Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of this dish last week when I made it, so you will just have to trust me. It's good.  Spaghetti carbonara is a deliciously fattening, carb-laden pasta dish that usually relies on bacon grease to give it its flavor.  Here is the alternative.... equally tasty and full of vitamins....also, an excellent vegetable disguise.

Recipe:

1 good-sized spaghetti squash (yes, this is the actual name as you will see in the grocery store. It's big and yellow)
1 tsp olive oil
1 package thin and crispy turkey bacon, diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 onion, diced
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (low-fat if possible)

First, you will need to bake your spaghetti squash. To do this, cut it in half lengthwise, remove seeds (you can bake them like pumpkin seeds if you want) and put it on a baking pan at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. (It works well to do this while you chop the other ingredients). When you have about 7 minutes remaining on the squash, start cooking the other ingredients as follows.

Heat the 1 tsp olive oil in a deep pan, then add the bacon.  Allow it to start to get crispy, then add the bell peppers and onions and saute them until they are soft and translucent.  Here, the squash should be done, so hold a half of the squash lengthwise and rake a fork across the meat of the squash horizontally.  You will see that strands of squash that look very much like spaghetti will start to fall out.  Clean out all of the squash from the husk and add it directly to the pan.  Crack the egg into the pot and stir until the everything is hot and you can see that the egg is cooked. Note: Don't stir too much because the squash will turn into a mushy mess. Add the salt, pepper and parmesan and you are done!  It tastes just like the real thing only there is no side dish of guilt.

Beautiful Apple and Spinach Salad

This is one of my family's favorite salads because my kids love fruit.  Adults can lie when they don't like food, but kids never do, so I take it as proof that it's pretty darn good.

Recipe:

Salad:
4 cups raw baby spinach
2 thinly sliced apples (whatever kind you like...I use Gala or Granny Smith)
2 stalks chopped celery
1/2 cup pecan pieces (can also use walnuts)
1 cup chopped strawberries

Toast the pecans at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or just until they start to turn a dark golden brown color, then let them cool before mixing them into the salad to avoid wilting the spinach.

Dressing:
2 tbl dijon mustard
1/2 cup apple cider or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbl fresh chopped oregano (or, if you must, you can use dried, but it isn't nearly as good)

First, whisk the dijon and vinegar together until they are creamy, then slowly whisk in the olive oil.  Mix in the oregano and that's it!  It is a strong dressing and the salad has a lot of flavor, so you can get away with using about a teaspoon for a serving of salad.

Low-fat, High-protein Greek Spinach Wrap

This is a great meal for a hot day or a quick weeknight dinner. It could also be served as an appetizer if you cut it up and kept it together with toothpicks...however you like it.

So here it is...

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cup Greek Yogurt
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
juice of one lemon
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Just mix all of these up and that is the sauce

Other stuff you will need:

1-2 Spinach Tortillas per person (Mission Spinach Wraps are what I used)
Chicken breasts
An assortment of fresh vegetables (suggestions below)

Heat one teaspoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan and brown as much chicken as you need for the # of wraps you are making.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper. It takes about 1/2 chicken breast per 10" wrap, so make as much as you need. One benefit of this recipe is that you can cook for one or ten without a lot of additional time spent in the kitchen or a mountain of leftovers. When they are done, let them cool and then slice them.  Grilled chicken is even better if you happen to have a grill handy.

Heat the tortilla on a comal or in the microwave so it will soften and fold easily, then put your favorite veggies into the wrap raw.  In the picture, I used about 1 cup of baby spinach per wrap, chopped carrots, more cucumber, and a few onions (red, yellow or white, although red onions are most aesthetically pleasing). Other things that would be good, but I did not have readily available in my kitchen are alfalfa sprouts, lettuce mix, tomatoes, or fresh mushrooms. Spoon the tzatziki sauce in, wrap it up and enjoy!

What a jerk!

Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

I hate those recipes that only disclose the recipe for half of what it pictured on the plate, so I will confess that the rice here is straight out of a box.  It is Far East brand Rice Pilaf and it is all natural, tasty, and fast. The veggies are just sugar snap beans with sliced carrots that were quickly sauteed over medium-high heat with sesame oil and ginger that was left over from the chicken.

So on to the main attraction. The salsa was a hit with my kids (although I can't say the same for the veggies), and the chicken is excellent for nights where cooking for 3 hours is just not on the agenda.

The sauce for the chicken is a rendition of an Ellie Kreiger recipe, but personally, I like it better this way because it is loaded with flavor without venturing near the salt or pepper.

Recipe:

Salsa:
1 seeded, diced cucumber
1 cup diced, fresh pineapple
2 tbl chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tbl honey

Just mix all of these together in a bowl and set them aside. To save time, do this while the chicken is cooking.

Chicken:
Brown chicken breasts in a pan with 2 tsp olive oil.

