by | May 3, 2022 · 4:06 pm

Karl’s Anzac Biscuits for Diabetics

Max Miller recently did a podcast on Anzac Biscuits—Americans would call these “cookies.” We have not had a decent Anzac Biscuit since we visited New Zealand twenty years ago. Wife Jan decided that she really wanted some. Max always strives to use the original ingredients and methods in his show. I have no such constraints, as I always try to make any recipe my own. One problem—with any cookie actually—is that these tasty treats are not exactly diabetic friendly. While I started with Miller’s authentic 1926 Recipe for Anzac Biscuits as a basis, I substituted many of the ingredients to make them healthier for me to eat.

Karl’s Anzac Biscuits for Diabetics

Karl’s Anzac Biscuits for Diabetics

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by | January 24, 2022 · 6:41 pm

Karl’s Israeli Couscous Salad with Pistachios

My Israeli Couscous Almandine is a very popular dish for a potluck or large gathering. I designed this salad so that it would stand up to perhaps hours at room temperature—so no ingredients that would wilt, get mushy, or become unsafe to eat. Wife Jan is on the Noom Program, so she objects to dense starchy dishes. To please her, I make a salad that is mostly vegetables and fruit with just a bit of Israeli couscous.

Karl’s Israeli Couscous Salad with Pistachios

Karl’s Israeli Couscous Salad with Pistachios

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by | January 19, 2022 · 9:49 pm

Karl’s Broiled Salmon on a Bed of Leeks

I make salmon about one a week, so it is a challenge to keep this dish fresh. Frequently I will glaze the filet with one of my marmalades and broil it 2 inches from the heating element. If you look at the pictures of some of my past broiled salmon posts this has not been ideal. The high heat tended to burn the sugar in the jam before the fish is cooked through.

Karl’s Broiled Salmon on a Bed of Leeks

Karl’s Broiled Salmon on a Bed of Leeks

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by | January 19, 2022 · 12:13 am

Karl’s Israeli Couscous Salad with Pine Nuts

My Israeli Couscous Almandine is a very popular dish for a potluck or large gathering. Today, however, I am making it just for the three of us. I cut my recipe in half, simplifies it slightly, and switched out pine nuts for the slivered almonds. Wife Jan is on the Noom Program, so she objects to dense starchy dishes. To please her, I make a salad that is mostly vegetables and fruit with just a bit of Israeli couscous.

Karl’s Israeli Couscous Salad with Pine Nuts

Karl’s Israeli Couscous Salad with Pine Nuts

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by | August 30, 2021 · 12:06 am

Karl’s Moroccan Goat Tagine

Adapted from a BBC recipe

One of my regrets from China is that the one and only time I saw goat for sale I passed it up. What was I going to do with a whole leg of goat—the only way they were being sold—in my one wok kitchen? When the Farmer’s Market came back in San Jose one of the vendors had goat. I wasn’t going to pass it up a second time.

Karl’s Moroccan Goat Tagine

Karl’s Moroccan Goat Tagine

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by | August 30, 2021 · 12:05 am

Karl’s Israeli Couscous with Toasted Nuts

Adapted from a BBC recipe

I was making a Moroccan goat tagine and couscous is a natural go together with tagines. While regular small grain Moroccan couscous is fine, I prefer the more substantial chew of the larger grained Israeli couscous—which, despite its name, is actually a form of pasta. This dish went well with the goat stew and made a truly memorable dinner.

Karl’s Israeli Couscous with Toasted Nuts

Karl’s Israeli Couscous with Toasted Nuts

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by | August 30, 2021 · 12:04 am

Karl’s Sudanese Onion Dinner Salad

When my wife and I watch television we frequently have our show end just a few minutes before we are ready to retire. Short podcasts on YouTube fills in these 20-30 minute gaps. Lately, Beryl Shereshewsky’s podcasts fill this time slot. These are generally short bits on how different countries prepare different ingredients or what foods they eat for various reasons—comfort foods, sandwiches, what to feed sick people, hangover foods, etc. People from around the world send her recipes and video clips and she prepares and eats the ones she has gathered together for each podcast. One recent show was “How the world eats onions.”

Karl’s Sudanese Onion Dinner Salad

Karl’s Sudanese Onion Dinner Salad

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by | August 18, 2021 · 1:34 am

Karl’s Za’atar Orzo with Spinach and Almonds

When wife Jan went off to Burning Man I wanted to give her some quick, easy, and filling camp foods. Two conditions were that it would cook in a short time and not produce any waste water—throwing old pasta water onto the playa was strictly forbidden. I had settled on the idea of making “box” dishes—like RiceARoni®.  A spice packet, pre-measured and mixed ingredients that you just add water to and simmer. My za’atar orzo was very popular with her camp.

Karl’s Za’atar Orzo with Spinach and Almonds

Karl’s Za’atar Orzo with Spinach and Almonds

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by | August 14, 2021 · 2:26 am

Karl’s Swedish Meatballs

Daughter Eilene is having friends over to play games again and this time they had a specific dinner request—they wanted Swedish meatballs. This is a dish that even before wife Jan joined the Noom program she would not let me make—she does not like Swedish meatballs because the meat is usually mixed to the point where it loses all texture. Swedish meatballs are usually small in size—½-1 tablespoon—and mildly spiced. They are usually served in gravy or with gravy on the side.

Karl’s Swedish Meatballs

Karl’s Swedish Meatballs

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by | August 10, 2021 · 12:11 am

Karl’s Uyghur Chicken Shashlik

Shashlik is really just the Central Asian name for a kebab, something on a skewer. In Kashgar—the westernmost city in China—at least on the street, this was almost always lamb coated in a cumin based spice blend. At that time—35 years ago—the lamb is cut into small (3/8 inch) cubes and skewered with bits of lamb fat. The stick is dipped into a tray of the spice blend and then grilled over hot coals. Wife Jan is on the Noom program, and while she wanted shashlik, she did not want it made with lamb—a “red food.” She asked me if I could make with chicken instead—a “yellow food.”

Karl’s Uyghur Chicken Shashlik

Karl’s Uyghur Chicken Shashlik

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