The Healthy Apron » Vegetables

Give Yourself An Exotic Experience!

administrator — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:05:28 +0000

One thing that’s always entertained me is experimenting with new healthy foods and recipes. I adore sampling exotic dishes, fruits, and vegetables! Just the other day I came across Jicama. Have you ever tried it? It’s a slightly bizarre food, but when I think of the way other fruits and vegetables look, I wonder who ever thought…hmmm let’s EAT this!! Example: avocado, potatoes, fennel…all pretty funny-looking.

I wanted to learn more about my new find before I just started eating it like an apple. Good thing I read to WASH AND PEEL before consuming!! ha. I discovered that jicama is actually a legume, sometimes referred to as a Yam bean or Mexican turnip. They can grow up to 50 pounds!! Wow. That would be something to chop through!

Upon sampling, the inside is similar to a water chestnut in texture and is pretty appetizing raw; sweet and crunchy. It is used in lots of Mexican cuisine; salsas, salads, slaws, and veggie platters. So how does it measure up nutritionally you ask??

Jicama is fat free, low in sodium, and a good source of Vitamin C and potassium. One cup has only 46 calories, 6 grams of fiber, and just 11 grams of carbohydrate!!

Passing the taste test, I concocted a jicama bean salad. I basically just added a bunch of veggies I had in the fridge, nothing super special, so feel free to experiment as you wish! You could even try slicing them up and serving as veggie sticks! Beats boring old celery and carrots and will really surprise your guests at your next party!! I made a wrap with the bean mix for lunch today and it was phenomenal!! The more the salad marinates, the better it gets!!

Question: What exotic fruits or vegetables have you tried lately?? Any recommendations?

Great for a salad topper or a veggie wrap mix!

Jicama Bean Salad on Baby Greens with Honey Lemon Dressing

1 (15 oz) can of black beans (kidney beans work okay too…what I had on hand!)
1 fairly large carrot, shredded
1/3 cup diced red pepper
1/3 cup diced green pepper
1 large mushroom, diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 – 3/4 cup diced jicama
3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed, cooked, cooled

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized storage bowl. Substitute ingredients as you see fit!!

Dressing (I just eyeballed these measurements so just experiment)

2-4 T olive oil
2 T Honey
3-4 T Lemon Juice OR Lime Juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
1-2 T fresh basil or parsley chopped

Whisk all together and pour over salad…refrigerate for 1-2 hours to let the salad marinate. Scoop over a bed of spinach greens. Enjoy!!

What’s Going On Around The Blogosphere??

Check out Beth’s site to be entered to win FREE KIND bars! All you have to do is leave a comment!! So simple!
Check out my interview with Jessica from Dairy Free Betty!!
Need some help with your health blog? Check out Matt’s site called Health Blog Helper!

Happy Birthday To Me

administrator — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:55:16 +0000

As promised, I wanted to share pictures from my birthday celebration last weekend. I feel that there is no better way to spend a birthday than with your family. My parents always make me feel extra special and even have little ”birthday parties” for me. My mom always makes a delicious cake and has birthday presents to open. I literally feel like a kid again. Is there anything your family still does for you that makes you feel like a kid??

While I was growing up, the only variety of cake I would touch was strawberry. Perhaps it was the fact that it was pink…I don’t know. But even now that I like all different kinds, my mom knows that strawberry is STILL my favorite. The cake pictured above was a two-layer, strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting. Yum! My mom has a dynamite recipe and I cannot even begin to describe how dense and moist this cake is! Done to perfection!

Dinner was a huge assortment of foods. I did not get a picture because by the time I remembered; only scraps were left. A few of the menu items? BBQ chicken, red roasted potatoes, a big veggie salad, fresh Italian bread, and a tomato, zucchini, and caramelized onion gratin.

A LOADED veggie salad...my own contribution to the evening fare.

Everything was extremely tasty! The gratin was inspired by Pam at For The Love Of Cooking. She has some wonderful recipes to share and this one in particular really sparked my interest. The dish was all kinds of flavorful and the parmesan gave it a buttery bite. You can bet I will be making this again! Thanks to Pam for a recipe that was such a hit!

Tomato, Zucchini, and Caramelized Onion Gratin adapted from For The Love of Cooking

3-5 large Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 large zucchini (or 2 small ones), sliced
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of FRESHLY grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried basil
2-3 leaves of parsley or basil, chopped for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray an 8 x 8 ” dish with cooking spray. Slice tomato, zucchini, and onion into thick slices, and mince garlic.

Sliced and ready to go!

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and then sauté onion slices for ~20 minutes or until golden brown and caramelized, seasoning with salt to taste. Add garlic and continue to sauté for ~1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.

Layer tomatoes and zucchini in the bottom of your baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Then add the caramelized onion and garlic. Top with another layer of zucchini and tomato. Be sure to season each layer with a tiny bit of salt and pepper. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese and sprinkle with the dried basil. Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and broil for another 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on top. Let cool a couple minutes and garnish with fresh parsley or basil! Then eat up!!!

