Slow Cooker Summer! SNN: Apple Butter

Still buttering your toast?  BORRRING!  Why not try apple butter instead?  In fact, why not make your own?  It`s easy with this recipe!  Apple butter is a cross between applesauce and jam....it is a good spread for biscuits, toast, English muffins, etc.  It`s even a good addition to your favorite oatmeal cookie recipe!  While it contains quite a bit of sugar, this recipe is VERY low in sodium and contains no fat or cholesterol.....which is more than I can say for the Country Crock spread that normally goes on toast.  It also has a touch of fiber....because it`s made of real fruit!


Crockpot Apple Butter

1 c light brown sugar, packed
1/2 c honey
12 oz apple nectar (suggestion: Jumex brand)
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
10 medium apples: peeled, cored, and chunked

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot.  Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.

Transfer mixture to a bowl.  Blend with a hand mixer until consistency of chunky applesauce.

Cover and cook on high for 1.5 hours. Stir occasionally.  Mixture should be thick.

Spoon into an airtight container or a covered bowl and refrigerate up to 1 week.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size= 1/4 cup)

Per 1/4 c serving...
Calories? 132
Total fat? 0 g
Protein? 0.1 g
Carbohydrates? 35 g (2 carb servings)
Fiber? 3 g
Cholesterol? 0 mg
Sodium? 6 mg

*Sources: recipe and nutritional information adapted from myrecipes.com

Southern Comfort! SNN: Mac & Cheese

Broccoli Mac & Cheese...YUM

I am a Southerner and proud of it!  We have good weather, nice people, hospitality, and.....good FOOD!  What I`m not so proud of is the lack of moderation when it comes to adding fat and sodium into foods.  As a region, we are infamous for use of lard and deep fryers and for adding bacon to well...just about anything. Can traditional Southern dishes be made with less fat, less salt, and more nutritious ingredients and still taste amazing? Will they satiate the comfort you seek when you eat them?  Let`s give that a try this week beginning with your Sunday Night Nosh: Mac & Cheese! Two different recipes with two separate concepts:

First: Broccoli Mac & Cheese....Concept: Adding a veggie to for both color and nutrients!

8 oz whole wheat penne pasta

1/3 c butter

1/3 c all purpose 

3 c skim milk

3/4 grated parmesan

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp thyme

1.5 c shredded 2% cheddar cheese

1.5 lb frozen broccoli, thawed & cooked until al dente

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta as directed on package, but do not add salt or oil to the water. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.  Add cooked broccoli to the pasta and set aside.

Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted.  Add flour and milk and stir until mixture boils.  Let it thicken to a roux and then add cheese, garlic, and thyme.  Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and broccoli and toss to coat.  Pour this into a 9 x 13 greased glass baking dish.  Baked, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Yield: 9 servings

Per serving...

Calories? 312

Total Fat? 12 g

Cholesterol? 29 mg

Sodium? 652 mg

Carbohydrates? 32 g (2 carb servings)

Protein? 17.5 g

Another suggestion?...
*Italian-style: Sub a can of tomatoes and a can of mushrooms (both drained) and some Italian seasoning for the broccoli and sub 2% mozzarella for the cheddar.

Second: Macaroni and 4 Cheeses....Concept: "Hiding" a veggie in the dish to provide nutrients without anyone knowing! (Great for kids who are anti-vegetable eaters!)

This recipe is Ellie Krieger`s, a Registered Dietitian who has her own food network show!  

Here is the link: Macaroni & 4 Cheeses

I can vouch for this recipe too because I made it during a cooking class I held for the patients where I work.....

*Sources used: foodnetwork.com, James Osbourne`s suggestions :)!

ASIAN FUSION! SNN: Lettuce Wraps

Move over, P.F. Chang`s.  There`s a new Oriental Foodie in town. 

Who likes lettuce wraps??  Or, better yet, who doesn`t?  I certainly can`t think of anyone.  They are the perfect prelude to any Asian meal and are as simpl3 as stir fry! 

A lot of Americanized Asian cuisine is overloaded with fat and DEFINITELY overloaded with sodium.  Do you know how many milligrams of sodium are in one tablespoon of soy sauce? 900! Yikes! And to think, I used to douse my white rice in it as a kid when it was stir-fry night at the Luck house.  Tsk, tsk.  Since it`s hard to think of low sodium sauce combinations, I tried to focus on creating lettuce wrap filling that tasted fresh and healthy....not bland.  This Sunday night, try noshing on this.....

