Mediterranean Meat Pie

What better area of the world for healthy, delicious food than the Mediterranean?

Famous for natural, healthy food, this region entices the palates of almost everyone, even the junk foodies. Think: Italian, Greek, French, North African. Always mentioned in studies about diet and longevity, these Mediterranean countries create some of the most mouth-watering food on the planet.

The following recipe is a favorite of my teenage boys. It's also great to take to a potluck because it goes a long way and has a distinct flavor.

**Note: You'll want to start the day before because the dough needs to sit overnight.
** Note: For blog entries on Fermented foods such as Yogurt, please see the archives at www.thechristiannaturalist.blogspot.com
**Note: Also see my last blog entry here at Foodie For Health about Longevity.

Spicy Meat Pie
inspired by "Spicy Lamb Pastries" Nourishing Traditions 

1 recipe basic yogurt dough (see below)
2 pounds ground Beef or Lamb
2 med. Onions, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 C cooked Brown Rice
1/2 C Pine Nuts, lightly toasted
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 bunch Cilantro, chopped well
2 Lemon rinds, ground or finely chopped
1/2 C melted butter

Cook meat in skillet until crumbly. Mix onions, toasted pine nuts, rice, seasonings, cilantro and lemon rind with the cooked meat.

Butter a large, rectangular baking dish. Press 1/2-2/3 of the yogurt dough into the bottom and sides of the dish. Pour in the meat mixture. Roll out the rest of the dough and place it on top of the pie. Poke holes with a fork into the top. Brush the top with butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes to an hour.

Serve with Yogurt Sauce (see below)

Yogurt Dough
Nourishing Traditions page 485
1 C plain whole Yogurt
1 C Butter, softened
3 1/2 C freshly ground Spelt or Wheat Flour
2 tsp Sea Salt
unbleached White Flour

This excellent all-purpose dough recipe makes enough for two 10-inch, French-style tart shells. It cooks more slowly than dough made with white flour.

Cream yogurt with butter. Blend in flour and salt. Cover and leave in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours.

Roll on a pastry cloth using unbleached white flour to prevent sticking. For a prebaked tart shell, prick well with a fork and place in a cold oven. (You will not need to prebake for the Meat Pie). Turn heat on to 350 degrees and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Yogurt Sauce
Nourishing Traditions, page 143


 1 1/2 C plain, whole yogurt
1/4 C Lemon Juice
1/4 C Water
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and mashed
Sea Salt

Blend all ingredients together adding salt to taste. 

Longevity

Live longer and healthier.

Great goals as we grow older. Recently I read an article in Delicious Living about longevity. It seems Okinawa, Sardina (an island in the Mediterranean) and Nova Scotia have a higher percentage of people who live to 100. Not only do they live longer, but they tend to enjoy better overall health. For some, longevity can be traced to genetics, but for most lifestyle choices are the key.

One of these lifestyle choices is eating less. "Decades of longevity research suggest that eating less can add years to your life." ~'Longevity Secrets', Delicious Living (February 2010). The article points out, "The longevity superstar Okinawans practice hara hachi bu, or 'eat until you are eight parts full' and consume about 11 percent fewer calories than the amounts typically recommended by body weight. They boast 60 to 70 percent lower death rates from stroke, cancer, and heart disease than their mainland Japanese counterparts." There are a number of theories as to why the lower calorie diet increases health, but whatever the reason there is a connection.

In the most recent issue of Food and Wine, editor Dana Cowin introduces a shift in the popular magazine's recipe line-up.  "Maybe it's because I grew up skinny, or maybe it's because I believe portion control solves all nutritional ills. Whatever the reason, I've long subscribed to a holistic approach to well-being for Food and Wine that embraces everything, even triple-pork pastas. I will always believe in balance, as it allows the magazine to skip over fad diets and questionable science," Cowin writes. 

