June Specials - Asparagus Month!

Mosaic Cafe & Catering - June News
  Asparagus is here!
...and getting taller every day.  Eating this tender veggie is an excellent way to help protect yourself against heart disease, as it contains lots of folate, as well vitamins E, A, and C. In addition to helping your heart, folate (a B vitamin) helps cells regenerate; vitamin E fights Type II diabetes; and vitamins A and C help hold cancer and cataracts at bay. Asparagus also contains potassium, which helps lower blood pressure and perhaps even cholesterol. Nutritional info: One-half cup of boiled asparagus (about six spears) equals approximately 22 calories, 1.4 grams of fiber, 2.3 grams of protein, 0.3 gram of fat (0.1 of it saturated), 10 milligrams of sodium, and no cholesterol.
Pictured above is a twist on our now famous Mac & Cheese, loaded with shrimp and crab, finished with a bacon-parmesan crust.  For our dessert of the month, we will be taking advantage of the end of local strawberry season with a fantastic Strawberry Cobbler.  The berries are so sweet this year, the additional added sugar is kept to a minimum!

As more and more fresh, local vegetables become available, we will continue to showcase them.  If in Charleston, please stop by the Mount Pleasant Farmer's Market and say hello.  We are  there every Tuesday afternoon from 4pm-8pm and you can take home some of our famous Smoked Gouda Pimento Cheese.  Our stand is located between Rio Bertollini's fresh local pasta and our friends from Kennerty Farms.

Have an old favorite or a new idea you would like to see added? Email me directly and I'll get it on the list. 

Thanks for your patronage.  We look forward to seeing you soon!.mosaicedibles.com

Amazing Avocado Pie

I have gotten some beautiful avocados lately and wanted to share some of my recent recipe experiments.  The first is an amazing Avocado Pie made with fat free condensed milk and fresh lemon and lime juice.  The combination sounds odd but the citrus flavor is light and not-too-sweet and the texture is really smooth and creamy.  Since it is a no-bake pie, you use your extra time to make a quick graham cracker crumb crust.  Trust me, the results are awesome!  Please let me know how it works for you.

Race Day Treats

After the Bridge Run, everyone was looking for something sweet. I can usually count on Clean Eating magazine for a healthy treat. These Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies stood out because I love almond butter and because they are gluten-free, low-sugar, and dairy-free (that last one is really dependent on the chocolate you use). For the sweetener these cookies use Sucanat, which is a minimally processed derivative from sugar cane. Sucanat is somewhat grainier than sugar and has a slightly molasses sort of taste--so it works well in cookies and muffins. Because it is minimally processed, it retains its natural iron, calcium and other nutrients that help balance rather than spike blood sugar. You can find it at natural foods stores or I have even seen it in grocery stores with a well-stocked natural foods section. If you can't find Sucanat you could use a raw sugar or brown sugar instead.

Clean Eating says, "Six ingredients, two steps and 20 minutes is all you'll need to whip together two dozen of our no-flour, dairy-free, low-sugar cookies."

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Clean Eating Magazine, March/April 2010
(Makes 24 Cookies)

1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
3/4 cup Sucanat
1 large egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater), broken into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl. stir together the first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

Nutrients per cookie: Calories: 110, Total Fat: 8g, Sat. Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 10g, Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 3g, Protein: 2g, Sodium: 55mg, Cholesterol: 10mg

Cleaning Eating Nutritional Bonus: "While dark chocolate contains potent antioxidants, think twice before enjoying it with milk. Researchers have found that the bittersweet treat's free-radical fighters may bind with the protein in milk, interfering with antioxidant absorption and possibly negating any associated health benefits."

Charleston Mosaic - The Bar is in!

Our recent renovation in the Mosaic Mount Pleasant (Charleston) location included installation of this amazing bar. The art deco style, stainless and brass L shape was rescued from the old Mills House Hotel on Meeting Street after one of their recent renovations. We are so excited to have a little piece of Charleston. Please stop-in and check it out.

Food Safety Website

One of our guests alerted me to a great food website that I thought i should pass along. The site, http://www.stilltasty.com , describes itself as the ultimate shelf life guide. It offers some great insights into how to keep your food freshest the longest. In the restaurant, we utilize a system called day-dotting which tracks the date & time of production and person who prepared the item. For home, this site could be a very useful tool. Hope it helps!

Valentine's Brunch Sticky Buns

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Not that I need an excuse, but I took the opportunity this weekend to experiment with an easy sticky bun recipe (adapted from one of Ina Garten's old cook books). The prospect of a traditional yeast based dough always intimidated me so much that I stayed away from even attempting these sweets. The new recipe is a pastry based dough made even easier by using frozen puff pastry sheets! After many attempts and countless ingredient combinations, the staff and I settled on walnuts, cinnamon, orange zest and nutella (hazelnut chocolate spread)! I am a big fan of the nutella, but if you arent a chocolate lover, you can substitute any of your favorite ingredients for the filling.

We will be serving these for V-Day brunch in all locations. I am anxious to hear everyone's input!

February Specials are up!

Well, even though I have decided to update the store menus twice a year (once every 6 months for the season), I have added a few new items for February. I will be watching the local produce very closely this Spring in all locations. Even our catering & event menus have been constructed around what is freshest and most readily available this Spring. Special requests? Great ideas? Please send them to me directly. All help is appreciated!