Grilled Skewered Lamb Kabobs

Article first published as Grilled Skewered Lamb Kabobs on Blogcritics.

Lamb tends to get a side eye from some folks but that's no surprise since it can be an acquired taste. I used to think lamb was too gamey and too tough for me. Then, I tried well prepared lamb dishes and I became a fan. Mediterranean inspired dishes is how I usually prepare and enjoy lamb so there was no question lamb would be included in our recent Mediterranean Kabob Party. If you're not a lamb fan, I encourage you to give it another chance. These Grilled Skewered Lamb Kabobs are so succulent and flavorful that I'm willing to bet you'll change your mind about lamb...

My friend Howard brought these amazing kabobs to our kabob party. The lamb marinated overnight in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, yogurt, cilantro, mint and curry powder. I suppose you could marinate it for a shorter period of time but I think the time allows the lamb to tenderize and absorb all the flavors perfectly. Once they're grilled, don't dig in quite yet. To complete the dish, serve it with the herbed yogurt which gives the kabobs a nice cool and creamy contrast!

Grilled Skewered Lamb Kabobs
recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves or mint
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon curry powder
ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless lamb cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
table salt


Whisk all ingredients except the lamb and salt in a small bowl until marinade is combined. Place lamb cubes in a zipper lock bag or in a shallow, nonreactive pan. Pour yogurt marinade over lamb and seal or cover. Chill bag or bowl in refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight to marinate the lamb.

Heat grill. Remove lamb from bag or pan and sprinkle with salt. Threat 1/6 of the lamb cubes on each skewer* to yield 6 skewers. Place skewers on the hot grill rack. Cover and cook over medium hot fire, turning once, until medium rare, about 7-8 minutes. Serve with herbed yogurt below.

Herbed Yogurt

2/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon onion powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and serve with grilled lamb.

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High Functioning Autism fMRI Brain Scan Study Misrepresented to the Public

"research in ASD has tended to use overwhelmingly White, middle to upper middle class samples, and has often excluded children with multiple disabilities and/or severe to profound intellectual disabilities". [underlining added - HLD]

Catherine Lord, Social Policy Report, Autism Spectrum Disorders Diagnosis, Prevalence, and Services for Children and Families

Yet another fMRI brain scan study, The neural basis of deictic shifting in linguistic perspective-taking in high-functioning autism,  has been published in which Low Functioning, Intellectually Disabled autistic subjects are, by design, excluded  in favor of subjects with High Functioning Autism. This study published in the journal "Brain" by researchers Marcel Just, Akiki Mizuno and their collaborators at CMU's Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging (CCBI) and described in a PR Newswire Release found that errors in choosing a self-referring pronoun (eg. "you" instead of "I") "reflect a disordered neural representation of the self, a function processed by at least two brain areas — one frontal and one posterior". 

As evidenced by the above quote from autism expert Catherine Lord low subjects with low functioning autism, which would include the 80% or persons with Autistic Disorder (DSM-IV) and intellectual disability, are often excluded from autism research.  That exclusion of low functioning, intellectually disabled subjects from  recent  fMRI "autism" brain scan  studies has been even more obvious.  

The Carnegie Mellon researchers should be commended for describing their conclusions, as their study title expressly states,  in terms of High Functioning Autism given that their study subjects were all high functioning autistic persons.   Unfortunately the press release, which identifies Carnegie Mellon as the source of its information,  is not as meticulous and generalizes the study to the entire autism spectrum  in its title and content, including quote from lead research Marcel Joust:

New CMU Brain Imaging Research Reveals Why Autistic Individuals Confuse Pronouns


...


The results revealed a significantly diminished synchronization in autism between a frontal area (the right anterior insula) and a posterior area (precuneus) during pronoun use in the autism group. The participants with autism also were slower and less accurate in their behavioral processing of the pronouns. In particular, the synchronization was lower in autistic participants' brains between the right anterior insula and precuneus when answering a question that contained the pronoun "you," querying something about the participant's view.


"Shifting from one pronoun to another, depending on who the speaker is, constitutes a challenge not just for children with autism but also for adults with high-functioning autism, particularly when referring to one's self," Just said. "The functional collaboration of two brain areas may play a critical role for perspective shifting by supporting an attention shift between oneself and others.


"Pronoun reversals also characterize an atypical understanding of the social world in autism. The ability to flexibly shift viewpoints is vital to social communication, so the autistic impairment affects not just language but social communication," Just added.


...


Ongoing research at the CCBI is assessing the white matter in detail, measuring its integrity and topology, trying to pinpoint the difference in the autistic brain's networks.


