Susie’s Newsletter - Tips for Week No. 25 dated 18th July 2011
What is the food habit you need to break?
Is it the wine when you walk in the door or something sweet every night after dinner? Do you graze on the kids leftovers or throw all your diet rules out the window when you head out to eat? We all have them, nasty food habits that prevent us from reaching the goals we have for ourselves when it comes to our weight and our health.
If you consider that it takes 3 months to break a bad habit, it is going to take some time to rid yourself of any food behaviour that you have had for some time. In my experience working with clients, it only takes a week going cold turkey with your nasty habit to initially break the behavioural pattern, so set aside a week to work on yours, and see how much more in control you feel once you rid yourself of it once and for all.
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Bad Diet Habit
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Try Instead
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Recipe of the Week
Biscotti
Ingredients
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup boiling water
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
Method
1. Pre heat oven to 180ºC.. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper, set aside.
2. Place cranberries in a small bowl; add boiling water. Let stand for 15mins. Drain, and set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 mins. Add 3 eggs, one at a time beating to incorporate after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Mix in cranberries and pistachios.
4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each piece into a 16x2 inch log, and transfer to prepared baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. With the palm of your hand, flatten logs slightly. Brush beaten egg over surface of the dough logs and sprinkle generously with sugar.
5. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through until logs are slightly firm to touch, about 25mins. Transfer logs on baking paper to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.
6. Place logs on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut logs crosswise on the diagonal into ½ inch thick slices. Place a wire rack on a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange slices, cut sides down, on rack. Bake until firm to touch, about 30mins. Remove pan from oven, let biscotti cool completely on rack. Biscotti can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Product of the Week