Slow Cooker Summer! HDF: Spaghetti Sauce

For all of the Prego and Ragu fans out there, I have a question.  Why buy the stuff in a jar when you can easily make your own?  Spaghetti sauce can be made in large batches and...(gasp)...FROZEN!  And...you don`t have to be an Italian mobster mom to make a good sauce.  You really just need some quality ingredients and a crock pot....

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/stephanies-freezer-spaghetti-sauce/

*I reduced the amount of sugar, omitted the green pepper, and added red wine (cab).  The wine added some richness and depth!

Recommended to be served atop whole wheat pasta or gnocchi.

Alternative use suggestion?  Omit the onion and pepper.  Then puree the sauce with a hand blender and serve with a grilled cheese...Tomato Basil Soup! =)

*Sources: allrecipes.com

SOUTHERN COMFORT! HDF: Chicken-N-Whole Wheat Dumplings

Some comfort food to get you through the rest of the week...

Chicken & Dumplings...if you`ve never had it, you are missing out.  It`s a trademark southern dish that`s not really a soup, but definitely not a casserole either.  In fact, I`m not quite sure what to call it! How about...just plain GOOD!  Where my parents are from, in North Carolina, it`s called "Chicken & Pastry".  My grandfather`s restaurant used to serve it.  The dumpling part is in the form of a pastry that tops the chicken, rather than a fluffy biscuit that sits in broth.  The latter is what I grew up eating in Tennessee.

Dumplings are tricky and can turn out a little gross if not made right.  My mom`s were almost always perfect, but I have had ones that were a total fail...gummy, sticky, doughy...ugh.  Dumplings are traditionally made with white flour, but since this is a blog that promotes health I searched long and hard to find a recipe that incorporated whole wheat flour.  I found the following one in Food & Wine magazine (my favorite magazine EVER) and the only thing that I really changed up was a few of the vegetables. (Turnips and leeks aren`t really my thing!)

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-soup-with-whole-wheat-dumplings

(Nutritional info listed on the webpage)

Suggestion? Sprinkle with parsley for garnish!

*Sources: Food and Wine

Meals for 2! HDF: Strawberry Fields Salad

My friend Dora always serves the best salads.  When I want a salad, I want an entire garden in a bowl which is what she does!  She combines lots of different fresh ingredients, including herbs.  Many times, she`ll throw chopped cilantro in with the greens and it is absolutely fabulous! It gives a regular greens a pungent smell and taste.  Other herb-to-salad ideas?: fresh basil leaves, dill, fennel (actually a vegetable, but whatever).

Strawberry Fields Salad

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~3-4 oz each)

1 c strawberries, sliced

3 c spring greens

1/2 c shredded carrots

1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1/2 c blue cheese or gorgonzola crumbles

C`s poultry marinade (recipe below)

Greek or Balsamic Vinaigrette (light)

salt

Cover a wooden cutting board (or your countertop) with wax paper.  Lay both chicken breasts down and cover them with wax paper.  Using a meat tenderizer, pound chicken through the wax paper until tender (use your best judgement).  Sprinkle salt on both sides of chicken breasts and place in a deep dish.  Pour marinade over chicken breasts and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Heat a George Foreman grille (I`m terrified of fire so I have to use a George! You are more than welcome to use a charcoal or gas grille if you`d like.) Spray both top and bottom of grille with cooking spray. Place the marinated chicken breasts on the grille and close the lid.

While the chicken cooks, prepare salads using the rest of the ingredients (excluding the vinaigrette). Divide ingredients equally among two bowls. When chicken has been browned on both sides and is cooked thoroughly (which means NO pink in remains inside), remove from grille.  Slice each piece against the grain.  Top each salad with slices of chicken.  Drizzle each salad with the 2 tablespoons light vinaigrette.

Yield: 2 servings (a full meal per serving)

C`s marinade (for 6-8 oz meat):

1 tsp spicy ground mustard (such as Zatarain`s)

2 tsp Thai chili sauce

1/2 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 tsp coarse ground pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp honey

Combine and use as a marinade for any type of poultry. 

Per serving....