"This new understanding of what causes pronoun confusion in autism helps make sense of the larger problems of autism as well as the idiosyncrasies," Just said. "Moreover, it points to new types of therapies that may help rehab the white matter in autism."

Presenting the results of a study of High Functioning Autism subjects as representing all persons with autism, including the low functioning, intellectually disabled excluded from the study is  misrepresentation. It helps promote ignorance, both in the general public about the many intellectually disabled persons with low functioning autistic disorder identified by CDC autism expert Dr. Marshalynn Yeargin-Allsopp as autistic disorder's "vast majority". 

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Tabbouleh Salad

Article first published as Tabbouleh Salad on Blogcritics.

Side dishes are easy to figure out if you have a theme in mind. When preparing for my recent Mediterranean Kabob Party, I had a long list of potential side dishes to add to the menu. Ultimately, I opted for classic dishes, including this Tabbouleh Salad. If you've never worked with cracked wheat or bulgur before, here's a great opportunity to give it a try. You may be surprised how easy it is to work with! As for this salad, it's light, refreshing and pairs perfectly with Mediterranean flavors. But don't think you need to have a Mediterranean menu planned to enjoy it...

When looking for cracked wheat or bulgur at the store, you may find a few different kinds to choose from. The obvious differences would be the size of the grain. They come as small as very fine (#1) to very coarse (#4). It doesn't matter which size you choose really, but for this recipe I used the coarse grain. Preparing the cracked wheat or bulgur is just as easy as making couscous. Essentially, hot boiling water is poured over the cracked wheat and allowed to sit so that it can absorb the water and soften up. Unlike couscous which can pretty much be ready in 5 minutes or so, cracked wheat takes a bit more time. The finer the grain the shorter it takes to be ready. Another thing to note is that it also takes more time for the cracked wheat to absorb the flavors. This particular recipe calls for the salad to chill for 4 hours... so do plan accordingly! But in the end, the wait is definitely worth it...

Tabbouleh Salad

recipe from AllRecipes

1 cup cracked wheat or bulgur (course or fine; I used coarse grain)
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
3 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese


Place cracked wheat in bowl and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Soak for 30 minutes; drain out excess water.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cracked wheat, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, parsley, mint, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Toss and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Toss again prior to serving and top with crumbled feta cheese.

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RASPBERRY-BLUEBERRY CINNAMON COFFEE CAKE

GOOD DAY, SUNSHINE!

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.
~Sam Keen

Sunday. Summer has finally swept over us like a warm blanket. Waking earlier than usual, our sleep disturbed by a tumult of angst, a jumble of confusion, we felt the sun squeeze through the slats of the shutters and reach towards the bed, chasing away the discord of the night like a prayer chasing away the darkness and fear. We knew that today was the day to head outside of the city for a walk or a ride, a day to revel in the second coming of summer. After what has been a melancholy, dismal season, overnight the world has seemed to shift to right.

We pulled out the bikes from the garage, loaded them into the car and headed out, deciding on a whim to pedal the Canal de la Martinière. This short 15-kilometer canal was constructed for commercial reasons in the late 19th century at a time when Nantes was a major port city. The passage from the Atlantic to Nantes was made, up until this time, by traveling the Loire River, but the Loire wasn’t always navigable nor reliable due to the seasons, tides and the constant build up of sand, and another access had to be built for the ships carrying products and goods. So a network of canals and basins was built to ease the passage of this transportation and create a waterway that was constant throughout the seasons. The canal, which would even afford access to large ships, saw an important and intense activity for about 20 years until, in 1913, technological progress allowed for a return to the Loire River for transport. The Canal became, until its re-use during WWII for naval purposes and followed by the German Occupation, simply a great boat cemetery. And finally, after a brief period of use by NATO in the Fifties, its uses were exhausted and the canal was no longer needed.

Today, we ride up the now boat-free canal, her borders dotted with lone men or fathers and sons nestled companionably amongst the reeds, fishing poles reaching deep into the water. July in France finds the roadway that lines the canal unencumbered with Sunday strollers who are to be found here in the beautiful weather of June and September. These summer months only give us the occasional group of friends out for a bit of fresh air and men decked out from head to toe in professional biking gear like some odd, local leg of the Tour de France, men still working through the month until they can join their wives and children who are already out at the beach enjoying the long summer school vacation. Today’s ride is easy, almost languorous even though it is somewhat of a physical effort.

