Friday, June 18, 2010

Grilled Herb Shrimp


(courtesy of Ina Garten)
Ingredients

* 2 pounds large shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled and deveined
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 medium yellow onion, small-diced
* 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
* 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
* 1 teaspoon dry mustard
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 cup good olive oil
* 1 lemon, juiced



Combine all the ingredients and allow them to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Skewer the shrimp. I use 3 or 4 shrimp on a 12-inch skewer for dinner. Heat a grill with coals and brush the grill with oil to prevent the shrimp from sticking. Grill the shrimp for only 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

Lay It On Me! Lemon Tahini Dressing

I like to watch The Biggest Loser and found this recipe on their site today.
I can admit, I'm getting tired of the same ol dressing on my greens.
This had a bite to it and was a nice change on my salad.

½ cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced (note: use less garlic for mild flavor)
2 tablespoons Bragg Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon basil, dried
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Water

1. In a blender, mix all ingredients until smooth.

2. Add water to desired consistency.

3. Store refrigerated in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Note: Dressing thickens as it sits and with refrigeration.

Serves Ten
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons

Nutrition Analysis per Serving: 80 calories, 6.5 grams fat, 2.5 grams protein, 3.5 grams carbohydrates, 170 milligrams sodium.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

10 Mistakes Dieters Make

“Eat healthy foods and exercise.”

I ran across this article online and thought I would share.

Did you know, for example, that drinking diet soda can make you fat? And so can eating low-carb protein bars and eliminating fruit! Here, for a refreshing change of pace, are the top 10 things you shouldn’t do if you want to lose weight and keep it off long term:

1. Eat too little or infrequently. Keep moods and energy up, hunger satisfied, and metabolism in high gear by eating three meals and two to three snacks a day. Don’t skip breakfast!

2. Eliminate all fruits. Extremely low-carb diets that forbid fruit are punishing and invite cheating. Stay on track with moderate portions of fiber- and nutrient-rich strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, grapefruit, or peaches.

3. Eliminate fats. Several studies at Harvard and elsewhere prove that low-fat diets result in weight gain. To lose weight, you need to increase your consumption of good fats (monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats).

4. Get snacks out of your kitchen. Snacking helps with weight loss. Make sure you replace commercial baked goods, candy, chips, crackers, cookies, and pretzels with healthy snacks such as hard-boiled eggs, cheese, celery, nuts, sugar-free gum, homemade “slow-carb” bars and muffins, protein shakes, cucumbers, yogurt, and sugar-free JELL-O.

5. Splurge away from home. Your healthy eating program is a way of life. Try to stick to your new behaviors and habits everywhere you eat–at restaurants, friends’ homes, and while traveling.

6. Consume lots of artificially sweetened foods and beverages. Artificial sweeteners trigger cravings for additional sweets in some people. Others gain “false fat” or bloating caused by the body’s inability to digest sugar substitutes.

7. Count calories. Hormone (insulin) levels, not calories, are what determine your metabolism — the rate at which you burn fat. Eat balanced meals to keep your insulin levels steady and your metabolism working efficiently.

8. Eat lots of commercial low-carb products. Many companies have jumped on the “low-carb” bandwagon with high-calorie, low-nutrition snack foods that will not help you change your eating habits or lose weight.

9. Adopt a rigorous exercise routine. Exercise is important, but daily activity that you enjoy and can sustain over a lifetime is more important than killer workouts that are hard to stick with. The name of the weight-loss game is adopting habits that become second nature.

10. Load up on protein, eliminate carbs. Protein-loading has serious health risks, and few people can stay on radical high protein, low-carb diets long term. Switch to a balanced diet that features healthy amounts of protein balanced with lots of high-quality “slow carbs” — carbohydrates that convert slowly into blood sugar.

Brought to you by Ediets.com

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Brown rice pasta with sauted garlic and veggies



A dear friend of mine brought me a bag of brown rice pasta for me to try. It was $5 at my local grocery store but he found it for $2.50 at a store called Fresh & Easy.

A few friends suggested some things I could add to it for a healthy meal.

I took out my Biggest Loser food scale and measured out 2oz of pasta.