Calories? 500

Protein? 36 g

Carbohydrates? 19 g (1.5 carb servings)

Fiber? 4.5 g

*Sources: Dora Jennings` culinary expertise

ASIAN FUSION! HDF: Chicken Pad Thai

Any Thai food fans out there?  I certainly am!  My favorite dish, of course, is the classic Pad Thai.  In fact, I never order anything else when I`m at a Thai restaurant!  When made correctly, it has the perfect balance of sweetness, spice, and texture.  Many restaurants make it with shrimp or tofu, but I always order the chicken.  Take a break from the stress of your work week and disappear into Bangkok for an evening....

Chicken Pad Thai

1 egg

3 cloves garlic, minced

black pepper to taste

1/2 c onion, minced

1/2 package Thai rice noodles (6-8 oz)

1 c mung bean sprouts

1/2 T fish sauce

3 t thai chili paste

limes

3 T brown sugar

2 T tamarind paste

2 T canola oil

cilantro

2 medium-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts 

Start by slicing chicken against the grain into very thin pieces. Set aside.

Next, bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan.  Once a rolling boil is reached, turn off heat and remove pan from burner.  Add rice noodles and set aside to soak. The desired consistency that you want to achieve is soft, yet still somewhat tough because you will be cooking the noodles even more later in the stir fry step.  Once noodles have reached this consistency, drain and set aside.

In a wok or deep skillet, heat oil over medium.  Saute garlic and onion for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.  While this is cooking, prepare sauce by whisking together fish sauce, chili paste, juice from 1/2 a lime, sugar, and tamarind.  Set aside.

Add the chicken to your wok or skillet and turn the heat up slightly to medium high.  Saute until cooked through.  Then add noodles and sauce.  Begin to toss the noodle and chicken mixture while it cooks (like tossing a salad- use tongs or wooden spoons!)  You are essentially "frying" the mixture, so be mindful of anything that splashes up while you are tossing because it could burn you.  Make room on the bottom of the pan (or side of the wok), crack the egg, and scramble it as it cooks.  Constantly make contact with the egg and "chop" it as you go.  Once completely scrambled, begin to toss in with the rest of the mixture to fry everything at once.  Once some of the liquid has absorbed, turn off heat.  Add bean sprouts and a pinch of black pepper and toss again.

Squeeze other half of the lime over the mixture.  Heap onto plates and garnish with cilantro, cashew pieces, and lime wedges.

Yield: 4 servings

Per serving...

Calories? 349

Protein? 20 g

Saturated Fat? 2.5 g

Carbohydrates? 31 g (2 carb servings)

Sodium? 399 mg

Cholesterol? 82 mg

Fiber? 1.5 g

*Sources used: thaitable.com, thaifood.about.com

NORTHERN NOSH! HDF: Chicken Corn Chowder

Happy Hump Day!...Chow down on some chowder :)

For the next Yankee-inspired dish of the week, I took the 

ever-so-popular New England Clam Chowder and spun it into a soup that is seafood-free yet still just as hearty and satisfying!  I switched out the clams for chicken and corn and made a spicy and sweet mix that is sure to satisfy any chowder fan...whether you`re from the north or south side of the Mason Dixon Line.  Please follow this link for the recipe I used: Quick Chicken & Corn Chowder (Nutritional information provided at the bottom left of the webpage) The only change I made was subbing olive oil for the butter. Serving suggestion:  Topic with feta cheese instead of the traditional sharp cheddar!  It gives a nice salty taste that helps balance out the sweetness from the corn.....

Sources: cookinglight.com

BRUNCH-N-MUNCH! HDF:Yogurt with Blueberry Compote, Hashbrown Casserole, Berry Yummy Coffee Cake

Pretty much everyone likes brunch.  It`s a formal invitation to gorge from mid morning to mid afternoon!  In addition to covering a large span of time, it typically develops into an even, rather than just a meal.  Here in Dallas, Sunday brunch is a must.  Every restaurant has their own specialty: breakfast tacos, bottomless mimosas, gourmet French toast, veggie-packed quiches, etc. 

Though I don`t support gorging, I do believe in brunching!  Why not host your own brunch and try some of the following recipes?  They are not as calorie-packed as you might think and there is quite a bit of "hidden" nutrition....

The first is a product of my and my significant other`s distaste for the viscous fruit gel at the bottom of a Greek yogurt cup.  The stuff that these"fruit on the bottom" yogurt varieties contain is too sweet and too congealed!  I decided to remedy that by making my own fruit compote to add into plain yogurt.  I used blueberries (any kind of berry will do) and the end product combines wonderfully with plain Greek yogurt.  Just like the "fruit on the bottom" yogurt from Chobani or Dannon.  Since it is homemade, the sweetness and consistency can be controlled through the amount of sugar added and the cooking time.

