Tag Archives: low fat

Baked Peppers and Baby Tomatoes

Posted on June 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

I just love creating a menu that is as colorful as it is tasty.  We’re so fortunate to have year-round access to all the bright and vibrant vegetables. Remember, the more color on your plate the higher the antioxidant value of your meal.

Fresh Vegetables

With warm weather upon us, dishes that can be served warm or cool are welcome.

I adapted this recipe from the Naked Chef.  It’s a showy side dish to serve beside grilled meats or pasta and can be easily transported to a picnic table. The colors make a lovely addition to your summertime dining table.

Recipe

  • 4 organic peppers, red and yellow
  • Sea Salt and Black Pepper
  • 35 – 40 organic cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 c. fresh marjoram
  • 1/4 c. fresh basil
  • 4 organic garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbs. whole wheat or gluten-free bread crumbs
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Cut peppers in half and remove seeds. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and season with a little salt and pepper.

Cut a small slit in each cherry tomato and drop in boiling water  for about 45 seconds.  Run cold water over them as you peel them.

Toss them gently with the herbs, garlic and bread crumbs, and divide them among peppers, placing them in the cavities.

photo credit: Naked Chef

Drizzle with oil, and cook in oven for 15 minutes lightly covered with aluminum foil, then remove foil and continue to bake for 30 minutes.

Take out of the oven and sprinkle with the vinegar.

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South of the Border Chicken Salad

Posted on June 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

Warm weather calls for cool dishes.  This is a favorite to serve at a picnic lunch, or outdoor get together.

You can prepare the chicken a day ahead. I adapted the Capital Chicken Salad recipe, courtesy of the National Chicken Council, to fit with a healthier diet plan by removing the sour cream and modifying the sweeteners called for.

South of the Border Chicken  Salad

Makes 4 servings.

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • Tangy Marinade (recipe follows)
  • 1 c. garbanzo beans, drained
  • 4 Tbs. chopped green chilies
  • 2 avocados, peeled, diced
  • 2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, diced
  • 1 head Romaine lettuce, cut in thin strips
  • 1/2 c. Spicy Lime Dressing (recipe follows)
  • 28 blue corn tortilla chips
  • 4 tsp. soft tofu, blended till smooth with 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 4 Tbs. bottled tomato salsa

Place chicken in Marinade and refrigerate about 4 hours.

On prepared grill, cook chicken about 10 minutes, turning once, or sauté in heavy fry pan lightly sprayed with olive oil.

In large bowl, mix together garbanzo beans, chilies, avocados, tomatoes, lettuce and Spicy Lime Dressing; gently toss.

On individual plates or bowls, arrange 6 tortilla chips around edge with portion of salad mixture in center. Cut each chicken breast half into 4 or 5 strips and place on top with l tortilla chip in center topped with 1 teaspoon Tofu cream and l Tbs. salsa.

Tangy Marinade:
In blender, place:

1 1/2 c. fresh pineapple juice, 2 Tbs. honey, 1 Tbs. sesame oil, 1/2 c. cider vinegar, 4 cloves garlic, 4 Tbs. ground chili, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin.

Blend until smooth.

Spicy Lime Dressing:

LimeGarlic...
In blender, place

  • 1/2 clove garlic
  • 1/2 shallot
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground chili
  • 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
  • 2- 1/2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 3/4 teaspoon pureed Ancho chili
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Process on medium speed, slowly adding ½ c. extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy!

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Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves

Posted on June 16, 2012 | 4 Comments

There is probably no need to ramble on about the wonderful benefits of including garlic in one’s diet, so I will just add that…

Garlic has been found to be most advantageous in the prevention of esophageal, stomach, and colon cancers. It also may play a role in prostate, breast, and lung cancer.

It’s best to add garlic at the tail end of your recipes, since over-cooking robs it of its health benefits.

The garlic in this recipe mellows as it roasts, imbuing the finished sauce with a subtle flavor. I have reserved 10 of the cloves to add in the last 10 minutes of cooking for the reason stated above.

Accompany the chicken with Root Vegetable Puree and Steamed Green Beans.

 Serves 8

  •  2 organic free-range chickens, each 4 lb., cut into 8 serving pieces
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 40 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 Tbs. minced fresh thyme
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 c. chicken stock
  • 3 Tbs. unsalted organic butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a wide Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Working in batches, brown the chicken, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add 30 garlic  cloves to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the chicken, rosemary, thyme and lemon zest and stir to combine. Cover the pan, transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes.

Baste the chicken with the accumulated juices. Continue roasting, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes more. Add remaining 10 cloves of garlic after first 20 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter; leave the garlic in the pan. Cover the chicken loosely with aluminum foil.

Set the pan over medium heat and mash the garlic with the back of a spoon. Add the stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a sauce-boat.

Serve the chicken immediately and pass the sauce alongside.

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Banana Pineapple Smoothie – Non-Dairy

Posted on June 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

Smoothies are a smart way to get your teens and your spouse to stop long enough for breakfast during the week!

