprayed with non-fat spray.
4) Bake for approx 25 minutes at 350F in preheated oven.
5) Allow to cool, then dip muffin-tops into melted chocolate

Bojangle's BoBerry Biscuits Recipe

A BoBerry Biscuit made from this recipe.

One of the jobs I worked part-time in high-school as a teenager was for a little Charlotte North Carolina based cajun chicken restaurant chain called Bojangles. One of the cult favorites on the menu is an item called BoBerry biscuits, made from their famous biscuits baked with blueberries inside then topped with icing. It's the country version of a English blue-berry scone. While I worked there I made car loads of these sweet delectable BoBerry treats, and so when I got around to cloning the recipe some twenty years later, I knew a few secrets behind the process and recipe.

You see the myth I'd like to bust is that it's actually blueberries, it's not. Technically they're not berries at all. Surprised?  Bojangles actually has these buckets of pellets, yes you heard me right, pellets that deliver the blueberry flavor. In all seriousness they look just like rabbit food. Long cylindrical blue pellets.. Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to what they actually put in these pellets, but they do taste remarkably like blueberries when mixed with the biscuit dough and baked. Since I've never found such a product for sale in the grocery store I resorted to a more natural, less scary alternative using dehydrated blueberries. However don't let that stop you from grabbing a couple BoBerry biscuits the next time you're driving through the south and see a Bojangles.

Ingredients:

Boberry Biscuits:

• 2¼ cups flour (plus additional for dusting)
• 1¼ cups buttermilk
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon of Butter Buds 
• 3 oz of dried blueberries (Mariana brand “wild”)

Glaze:

• 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar
• 4 teaspoons of water
• 1 teaspoon of imitation vanilla
• ½ teaspoon of lemon juice

Method:

Preheat oven to 450° F. Mix dry ingredients, then stir in buttermilk. Add blueberries, and continue to knead dough adding additional flour as necessary. Move dough to floured cutting board and roll flat to about ¼ - ½ thick (or to desired thickness) and cut approximately 6 scones with a biscuit or cookie cutter.

Place in oven and bake for about 8 minutes. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the microwave, and paint finished biscuits with pastry brush. (optional) Mix glaze ingredients in a bowl, and drizzle over biscuit with a fork.

Almost Fat-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

These cookies are almost fat-free except for the chocolate. My recipe shaves over 8 grams of fat per cookie in comparison to a typical chocolate chip cookie and guarantees you'll never feel nearly as guilty about eating cookies again.

You can easily replace the chocolate with nuts, fruit or another innovation, but one my personal favorites especially during the holidays is adding mint chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

1¾ all purpose flour	1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda	1/3 cup egg substitute
½ cup white sugar	¼ cup of fat free vanilla yogurt
¾ cup dark brown sugar	11.5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1 teaspoon salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 375° F degrees Mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, sugars. Add yogurt, egg substitute, vanilla and mix. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Take large spoon sized lumps of cookie dough and place on cookie sheet sprayed with non-fat cooking spray. Bake for approximately 9 minutes.

Les Carbonades Flamandes / Flemish Beef Stew Recipe

Les Carbonades Flamandes

While in Bruges, Belgium we visited this very tiny restaurant called mozarthuy's on a sleepy back street. A fire roared inside, and we entered dripping from the cold European rain.We hung our scarfs and jackets on the coat rack and took a seat. We enjoyed drinks and laughter, then moments later came forth a beautiful bounty of Belgian cuisine ordered by our tour guide and best friend, Sarah. She had been living in Brussels for over a year and did a wonderful job of ordering some authentic dishes often passed over by tourists. One of her favorites is Les Carbonades Flamandes otherwise known as Flemish beef stew to us westerners. 


Carbonades Flamandes is about as Belgian as you can get, and each Belgian family has their own take on the stew. Cooked in a rich dark beer (golden ambrosia) and often served with frites (French fries), I absolutely loved this recipe and this dish which we adopted from Belgian cook and author Ruth Van Waerebeek. If you like it, be sure to check out her book, called "Everybody eats Well In Belgium."