Blueberry Compote

1/4 c sugar

1 T corn starch

1/3 c apple juice

1 t lemon juice

2 c frozen wild blueberries

Combine sugar and corn starch in a sauce pan.  Slowly stir in apple juice and lemon juice.  Add blueberries.

Bring to a boil over medium heat and allow to bubble for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Yields: 8, 1/4 c servings

How to Serve: Spoon compote into a parfait dish or bowl.  Dollop plain Greek yogurt on top of compote.  Garnish with crushed bran flakes or granola.  Serve.  Note: You can also stir the compote into the yogurt prior to serving.

For 1/4 c serving of compote and 1 c plain Greek yogurt....

Calories? 245

Protein?  19g

Carbohydrate? 17 g (1 carb serving)

Cholesterol? 20 mg

Sodium? 132 mg

Next, I wanted to highlight my sister`s replica of Cracker Barrel`s Hashbrown Casserole!  She used the following recipe from allrecipes.com, but made some changes to make it her own.  I`ve also added additional changes to make it lighter!:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cheesy-ham-and-hash-brown-casserole/

First: No diced ham.

Second: If you HAVE to have meat in it, use chopped turkey bacon.

Third: Use light or fat-free sour cream.

Fourth: Swap out fat-free cream of chicken soup for the potato soup

Fifth: Swap out 2% cheese for regular cheddar.

*The nutritional info for this recipe is listed at the bottom of the linked page.  However, if you make the above changes, the fat, sodium, and calorie components will be lower! =)

The last is a nutritious take on the classic coffee cake.  It contains whole wheat flour and uses milled flax seed and water in place of a second egg.  It rises beautifully despite these things! You can swap out the berries for fresh peaches or blackberries too...

 Berry Yummy Coffee Cake

1 c all-purpose flour

1 c whole wheat flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

3 T honey

1 t cinnamon

1/2 c walnut pieces (or pecan pieces)

1/2 c brown sugar, packed

2 T butter, melted

2 T olive oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 T milled flax seed dissolved in 3 T water

1 t vanilla

1 c nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/2 c fresh blueberries

1/2 c fresh strawberries, sliced

Splenda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8-in square glass plan.  

1. Small bowl:  Toss berries with 2 tsp Spenda and 2 tsp water.  Set aside.

2. Large bowl: Combine flours, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

3. Small bowl: Combine honey, cinnamon, and nuts.  Set aside.

4. Large bowl: Combine brown sugar, oil, butter, egg, prepared flax seed/water combination, vanilla, and yogurt.  Begin to add the flour mixture from step 2. Stir until just combined (Don`t over-stir!  The cake won`t rise.)

Transfer batter to the glass pan and spread evenly.  Add berries to this.  Next, add sticky nut mixture.  (Try your best to sprinkle both berries and nuts evenly so each bite of cake will have some!)

 Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes.  Serve cool or warm...it`s good both ways!
Yields: About 12 pieces

 The finished product: Hearty, Healthy, Heart-Healthy! 

Per 1/12 of the cake....

Calories? 180

*Sources used: allrecipes.com, Hannah Bynum`s culinary skills

SPRING FEVER SALADS! HDF: High Protein Chicken Salad

Love chicken salad, but hate mayo?  Tired of the extra fat and calories which that greasy emulsion adds to this southern meat spread?  Omit it!  Instead of mayo, sub in fat-free plain Greek yogurt! It eliminates the fat worry and adds an extra 12 grams of protein to the batch.

High Protein Chicken Salad

8 oz raw chicken breast or tenderloins (must be boneless, skinless)

6 oz plain Greek yogurt

2 T pickle relish

1 T spicy mustard (such as Zatarain`s)

2 celery stalks (chopped fine)

2 oz walnuts, chopped

Boil chicken breasts until cooked through.  Remove from water.  (TIP: Save this liquid and use it later as your stock for a soup!)

Pulse chicken in a food processor until it is of a finely minced texture. Combine this with all other ingredients. Serve with whole wheat crackers, on whole wheat bread, or on top of a salad!  

Per 1/2 cup serving...

Calories? 221

Protein? 25 g

Saturated Fat? 1.5 g

Fiber? 1.25 g

Sodium? 401 mg

Cholesterol? 54 mg

Sources used: My noggin