The Good Plate

Archive for June, 2010

This afternoon, when I went to the grocery store on a hunt for something good for dinner, I was walking down the tuna oil and a man was perusing the various cans of tuna. I made a remark that the Tonno Genova Tuna packed in olive oil had better taste, and was better for you, too. After I picked up my two cans, he put some in his basket as well.

There are some really good things about tuna packed in olive oil. First, because the tuna has more flavor, less mayonnaise is required, so according to [http://chickenofthesea.com/e_health_omega.aspx]

“It has been shown that tuna packed in oil mixed with 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise is actually lower in fat than tuna packed in spring water and mixed with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Starting with tuna packed in oil allows people to use less mayonnaise to achieve the desired consistency and taste, thereby cutting down on fat and calories and providing a better tasting salad.”

In addition, olive oil is good for you http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil#Nutrition_and_health_effects:

“Olive oil contains the monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid, antioxidants such as vitamin E and carotenoids, and oleuropein, a chemical that prevents the oxidation of LDL particles. It is these properties that are thought to contribute to the health benefits of olive oil”.

Read the rest of this entry »

Recipes in this Post

• Chocolate Cake
• Mocha Frosting
• Bill Cosby’s Classic video
• Full Transcript

One of the funniest bits of all time is the story of Bill Cosby’s wife finding out that Bill had given the kids chocolate cake for breakfast. Well, if Bill’s wife had tasted the chocolate cake I made yesterday, maybe she would not have had a conniption. If you have never seen or heard that bit, read the transcript of Bill Cosby Gives the Children Chocolate Cake for Breakfast or see the video below. I promise, you will laugh until your sides hurt.

The classic comedy routine is the inspiration for this cake. This is one of the moistest cakes you will ever have, and it stays moist, even for a few days.

Read the rest of this entry »

Recipes in this Post

• Watermelon Rind Pickles
• Watermelon Pickled Beets
• Potato Salad with Red Onions

In Act 5, Scene 1, of Shakespear’s The Tempest, King Alonso asks his jester, Trinculo, “How camest thou in this pickle?” And the drunk Trinculo – who has indeed gotten into trouble – responds “I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last …”

Well, I’m not in that sort of pickle. I made Watermelon Rind Pickles. Let me tell you, that was quite the journey.

Four great things about watermelons:

1. The meat tastes great on a summer day. The redder the better, I say!
2. The black seeds can be salted and baked in the oven for about 10 minutes to make something very similar to sunflower seeds, only you eat the whole thing. You cannot get the black seeds in a seedless watermelon, however, so you may have to go to an organic or farmer’s market to find them.
3. The juice of the watermelon makes a fine drink when filtered through a very fine mesh. Pantyhose work very well for this, clean of course!
4. The rinds make delicious pickles, so you can have watermelon with your roast pork in the winter time when summer is only a warm memory. The best rinds are from the larger melons, usually the ones with seeds, so if you want good pickles, you might want to get melon with seeds.

Read the rest of this entry »