Lettuce Wraps

20 oz (1.25 lbs) ground turkey breast

1 T canola oil

1- 4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 c carrots, julienned

1 c frozen edamame (not in shells)

3 T water

1 T soy sauce

2 T honey

1 T rice cooking wine

1/2 c cashew pieces

1 c cooked brown rice

16 green leaf lettuce leaves, washed and dried

black pepper to taste

Begin by heating oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add ground turkey and let it cook until no pink is left, breaking up the meat with a fork as it cooks.  Drain the grease and set meat aside.

Using the same hot pan (keep temperature on medium heat), add water, frozen edamame, carrots, and mushrooms.  Saute for 2 minutes.  Add drained meat and cooked rice.  Mix.  Then add soy sauce, honey, and wine. Sprinkle mixture with black pepper.  Toss to coat and continue to cook.  After 2 minutes, taste and add more pepper if needed.  Add cashew pieces.  Continue to cook for 2 more minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

Lettuce leaves should be no larger than your hand.  If they are, tear in half.  To each leaf or leaf half, spoon 1/4 c of hot filling in the middle.  Roll the lettuce leaf up and tuck the edges under.  Repeat with remaining 15 leaves and serve immediately.

 

Yield: About 16 servings (1 leaf + 1/4 c mixture)

Per serving....

Calories? 146

Protein? 11 g

Total Fat?

Carbohydrates? 8 g (1/2 carb serving)

Sodium? 214 mg

Cholesterol? 28 mg

Fiber? 1.5 g (boooooo!)

*Source: the ole`noggin

NORTHERN NOSH! SNN: Waldorf Salad

I grew up eating Waldorf Salad in the south so naturally I assumed that it originated at some luncheon in Mississippi or something.  But much to my surprise, it doesn`t!  This side dish gets its name from the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan and was created in the late 1800s by Oscar Tschirky.  He himself was not a chef, but rather the maitre d'hotel (a fancy name for the head waiter or host).  It has become modernized and reinvented again and again over the years, but I do believe the base ingredients for the original Waldorf Salad were mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, raisins, apples, and celery.

I think it`s important when looking for diversity in diets to not only look outside your country of origin, but also inside!  I`m a born and bred Southerner, but stepping out of the foodie box I grew up in wasn`t hard for me.  One of the cooks that I work with is from Jersey.  He calls me "Boss Lady" and I call him "Yankee". The things he grew up eating and liking are completely different from my own.  When it comes to foods, there is definitely a distinction between the North and the South, the East and the West of the USA.  However, the awesome thing about modern cuisine is that it`s okay to blend food origins and roots!  Combining dishes or adding touches of your own dietary background to a dish from another region brings unity.

The Waldorf I make uses vanilla Greek yogurt instead of sweetened mayo or sour cream, as many recipes do. I`m pretty much repulsed by mayo and try to avoid it if at all possible.  I also used red grapes, not raisins.  See if you like....

Yogurt Waldorf Salad

1 cup vanilla 0% fat Greek yogurt (Suggestion: Oikos brand)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 cups red seedless grapes

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 large or 2 small Granny Smith apples, cubed

2 stalks celery, chopped small

Combine yogurt and lemon juice. Pour over the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Serve cold.

Yield: 6 servings

Per serving...

Calories? 130

Servings of fruit? 0.5

Other suggestions?  Replace walnuts with pecans.  Add dried cranberries or golden raisins.  Use pears instead of apples.

Sources used: epicurious.com 

SPRING FEVER SALADS! SNN: Mojito Fruit Salad

Oh Sunday....why must you end so quickly?  Time to start the work week again...bummer.  BUT...to get you excited for Spring, why not combine a latin cocktail with some vibrantly colored fruits?  For your Sunday Night Nosh, try this Mojito Fruit Salad!  Yes, it contains liquor.  If you think the kiddos may eat it, just omit that part.....unless you are wanting them to go to bed early! ;)

Mojito Fruit Salad

2 ripe mangos, peeled and chunked

4 kiwis, peeled and chunked

1 package fresh strawberries, quartered

4 sprigs of mint, (remove leaves and discard the stems)

 juice from 3 small limes

1/2 cup zero-calorie lime-flavored soda 

1 ounce of light rum

agave nectar

Combine fruits in a bowl.  Tear mint leaves between your fingers and add to the fruit.  (This mimics the "crushing" of the mint that is done when making a mojito.) Add the juice, soda, and rum.  Toss and then taste.  If you desire a sweeter, less tart taste, add a drizzle of agave nectar and toss again. 

For a 1 cup serving...

Calories? 80

Servings of fruit? 1

Fiber? 3-4 g