I cooked the pasta for about 10 min. It smells like your cooking rice. I drained well and rinsed the cook pasta because it did have a film on it.

While the pasta was cooking I put the following in a pan and sauted till tender:

1 T Olive Oil
2 T Minced Garlic
1 T Low Salt Soy Sauce
Frozen Broccoli and Cauliflower (as much as you want)
I added about 2 T of water so it wouldn't burn.

Simmer until veggies are tender and mix in with the pasta.

It was a delish meal.

Dairy Free Buttermilk Pancakes


My amazing niece, Martha, gave me this recipe that she loves to make. I had to ask, "Do they taste good?" LOL and she responded with a huge YES... So please give them a try some weekend.

These loveable little hotcakes will put a smile on your child's face, and with wholesome ingredients like whole wheat, honey and walnuts, they'll put a smile on yours as well.

Serves 6 kids
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1½ cups soymilk
* 1 ½ T. apple cider vinegar
* 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cups wheat flour
* 1/4 cups oat flour
* 2 T. ground walnuts (or other nut meal of choice)
* 1 ½ t. baking powder
* ½ t . baking soda
* ¼ t. salt
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1 egg

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl or pitcher, combine the soymilk and the vinegar, mixing well. Set aside for about 10 minutes, or until mixture has thickened.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. In another small bowl, whisk together the honey and egg until combined. Add the egg mixture to the thickened soymilk mixture, mixing well. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until batter is just combined and slightly lumpy.
3. Make the teddybear cakes. Heat a small amount of oil in a heavy bottomed skillet or griddle over medium heat. 1/4 cup at a time, add the batter to the heated skillet, dropping in three circles, one larger one with two smaller ones in the place where teddybear ears would be (try to imagine a clock, and drop the smaller circles at 10 and 2). Flip carefully with a heatproof spatula when bubbles begin to appear on the surface. Serve with honey, powdered sugar, walnuts or fruit.

Courtesy of dairyfreecooking.about.com

Caribbean Turkey Burgers with Tropical Salsa

Here I am once again asking my self, "What's for dinner tonight that "I" can eat as well?"

Well, the answer to that my friends would be a burger. My kids love bbq'ing so I thought of a turkey burger would be nice to try on the bbq instead of that fatty ground beef burgers we use to get.

I love looking through the Shape magazine not just for my works ad in there, which is www.issaonline.edu (sorry had to plug it in there) but for the awesome recipes they have.

I found this one for a great turkey burger.


Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

per serving: 363 calories, 12 g fat, 40 g carbs, 24 g protein, 0 g fiber, 90 mg cholesterol, 490 mg sodium

Ingredients:

Tropical Salsa:

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, well drained or chopped mango

1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper

1 tablespoon orange juice

1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Parsley Flakes

Burgers:
1 pound ground turkey

1/3 cup crushed pineapple, well drained

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion

1 tablespoon McCormick® Parsley Flakes

2 teaspoons McCormick® Caribbean Jerk Seasoning or 2 teaspoons McCormick® Perfect Pinch® Caribbean Jerk Seasoning

4 hamburger rolls

Lettuce
Directions:

1. For the Tropical Salsa, mix all ingredients in small bowl. Set aside.

2. Mix ground turkey, pineapple, green onion, parsley and Seasoning in large bowl. Shape into 4 patties.

3. Grill burgers over medium heat or cook in nonstick skillet 4 to 6 minutes per side or until cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F). Serve on rolls topped with lettuce and Tropical Salsa.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Garlic Lovers Rub


Love my rubs.

Courtesy of eatingwell.com

Ingredients

* 8 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 teaspoons stone-ground mustard
* 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

Preparation

1. Combine garlic, oil, mustard, salt, pepper and lemon zest in a small bowl. Using your hands, spread the rub evenly onto 1 1/2 pounds (6 servings) of your chosen protein just before grilling.

Tips & Notes

* Follow the marinating times, cooking times and temperatures below for juicy results.