Sauce:
1 tsp olive oil (or whatever oil you prefer)
2 shallots, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tbl fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon fresh or 1/2 tsp dry thyme
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (organic if possible)
1 tbl low-sodium soy sauce
3 tbl fresh lime juice

You can use mint sprigs or lime zest for garnish if you want.

For the sauce, heat 1 tsp of oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add all of the ingredients on the list down to the thyme. Allow these things to sautee for about a minute, stirring occasionally, then add the liquid ingredients and simmer until the sauce has reduced to about half of the liquid content.  Serve the chicken on top of a lake of sauce, top with the sauce, and add a generous serving of the salsa and enjoy.  This dish is a good one for being creative with the presentation, so dress it up however you want.

Chicken Cashew (or Peanut) Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps are a great finger food for either appetizers or the main course. Not to mention, they are pretty and can make anyone look like a great chef.

Ingredients

Sauce:

4 tbl low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbl rice vinegar
2 tbl brown sugar
2 tsp ground cayenne pepper (or less if you don't like spicy foods)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sesame oil

Mix together until the brown sugar is dissolved and set aside.

Filling:

2-3 tsp canola oil
5 diced, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup Cashews chopped
1/4 cup Peanuts chopped

Side or more filling:

Chinese rice noodles. Cook according to package directions.  Usually boil for 3 minutes and immediately cool.

For the wraps, use greenleaf or iceberg lettuce.

Heat oil in a large skillet and brown chicken. Set cooked chicken aside and saute onions and garlic. Add 1 tsp canola oil if needed so they don't stick.  Once the onions are soft and aromatic, return the chicken to the pan, add soy sauce, peanuts, cashews, and sauce and saute until the sauce thickens.

The Fundamentals

I was talking to my husband after a long day yesterday, and he brought an important point to my attention. Not everyone knows what healthy is.  More importantly, what is healthy for them as an individual and why?  We all have different needs.  Some people need more calories or protein, others need low fat and low sodium.  Additionally, we all have different goals.  My husband, for example, wants to gain weight/muscle.  I, at 113 lbs, would not like to gain or lose weight, but eating with my husband actually has me dropping pounds; which is a problem.  At this rate, I might disappear completely in 2012....maybe that is his ulterior motive. :)

Anyhow, I digress.  Here are some very basic rules for cutting calories, trans fats (the most evil kind of fat), saturated fat (the second most evil kind of fat), and increasing the nutritional value of your food.

1) Don't make your food taste terrible

Nothing is off-limits, but when it comes to things like butter, for example, you shouldn't run out more than twice a year. 4 sticks of butter in a package should last a LONG time.  And stay away from margarine entirely because it is packed with trans fat.  Explore alternatives such as SmartBalance but even with the alternatives, don't go overboard.  A teaspoon is usually more than enough to give some flavor and grease a pan. If your food tastes like cardboard you will either choose not to eat, or you will revert to eating massive quantities of what you shouldn't, so learn how to make it like you like it.

2) Pack fruits and veggies in everything

If you don't like fruits and/or veggies, hide them from yourself, but put them in your food.  The increased vitamins and minerals are invaluable to your overall health and energy.  Plus, you can eat lettuce and tomatoes ALL day and never gain a pound. Disguise cauliflower as or in mashed potatoes, turn tomatoes into marinara sauce, make whole wheat zucchini or banana bread using apple sauce instead of oil, use onions, garlic, lemon, lime, and orange juice as seasonings, and be creative.  You don't have to love all vegetables.  I, personally, despise eggplant and refuse to eat it, but take the ones you do like and get creative because there are plenty of vegetables in the world!

3) Drink all that water they tell you to

Women can get away with 6-8 glasses, men need 8-10.  And don't drink your food.  This includes juice and sodas.  If you drink your food you will be hungry before you know it, and if you load up on sodas (even diet) and juice you are drinking unnecessary calories and/or caramel color.  Good news though...you can still have coffee! and tea!  Just don't load it up with sugar and cream, but feel free to use  skim milk.  Coffee is an excellent place to hide milk if you don't like it.

4) Any fats that are solid at room temperature are to be avoided if at all possible

This includes butter, meat fat, Crisco, lard/manteca, etc. The fact that they solidify means that they are saturated fats.  If they congeal on a plate, imagine what they will do in your arteries.  This makes it easier to avoid them. Anything that says "partially hydrogenated" is also to be avoided.

5) Avoid "white" carbs

White rice, white bread, potatoes, etc.  These are simple carbs that are easy to break down.  Use whole wheat to up your fiber intake and make your carbs intake more complex.