The interesting portion of Cowin's comments, as it pertains to me today, is that "portion control solves all nutritional ills." These countries with a larger population of Centenarians (people over 100) eat different kinds of foods, usually healthy but not one hundred percent of the time. France, long known as a place with a decent population of Centenarians, continues to promote rich food with cream, butter and other fat. But they're also known to eat small portions over long periods of time during conversation and socialization. Balance. Like Cowin said, that's what makes the difference.

The Delicious Living article also pointed out the need to be active and interactive with people. So the French aren't far off.

Seafood is one food common to all the countries mentioned above. Fish is high in Omega-3's, which means it's good for the heart and fights dementia as well. Following is a simple recipe for a delicious fish maindish.

White Fish, Italian Style

Choose a nice white fish like Tilapia
Prochuitto
Capers
Olive Oil

Wrap the fish in Prochuitto and spray with a little olive oil.
Broil until fish is done. It's quick, like 3-5 minutes, so watch it closely.
Top with Capers.

Enjoy with a salad of mixed greens with olive oil and lemon juice and a side of brown rice or pasta.

The Devil's Food on Valentine's Day?

 Why should I eat something the devil would eat?

I'm not sure how this cake got it's name because I doubt hell has chocolate or delicious cakes on its cafeteria menu. But it may tempt you to eat more. 

My husband and I hate going out to dinner on Valentine's Day. Oh, don't get me wrong. We LOVE to go out to eat. We're connoisseurs of good local restaurants. (If you live in Minneapolis and are looking for delicious food, just ask us! Especially if you enjoy ethnic.)

But Valentine's Day is always crowded at the restaurants. They usually minimize the menus-serving just a few of their popular dishes, and the prices are often higher. I like to cook a special meal on the actual day and then pick another day to go out and celebrate.

I haven't decided on the main course yet, but I just discovered a recipe for Devil's Food Cake that I'd like to try. It came in my e-newsletter from Vegetarian Times (click here and then on "newsletters" to subscribe) I'm not completely vegetarian but I get wonderful recipes from them right to my inbox absolutely free. Dan and I shared a piece of Red Velvet Cake at California Pizza Kitchen and we both loved it, so we've been looking for a more natural recipe ever since.

From what I can tell through a quick search, Devil's Food Cake and Red Velvet Cake are pretty much the same thing except that Red Velvet is usually made with a lot of red food color. Since I don't want the food color in my cake and I'd like a more healthy version overall, I was delighted to find this recipe in my VegTimes newsletter. They've even found a way to get the red color naturally.

Try the Devil's Food for Valentine's Day and let me know what you think. And, if the cake results in a proposal you MUST let us know! Promise??

Devil’s Food Cake (from Vegetarian Times Newsletter)

Commercial Red Devil cakes are tinted with artificial food coloring, a health hazard unto itself. But it’s just as easy to create a naturally tinted dessert by reverting back to the recipe’s roots and adding grated beets and non-alkaline cocoa powder. Ice the cake with white frosting to further accentuate the burgundy hue. Decorate with shredded coconut, chopped nuts, or chocolate shavings.

By Beverly Lynn Bennett

Makes 2 8-inch round cakes
What You Need For The Cake:

• 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (not Dutch or alkali processed), plus additional for pans 
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus additional for pans
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups fresh beets, peeled and finely grated
• Fluffy Frosting (see recipe below)

What You Do For The Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil two 8-inch round cake pans with olive oil. Dust pans with cocoa powder, tap out any excess, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together pastry flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk sugar into dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together water, olive oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk well to combine. Stir in grated beets.
3. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a rack (removing pans) and allow to cool completely before frosting.

What You Need For The Fluffy Frosting:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (I'd use butter-I'm not a total vegetarian)
• 1/4 cup soymilk or rice milk (or milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

What You Do For The Fluffy Frosting:

1. Using an electric or hand-held mixer, beat together frosting ingredients for 2 to 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Use immediately or cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Stir briefly before spreading 1/3 of the frosting on top of one of the cakes. Top with second cake, then frost top and sides with remaining frosting.