Ingredients:
4 lbs chunked stew meat
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 tablespoons flour
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 large sliced onions
2 bottles of Belgian Beer
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1.5 tablespoons red currant jelly (or brown sugar)
1 tablespoon red cider or red wine vinegar

Method:
1. Season beef cubes with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
2. Saute beef in butter in batches then transfer to Dutch oven
3. Saute onion in butter until browned then transfer to Dutch oven.
4. De-glaze skillet with beer, add to Dutch oven and add thyme and bay leaves.
5 Simmer for 1.5-2 hours
6. Before serving remove bay leaves, and add currant jelly allowing to simmer an additional 5 minutes.

Scotch Eggs Recipe

Contrary to its name, Scotch eggs weren't invented in Scotland, but by the British in 1851 at a London restaurant called Fortnum and Mason.

Traditionally deep-fried, this recipe saves a ton on fat and calories by using 4.5 gram per serving turkey sausage, and baking the dish rather than deep frying however feel free to engage in bathing them in a bath of vegetable oil just like they do at the pubs abroad if you choose. They're great with H.P. sauce or if you can't get your hands on it, A1 Sauce in the States.

Ingredients:

8 large Eggs 2 pounds of turkey sausage egg substitute

breadcrumbs non-fat cooking spray HP Sauce or A1 sauce

Method:

Hard boil eggs. Remove shells and allow to cool. Wrap in sausage. Dip in egg substitute. Cover in breadcrumbs Place on baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350° F. Cut in half, drizzle with HP sauce or A1, and enjoy.

"No Pudge" Fat Free Brownies Recipe

Several years ago, I tried "No Pudge" fat free brownie mix after a severe sweet craving while dieting. At $4.00 a box, you can see where the incentive was to clone the recipe, or even make it better. This recipe does just that.

Fat-free brownies. It's the Holy Grail of baking. A brownie that defies all known forms of scientific law. A delicious, chewy, decadent, even downright naughty brownie which will blow away the minds and mouths of all those who choose to enjoy this eighth world wonder of the world: Liv's fat-free brownies.

Ingredients:

Brownies:

1¼ cups flour	1 cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar	1/3 cup egg substitute
¼ teaspoon baking powder	¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup of Hershey's special dark “Dutch” blend cocoa powder	1 6 oz fat free single serving of vanilla yogurt
	1 teaspoon vanilla, butter & nut flavor.

Frosting:

8 oz fat free cream cheese	3 cups of powdered sugar
½ cup of Hershey's special dark “Dutch” blend cocoa powder	1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

Mix dry ingredients in bowl with fork. Add wet ingredients and mix till shiny. Bake in 8x8 pan for 25 minutes in a oven preheated to 350° F.

Mix all ingredients for frosting with electric mixer, then frost brownies and serve hot and gooey or chill till desired texture is desired.

Stuffed Giant Portobello Mushrooms Recipe

I've often made stuffed mushrooms using the smaller mushroom varieties following a similar method as below adding tomato sauce on top,  but if you want an interesting main dish, and love mushrooms then this version using giant Portobello mushrooms is definitely the one you want to try. You may also wish to try a variety of other cheese if available such as Gruyere, Feta or as recommended by a friend, Stilton cheese. You can also try substituting the sausage with crab meat or other meets available locally. They're amazingly succulent, and visibly beautiful as you serve your flowering stuffed giant Portobello mushrooms to guests.

Ingredients:

fresh whole giant Portobello mushrooms	ground pork sausage
onions	1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
cayenne, paprika and salt and pepper	bread crumbs
mozzarella cheese

Method:

1) In a bowl combine your uncooked sausage and a couple handfuls of shredded cheese, one chopped onion, bread crumbs, pinches of seasonings and garlic. Mix by hand.
2) With a spoon scoop out underbelly of mushrooms and dispose.
3) Fill underside of mushrooms with meat mixture.
4) Top with cheese. 
5) Top with slice of tomato.
5) Top with more cheese.
6) Bake in pre-heated oven at 350F for 30 minutes.