In summer, the song sings itself.
~William Carlos Williams

We’ve never been a vacation family; you know, those who grab at each and every opportunity to pack suitcases, close up the house and head out of town to some beach spot, second home in the mountains, a fancy cruise or jazzy club. No skiing, boating or camping, no safari adventures or road trips to odd and unusual places. “School out”, unlike for most French families, does not mean bags and baggage and good-bye city, hello outdoors and sun. Nope. Neither JP nor I were raised that way. His family rarely went anywhere, the plight of true blue collar working families in those days. And my own father had only 2 weeks off every year and that meant visiting relatives, moving our family life to another home, either our grandparents’ or my aunt and uncles’. All those other weeks of school holiday were spent running in and out of the house, playing ball in the street or biking up to the public swimming pool. And time spent in the cool of the public library, reading to my heart’s content. Spending school holidays at home was a much-loved way of life.

So, needless to say, fancy holiday spots or time away for the sake of “getting away from it all” are just not part of our culture. When the boys were small and we lived in Italy, we would place them on an airplane alone and pack them off to their grandparents’ in the French countryside for the month of July where the two of us would join them in August; JP and I would enjoy the calm of summertime Milan for one month as lovers rather than as parents, a time for ourselves. That’s not to say we didn’t have some fabulous family adventures: JP and Clem took month-long trekking holidays in both France and Morocco; the four of us spent an incredible summer discovering New England, driving from the Poconos, up through New York all the way to Montreal, then back down again via Vermont, Connecticut and Long Island. Enchanting and memorable! We’ve traveled around Italy, thrilled to share culinary, historical and visual discoveries with our sons. We’ve visited New York City from top to bottom, from Brooklyn to Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan and loved every inch of it, every restaurant, monument, museum, zoo and park. Yes, we love to travel and are thrilled now that our boys want to travel and discover the world as well.

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon;
to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.
~ Henry James

But vacations are best spent at home, that quiet time when the city empties out, when the French abandon their homes, apartments, markets, restaurants and streets. For those of us living in France and sticking around, spending the soothing summer months in our own apartments, a kind of Zen-like sensation settles upon the city and it is a true pleasure to take walks through the streets, window shop and stop for an ice cream without having to push our way through crowds of students, parents with small children and strollers, gaggles of teens oblivious to the world around them. No traffic slows down our occasional excursion outside the city for a walk in the vineyards or forest on the rare sunny day. No noise breaks the calming silence as we sit in our livingroom and read, windows thrown open to catch the soft breeze, weather permitting. We gather up the courage for the occasional bike ride or picnic enjoying the empty space we are sure to find. The vacation spirit descends on our city and even those of us left behind find serenity and peace from the madness of the rest of the year. We have always wondered at the number of people who feel the obvious need to escape hearth, home and city every chance they can, every weekend, every school and work holiday. We have created a home that we love filled with books, kitchen paraphernalia, our music and films and we are absolutely content. Why leave, indeed?

Yet now that Nantes is unnaturally calm and quiet, there is little to inspire me: no holidays or special events, no festivals and no bustle of young people in our home. All I want to do is curl up with a book and a cup of coffee or a bowl of bright, sweet, juicy summer fruit and a film. I am finding it difficult to gather together the energy to bake, even more difficult to find motivation and imagination to write. Summers home are slow and languorous, although both of us try and work on our many projects. Neither son is at home, so we can live the days at our own rhythm, our own pace. The house is ours and ours alone to do as we please. Yet little conducive to work and thought.

And when I do feel the urge to bake, I choose recipes that are simple and laid back, taking little effort and time to put together. I try and take advantage of the gorgeous summer fruit, the sweet nectarines and peaches, plums and berries that are now abundant on the market. There is nothing we love better than a simple coffee cake, nothing rich or heavy, no creams or frosting, no guilt-inducing chocolate to speak of. A cake light and airy yet so rich in flavor and topped with the perfect amount of fruit is truly a favorite in our house, eaten morning, afternoon and for desserts. This is truly summer at her best when, indeed, the living is easy.


My wonderful friend Abby Dodge has taken upon herself to gather us around her table, in her kitchen for a bake together. Each month she proposes a recipe and challenges each of us to bake along, twisting, tweaking and adapting the recipe, as we desire. This month she proposed a simple Summer Fruit Cake topped with berries. I turned to her cookbook, The Weekend Baker, where she had introduced the same cake with slight variations, variations that suited me just fine. I added raspberries to her lone blueberries and just about doubled the amount of fruit to create this fabulous coffee cake, redolent of warm cinnamon and bright with the sweetness of a jumble of berries. As there were only the two of us to enjoy this treasure, the cake lasted several days, and stayed moist and delicious to the last slice. We absolutely loved it and you will too! Hurry before summer ends and the berries fade away. But no need to fear, frozen berries work the charm!


Don’t miss the International Food Blogger Conference held in the grand city New Orleans 25 – 28 August. Great food, great fun, so much information and a group of incredible speakers! I will be presenting the topic Food & Culture with Pim of Chez Pim. Register now!