6) Salad dressings are wolves in sheep's clothing

When it comes to salad dressings, the rule is simple.  Make your own, and use vinegar or citrus juice as a base with minimal, if any, oil.  As I stated earlier, lettuce and tomatoes never made anyone fat, but lettuce and tomatoes doused in oil did. Salads can be made that don't require dressing by using dried fruits, fresh fruits, cilantro, small amounts of cheese, and other flavorful ingredients other than plain lettuce. Or dressings can be made using lime, pear, or even apple juice and some salt and seasonings with mustard.  You can use balsamic, red wine, rice wine, or apple cider vinegars combined with juices and a minimal amount of olive oil with oregano, basil, or a plethora of other spices to infuse flavor into a salad.

7) Create healthy versions of your favorite meals

One of my family's favorite meals is Red Mole.  This Mexican dish is essentially a bunch of fried ingredients blended up with some chocolate and served over chicken.  It would seem difficult to make this healthy, but it can be done...without changing the flavor.  Bake all of the fried ingredients that include awesome things like sesame seeds and almonds, use crackers instead of fried bread, use a baked tostada instead of a fried tortilla, roast the dried chilis on the comal instead of frying them and blend with low sodium chicken broth instead of chicken boullion and serve over boiled, shredded chicken breasts and voila! A MUCH healthier version of a favorite meal.  You can do the same, just be creative, and if that fails, use Google.

8) Lean your meats

Use only lean, skinless cuts of meat.  No marbled steaks, chicken wings with skin or fried, breaded meats. Chicken breasts, ground turkey, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, lean ground meat, etc.

9) Know your portions

Cover the majority of your plate with veggies, fruits and grains, and fill the rest with a fist-sized portion of meat.

My Googling led me to this, a basic grocery list that will yield hundreds of tasty meals that are good for you too.  It is taken from Dr. Oz's website and I am sure there is more where that came from.

Savory Won Ton Soup

"Won Ton Soup" has a lot of variations, but this one is fairly easy to make, healthy, and I haven't gotten anything but compliments on it....even from my kids, so it's a winner in my book! Here you go:

Recipe:

1 lb. ground pork
1 tbl finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1 tbl corn starch
2 tsp soy sauce (low-sodium preferably)
2 cloves fresh, chopped garlic
1 small carrot, diced
1 tbl rice vinegar
pepper
1 pkg won ton wrappers (often found in the produce section near tofu)
1 beaten egg
bok choy cut into bite-size pieces
4-6 mushrooms cut into paper-thin slices
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbl cooking sherry
6-8 cups chicken broth (depending how "soupy" you want it)
1/2 cup diced green onions

Directions:

Cook the ground pork in a non-stick pan until about halfway done, then add the ginger, garlic and carrot.  Cook this for about a minute and add the first 2 tsp of soy sauce and the rice vinegar. Mix those in and then add the green onions until wilted.  When the meat is fairly done, empty into a mixing bowl and mix in the pepper and corn starch.  This should thicken the mixture.  You can add a little more if needed, but be weary of adding too much because you don't want it to taste pasty. Beat the egg in a small bowl and set aside (to be used for sealing the won tons).

Lay out 4 won ton wrappers at a time on a cutting board and put about 2 tsp of the meat mixture in each (they should be able to close). To close the won tons, coat the entire inner edge with the egg (I usually just use my fingers to do this), fold the lower corner to meet the top corner so it makes a triangle, make sure the edges all seal, then fold the lower corners in toward the middle.  Do this until the pork mix is all gone, setting the won tons aside when they are sealed. (Don't stack them too much because they will stick together).

Bring the chicken broth to a rolling boil in a large pot, add the sherry, soy sauce, sesame oil, then drop the won tons in one at a time until they are all added.  Once the won tons are in and the soup is coming to a boil again, add the bok choy and mushrooms. Once the won tons start to float, it's done!

Serve hot with lots of broth and garnish with green onions.  This soup tastes even better after a day in the fridge.

Fresh Fruit with Cream and a Healthy Twist

With Granola

Berries and cream are delicious, but we can't go around eating whipped cream all the time without consequences, so here is a wonderful alternative. It is a small portion of whipped cream to give it the fluffy texture with pureed fresh raspberries and Greek yogurt mixed in.  It is a wonderful desert or a special occasion breakfast that kids LOVE! This makes about 5 servings.

Recipe:

1 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 - 2 tbl powdered sugar

1 small package of raspberries (pureed)

1 cup Greek yogurt

16 oz fresh berries (raspberries and blackberries are pictured, but your   favorite fruits will work also)
1 cup Vanilla Almond (or other) granola (optional)
Mint sprigs make a great garnish


Directions:

Pour cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in mixing bowl and blend until thick (about 3 or 4 minutes). Puree raspberries and fold both the raspberries and Greek yogurt into the whipped cream until completely mixed, then layer the berries and cream (and granola if you are adding it) into bowls or glasses, top with the mint and serve.

Unfortunately, they can't be made ahead of time because the juice from the berries separates out after they are left standing, but they make very pretty, healthy (ish) deserts.

Without Granola