* EXTRA-FIRM TOFU
* 30 minutes to overnight
* 2-3 minutes per side
* SALMON FILLET
* 30 minutes
* 3-5 minutes per side
* CHICKEN BREAST boneless, skinless
* 2 hours to overnight
* 6-8 minutes per side; 165°F
* 4-8 minutes per side; 150°F
* PORK CHOPS bone-in, 3/4" thick
* 2 hours to overnight
* 3-4 minutes per side; 145°F
* PORK TENDERLOIN
* 2 hours to overnight
* 14-16 minutes, turning occasionally; 145°F
* FLANK STEAK
* 2 hours to overnight
* 6-8 minutes per side; 140°F for medium
* STRIP STEAK bone-in, 3/4"-1" thick
* 2 hours to overnight
* 4-5 minutes per side; 140°F for medium


Nutrition

Per 2 teaspoons: 28 calories; 2 g fat (0 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 302 mg sodium; 16 mg potassium.

Blueberry Bourbon Barbecue Sauce


I'm sitting here going through my emails of recipes and website and ran across something that caught my eye. Rubs and Sauces.. Hmmm... Let's see if it is something I can have? Yep, looks good. Will try it out on a bbq'd porkloin

Courtesy of eatingwell.com


Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 small red onion, chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1-2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
* 1/2 cup bourbon
* 2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries
* 1/2 cup ketchup (sugar free or low salt)
* 1/3 cup cider vinegar
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar (there is a new brown sugar out. I must find it)
* 1 tablespoon molasses
* 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and just starting to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bourbon, increase heat to high and bring to a boil; cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in blueberries, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses and allspice; return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Tips & Notes

* Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Per tablespoon: 28 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrates; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 42 mg sodium; 38 mg potassium.

Pinto Bean Salad with Avocado, Tomatoes, Red Onion, and Cilantro



I love my blog reading and I find such wonderful recipes. I found this one at kalynskitchen.blogspot.com and I just have to try it out.


(Makes 4 side-dish servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

1 can pinto beans, rinse and drain very well
4-5 tsp. white balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar
1 avocado, diced into pieces 1/2 inch square
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 cup chopped tomatoes (cherry tomatoes cut in half would be great too, but I had medium tomatoes which I cut in eighths)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1-2 T olive oil, or a bit more
fresh ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

Pour beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well until no more foam appears. Let beans drain well for at least 15 minutes. Then blot beans dry with paper towel, place in plastic bowl, and toss with white balsamic vinegar. Let beans marinate in the vinegar while you prep other ingredients.

Cut avocado into 1/2 inch pieces and place in small bowl. Toss with lime juice. Chop tomatoes, or if using cherry tomatoes, cut in half.

Chop red onion and cilantro. (I like to chop with a chef's knife, but you could use a mini-chopper or food processor for this.) Mix onions and cilantro into marinating beans. Then use a large spoon to gently fold in avocado and tomato. Drizzle olive oil over salad and season to taste with fresh ground black pepper and sea salt, and gently toss again. Serve immediately, at room temperature.

Variations: I think other varieties of beans would also be tasty in this combination. Tonight I'm making the salad for my dad and stepmother, and I'm using black beans because my dad loves them.

Chipotle Orange Glazed Pork Chops

I am addicted to the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. I love Ellie's recipes and have revamped my blog and this will be the first recipe I cook for the whole family, Healthified!! LOL Is that even a word? :)

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons maple syrup
* 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
* 1 teaspoon finely chopped seeded chipotle with 1/2 teaspoon adobo
* 4 (3/4-inch thick) center cut pork loin chops (about 8 ounces each)
* 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions

In a small bowl combine the maple syrup, orange juice concentrate and chipotle.

Preheat grill pan. Sprinkle both sides of the chops with salt. Brush 1 side of chops generously with glaze. Place on grill pan glaze side down. Brush other side with glaze. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side over medium-high heat


I will serve Maple Squash Puree as the side veggie on this dish.

* 2 (12-ounce) packages frozen cooked butternut squash or winter squash
* 1/3 cup water
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 2 tablespoons maple syrup
* Salt

Directions

Put the frozen squash and water into a large saucepan. Cook over a high heat until the Cover and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until squash is thawed, about 10 minutes.

Whisk in the butter and maple syrup and season with salt, to taste.