This is a refreshing and nutrition packed Smoothie. Keep frozen pineapple in your freezer, and some variety of juices (fresh or frozen) to toss this together.

This recipe serves 4 – 6 depending on serving size.

Recipe

  •   1 10.5-ounce package  soft lite silken tofu
  •   1 medium  banana
  •   2 cups  unsweetened orange-pineapple juice — chilled
  •   1 8-ounce can  unsweetened crushed pineapple — chilled
  • 1 Tbs. freshly ground flax seeds
  • Mint leaves, for garnish

Combine all ingredients in electric blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour into glasses and garnish with mint.

Serve immediately.

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Peach Chicken Salad

Posted on May 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

Here is a twist on Chicken Salad…instead of grapes, how about peaches? 

They’re beginning to show up on organic grocery store shelves, and they’re tangy-sweetness goes nicely with poultry.

  • 1 lb. cubed organic cooked chicken
  • About 3 fresh organic peaches or nectarines, peeled and cubed
  • 1 med. organic English cucumber, chopped
  • 3 Tbs. finely chopped organic red onion
  • 1/2 lb organic string beans, cut into 1″ pieces, and steamed lightly.

Mint Vinaigrette:

  • 1/4 c. white wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbs lemon juice
  • 1/4 c. honey
  • 1/4 c. fresh mint, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl, combine the peaches, chicken, cucumber, string beans, and onion; set aside.

In a blender combine the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, mint, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Adjust the flavor to taste.

Pour over chicken mixture and toss to coat.  Optionally, cover and refrigerate to chill.

Serve over chopped lettuce, with thin toasted whole wheat pita chips. (Serves 4)

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Gluten-Free Whole Grain Strawberry Muffins

Posted on May 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

These are so very satisfying as a snack or for breakfast alongside a scrambled egg.  Try this recipe with Raspberries for a sweet-tart treat!

Yield: 12 muffins

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

1/2 cup hazelnut flour or almond flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum (jowar) flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup organic cane sugar (if using xylitol use 1 Tbs. less)
1 tablespoon tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large organic free-range eggs, beaten
1/4 cup light olive oil or grape seed oil
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
3/4 to 1 cup vanilla soy milk, rice milk, coconut or almond milk
1 1/2 cups fresh organic strawberries, washed, stemmed, diced

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add in the beaten eggs, oil, syrup, and vanilla extract. Beat to begin combining. As the batter is coming together, start pouring in the milk, slowly, and beat to mix thoroughly between additions.

When you have added 3/4 cup liquid, take a close look at your batter. It should be soft and slightly thick.

Slowly add the rest of the milk, continuing to beat. When the batter looks like muffin batter, stop adding liquid. If you live in a humid climate use 1 Tbs. or 2 two less liquid. This batter isn’t super-smooth and sticky (no xanthan gum!). It is not as thin as cake batter. It should look fluffy.

Stir in most of the strawberries by hand, using a wooden spoon (reserve a portion of the strawberry pieces for the tops).  Spoon batter into paper lined muffin tin. Stud the tops with strawberry pieces. Leave the tops lumpy.

Bake in the center of oven for 25 to 30 minutes.  Note: If your berries are cold, your muffins will take a few minutes longer to bake.

Cool pan on a rack for five minutes, then remove the muffins and continue cooling on rack .

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Spicy Fruit Salsa

Posted on May 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

The sweet flavor of berries combines with jalapeno and lime make a refreshing, tasty summertime salsa.  Good alongside a mild, white flesh fish, like Cod.

  • 2-1/2 organic ripe peach – peeled, pitted, and diced
  • 2-1/2 organic kiwi, peeled and diced
  • 10 fresh organic strawberries, diced
  • 1-1/4 organic jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2-1/2 organic green onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 pinches sea salt

Combine the peach, kiwi, strawberries, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, green onion, cilantro, and salt in a bowl; gently stir to combine.

Serve immediately since the fruits will get soggy after a few hours.

Makes about 3 cups.  You may cut this recipe in half if you don’t want a bowl full.

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Garlic Roasted Asparagus

Posted on May 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a quick and very easy recipe.

A word about Asparagus storage and consumption: Asparagus is more perishable than its fellow vegetables, and also much more likely to lose water, wrinkle, and harden.  By wrapping the ends of the asparagus in a damp paper or cloth towel, you can help offset asparagus’ very high respiration rate during refrigerator storage. Along with this helpful step, you will want to consume asparagus within approximately 48 hours of purchase.

It’s not surprising to see asparagus being heralded as an anti-inflammatory food because it provides a truly unique combination of anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Alongside of these anti-inflammatory phytonutrients, asparagus provides a wide variety of antioxidant nutrients, including vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and the minerals zinc, manganese, and selenium.

Recipe

  • 1-1/2 lb. fresh organic asparagus spears
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 to 3 Tbsp. virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • lemon juice (opt.)

Preheat oven to 450º F. Snap off and discard woody bases from asparagus.

Place asparagus and garlic in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Toss to coat.

Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender, stirring once halfway through roasting.  Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired.

Serve immediately.

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