"Practically perfect in every way..."

When we headed back to Toledo the following day, Brandon wanted to take me out to dinner at our FAVORITE seafood restaurant. Mancy’s Blue Water Grill is quite the “fine dining” experience and I was really excited to get dressed up! Brandon also had a little birthday surprise for me!

I love shiny little boxes with big bows! Don't you!!???

I was so surprised to get a new ring for my right hand! Good job hubby!! I was beaming and we still had dinner to get to! Check out the menu!

Always start the evening with a salad

I'm not one who skips the bread basket, I actually ate two of these!

Maple Glazed Salmon with Butternut Squash Ravioli

As you can tell, there was no room for dessert ,but we had a wonderful time and it was such a memorable birthday.

CHEERS!

Zesty Broccoli Casserole

administrator — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:38:41 +0000

Zesty Broccoli Casserole: sounds like the perfect, quick, and easy side dish! Well, that is if you follow the instructions correctly. I had a heck of a time getting this casserole in the oven let me tell you.

After carefully reading through the instructions, I realized that the frozen broccoli needed to be thawed. Luckily I noticed this about an hour before I needed the casserole to be done because since I did not have a dish big enough to fit all the broccoli in the microwave at once, I had to go in shifts. 30 minutes later, the broccoli was thawed. Shish. I wish I would have just put the bag in the fridge in the morning *side note…do this!*

Then I got distracted by my cat while the milk was in the saucepan and it started to curdle. *side note: when it says to “stir CONSTANTLY,” DO IT!* So after I stirred out some of the lumps (ug), I removed the pan from heat and added the rest of the ingredients. Maybe I should have started over but come on, a little curdled milk never hurt anyone. Right? At least I sampled it first before giving some to Brandon!

The sauce had a unique, cheesy flavor and the onion added a sort of sweetness. Good enough for me! So I poured the cheese mix over the broccoli. It was so thick that it just sort of stayed on the top. hmmm.

I also tweaked the breadcrumb topping a bit by using a combination of wheat bran, flax, and Italian breadcrumbs. It turned out to be a nice combination!

I baked the casserole for just over 25 minutes and upon careful consideration, thought it tasted fantastic. I know I was negative but I ended up really liking it! Brandon, however, thought it was okay and did not jump at the opportunity to take seconds. I brought it in for leftovers though, as I showed in my LUNCHBOX.

Definitely something different! Let me know if you try it out! Oh and I changed my mind since this morning. This broccoli casserole is hitting the spot for lunch!

Zesty Broccoli Casserole
Adapted from Cooking Light.com

3 (10 oz) packages frozen broccoli florets, THAWED
Cooking Spray
1 1/2 cups 1% milk
2 1/2 T all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup (4oz) 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/2 cup Hellman’s Olive oil Mayonnaise (the original recipe called for 1 cup fat-free mayo)
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used 3 T wheat bran, 1 T flax, 3 T Italian breadcrumbs when I HALVED the recipe)
2 tsp melted butter
OMITTED: 1 (8oz) can water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, sliced…just didn’t have any on hand.

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat 375 degrees.

Arrange broccoli, THAWED in 11 x 7″ baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine milk, flour, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan over medium heat, STIR CONSTANTLY until boils. Cook 1 minute or until thick and remove from heat. Add cheddar and cream cheeses, stir until smooth. Stir in mayo and onion. Spoon evenly over broccoli.

Place breadcrumbs in a small dish and mix with melted butter. Sprinkle over casserole and spray bread crumb top lightly with cooking spray. Bake 25 minutes or until mixture begins to bubble.
Nutritional Profile (with 1 cup of fat-free mayo instead of 1/2 cup Hellman’s Olive Oil Mayonaise): 141 calories, 4.9g fat (2.6g sat, 2.6g mono, 1.3 g poly), 17.9g carbohydrates, 484mg sodium, 8.6g protein, 4.1g Fiber, 173 mg Calcium

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

administrator — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:33:49 +0000

As we approach the weekend, our refrigerator looks increasingly bare and it gets more and more tempting to rush off to the grocery store and grab fresh ingredients that I am really craving OR go out to eat. Trying to think economically though, I decided to use what we did have. I didn’t want to make anything fancy because I was eating for one. So, I grilled up some chicken breast I found in the freezer and opted to turn it in to my chicken salad recipe, so that Brandon and I would both have leftovers for lunch. We also had a HUGE sweet potato in the cupboard that I utilized in making these Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes by Ellie Krieger from The Food Network.

Sweet potatoes make a great side dish because they are easy to prepare and add lots of crucial nutrients! I added a little cinnamon to these potatoes because I like them sweet. Brandon said he prefers the baked sweet potato “fries” because they are less dessert-like. But I’m a girl with a sweet tooth so they suited my taste buds just fine!