RASPBERRY-BLUEBERRY CINNAMON COFFEE CAKE
From The Weekend Baker by Abigail Johnson Dodge

1 1/3 cups (170 g) flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbs (85 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup sour cream (I used 3% lowfat fromage frais)

For the topping:
1 cup berries, one kind or mixed (I used slightly more than a cup of a mixture of fresh raspberries and frozen blueberries)
2 – 3 Tbs granulated brown sugar
1 Tbs flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 2-inch (22/23 x 5-cm) round cake pan, tapping out the excess flour. I lined the bottom of the cake pan with a round of parchment paper, lightly buttering the pan then again the parchment before dusting with flour.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar with an electric beater until creamy, light and smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding the vanilla with the second egg. Using a rubber spatula, fold the combined dry ingredients into the butter mixture in 3 additions (in thirds), alternating with the sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Once the cake has been slipped into the oven, prepare the topping by combining the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl then toss in all the berries until evenly coated.

Once the cake has baked for the initial 10 minutes, carefully pull the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the fruit topping all over the top of the cake, trying to evenly distribute the berries. Go ahead and sprinkle on any remaining flour/sugar/cinnamon remaining in the bottom of the bowl.

Return the cake to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes or until the cake is slightly puffed, the center is set and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife carefully around the edges to loosen the cake from the pan and invert onto a rack, remove the parchment then invert onto a serving platter so the berries are on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Sun Dried Tomato Hummus

Article first published as Sun Dried Tomato Hummus on Blogcritics.

Some ingredients are destined to be used in the same predictable way. Take for instance, chickpeas or garbanzo beans. The main reason why I would even bother having this in my pantry is simply to prepare a homemade hummus. After awhile, plain, traditional hummus gets boring. When that happens, the fun begins. I love playing with various flavor combinations and I think I've found my favorite hummus recipe. This Sun Dried Tomato Hummus allows the flavor and color of sun dried tomatoes shine with a little hint of fresh basil to freshen it up...

For my recent Mediterranean Kabob Party, I aimed to have a Mediterranean inspired spread for our guests. This flavored hummus was a hit and so easy to prepare! All the ingredients are processed together and chilled before serving so flavors can meld. The flavor is bright and goes especially well with fresh cucumber slices, baby carrots and warm pita bread.

Sun Dried Tomato Hummus
recipe from AllRecipes

4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons tahini paste
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 (15.5 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup finely shredded fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Place garlic, salt, tahini, and lemon juice into a food processor; process until smooth. Pour in the garbanzo beans and 1/2 cup olive oil; process until smooth again, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Once smooth, add the sun-dried tomatoes, and pulse until they have been chopped to very small pieces and are incorporated into the hummus. Finally, add the basil, and pulse a few times until mixed in.

Spread the hummus into a shallow serving dish, and make a few decorative grooves on top. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with paprika before serving.

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Is Walking Autism Therapy? No, Just Fun for Conor and Dad

In the space of two days Conor and I went on several walks together.  Nothing makes me feel better than going for a good walk, preferably along a trail or hiking in the woods.  I love being outdoors in nature and I always have. As an added bonus I like walking even more when I am walking with Conor.  

We took advantage of the long weekend to get lots of walking in.  It may not be as scientifically based as swimming with dolphins or riding horses in Mongolia but it makes me and Conor feel better. We both enjoy walking together. So far this long weekend here in New Brunswick we have gotten out for several trail walks and a bridge walk across the St. John River to downtown and back.  Autism therapy? Well  ....  at least as much as most unproven therapies that stretch therapeutic value into therapy but no, it is just healthy fun with my buddy Conor.

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Sunday Fun Day Giveaway: Winner Announced!

Happy Sunday! How was your weekend? Any fun culinary adventures taken? It's been a busy weekend for me so my apologies for a late posting. I can't believe we've done a Sunday Fun Day Giveaway for 3 full months straight! It was something I started on my birthday - May 1, 2011 and there have been 12+ readers who have won some great food inspired goodies. This week I'm taking a little breather so I can line up some more giveaways to share. But let's not forget I have a winner to announce! Last week the lovely folks of Back to the Roots sponsored the giveaway for a Grow at home Mushroom Garden. A lucky reader will receive a Mushroom Garden they can grow at home, which will yield 2 harvests! A special thanks to Back to teh Roots for sponsoring and I look forward to the possibility of visiting their urban mushroom farm later this year when I'm in their San Francisco neighborhood. Here's a big Congratulations to the winner of this past week's giveaway! Please shoot me an email at itsjoelen@gmail.com to claim your prize...

Back to the Roots
 
Winner: Comment #32!

Be sure to come back next Sunday, August 7, 2011, for another Sunday Fun Day Giveaway!

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