Since I had an hour to kill while the potatoes were in the oven, I was able to get my apartment cleaned (wanted to get in some NEAT activities instead of sitting on my bum) and then quickly assembled a chicken salad sandwich. I layered a couple slices of tomato in my pita that we still had fresh in the fridge and poured myself a green tea-POM mixed beverage (observe the short glass…better way to keep portions in check!) Tasty, cheap meal, loaded with antioxidants. Bon appetit!!

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Adapted from Ellie Krieger, The Food Network

Makes 6 servings (3/4 cup each)

2lbs Sweet potatoes (4 cups)
2 T Olive oil
2 T Honey
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
couple dashes of cinnamon (personal addition)
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven 350 degrees.
2. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1″ pieces and place in a 9 x 13″ dish. Whisk together Olive oil, honey, and lemon juice (will be thick in consistency). Pour mixture over potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and bake, stirring occasionally for ~1 hour or until the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Nutritional Profile:

181 calories, 4.7 g fat (0.7 g sat., 3.3 g mono), 242mg sodium, 33.6 g carbohydrate, 4.4 g fiber, 2.7 g protein

Mushroom Almond Burgers

administrator — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:17:49 +0000

Yesterday could not have been a more gorgeous day here in Ohio! The weather is being nutty but I really cannot complain! Another thing that brightened my day? PEEPS Candy!! A coworker brought some in to share with us and I knew once I ate one, it would be all downhill from there. I know it’s either Love/Hate with those little bunnies o’ fluff and sugar but I LOVE them! After noshing on four, it was time to call it quits, I was beginning to go into a sugar coma. Delicious!

After work, Brandon and I made a dynamite dinner. Before I start in on our dinner though, I thought I would share my experiment with Kale Chips first. The prep is so so simple: clean the kale, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and bake 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Voila! Kale Chips. The taste test?? Not good. I’m not sure if I over cooked them or what but they were just not my “bag of chips.” The taste was okay but the texture was like eating ash. Anyone know how to make them better? I have ALOT of Kale leftover, so I’m hoping to use it in another recipe tonight. Sorry Roni, just didn’t get it right! But I still love your blog, Green Lite Bites!

So clean! I didn't even bother with an "after" picture.

Now to the Mushroom Almond Burgers (substituted almonds for pecans). Phenomenal! I was so thrilled!! They turned out to be perfect patties of goodness and even better? Brandon loved them!!! And he thought he would never eat tofu!

The recipe has lots of ingredients but it truly comes together quite quickly, so please don’t be intimidated. I thought they were a little daunting at first, but that’s why I experiment for you! It was all very easy and the end result was extremely appetizing! Oh! and don’t be scared off by the tofu because it honestly has no taste and adapts to whatever you are cooking it with. So it adds bulk and texture but the flavoring is left to the other ingredients. Plus, it’s a source of protein, iron, copper, and omega 3′s!. I topped my burger with some olive slices and we baked sweet potato fries as a side. Such a fantastic meal!

Last minute I realized the recipe called for cooked rice and I forgot to start it! Thank goodness I had some 10 minute boil in a bag rice! 10 minutes vs 45 minutes. Convenience saved me!

Ready to go into the saute pan! I like to prep my ingredients first so I'm not scrambling around.

The completed Mushroom Almond Burger: slice of American cheese and Olives! I also added ketchup and mustard.

We finished the night by taking a lovely stroll around the neighborhood. It’s becoming our nightly routine and I have to say that since I can’t formally exercise, light walking throughout the day is helping to keep my sanity! I don’t know about you but I just FEEL better when I keep active. Hoping my doctor appointment Friday afternoon will bring me some piece of mind with what the heck all this pain I’m having is! We got back just in time for LOST and then I was exhausted so called it a night!

Do you have any nightly routines that help you unwind for the evening??

Mushroom Almond Burgers
Adapted from MooseWood Restaurant’s Mushroom Pecan Burgers
Makes 9 servings (FYI: the original recipe says the recipe below makes 4-6 patties but after HALVING the recipe last night and getting 4 LARGE patties, I increased the number of servings for the whole recipe)

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 T Olive oil
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 T chopped fresh Parsley
4 cups finely chopped organic mini bellas
1/3 cup toasted, finely chopped almonds
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 cup plain breadcrumbs (I could not find whole wheat!)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup oats
1 T fresh dill
16 oz firm tofu
salt and pepper to taste (omitted)
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
Saute onions in olive oil until softened (~5 minutes). Add oregano and mushrooms. Cook ~ 5-10 minutes. Stir in parsley.
Spoon into a large mixing bowl and add nuts, soy sauce, breadcrumbs, rice, oats, and dill. Mash in tofu with your hands and form into 6 patties. (Add salt and pepper if you like).
Bake at 350 degrees for ~30 minutes.

Nutritional Profile per patty: 165 calories, 7.6 g fat (0.9g sat, 2.6g poly, 3.1g mono), 0mg cholesterol, 185 mg sodium, 23.5g carbohydrate, 3.4g Fiber, 10.4g protein, 1.7g sugars

Calcium: 29%
Iron: 13.2%
Selenium: 13.4%