03-Oct-2017
Comments Off on XO Foodie: Curry Pumpkin Hummus
XO Foodie: Curry Pumpkin Hummus
Category : Healthy Eating
Lori & Eben shared this Curry Pumpkin Hummus recipe with us. It was delicious! Eben says he rarely follows a recipe, but (mostly) followed this one:
Ingredients
1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 T curry powder
1.5 T honey
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) unsweetened Pumpkin Puree
1.5 t finely minced fresh ginger
1.5 t koser or sea salt
In a small frying pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add curry and saute for 1 additional minute. Stir in honey and remove from heat.
In a food processor, chop garbanzos until they are finely mashed. Add pumpkin, ginger, salt and garlic mixture. Process until hummus is smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste. Set aside for a least 1 hour.
Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds if desired.
Sorry, no pictures…we ate it all up before I thought of that!!
30-Oct-2014
Comments Off on St. Brendan’s Irish Root Soup -Low Fat version
St. Brendan’s Irish Root Soup
- Jasmine
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Sauteed Leeks
10-Mar-2014
Comments Off on Food Sensitivity Elimination diet: Nightshade Ratatouille
This is my mini-chronicle of following the Dr. Oz and Dr. Hyman Food Sensitivity Elimination diet. The beginning of this series and the links to the elimination diet can be found in this link: Click Here.
OK, my evil plan was a success and I was able to eat my brother-in-law’s incredible marinara and amazing ratatouille at my Mom’s birthday. Let me rephrase that; In pursuit of the scientific study of my diet, I risked fatigue and potentially worse by adding nightshades back into my diet. And I loved every minute of it and my only reaction was Yum!
So it turns out that Ratatouille is the perfect dish for testing out nightshade sensitivity. This is because the two main ingredients are eggplant and tomatoes, two of the primary members of the nightshades. Other nightshades include red peppers (both hot and sweet), the spices paprika and cayenne, and potatoes. I don’t eat these every day, so I wasn’t expecting trouble.
I’ve never had ratatouille before and I have to say it was absolutely delicious. Of course, my brother-in-law is an amazing chef, so that is a large part of why it was so good. He said that he grilled all the vegetables first to give it that bit of smokiness, but otherwise followed a basic ratatouille recipe.
I found a highly rated recipe from epicurious.com, the bon apetit recipe website, that I will be trying. Epicurious Ratatouille, Click Here. It’s a great way to get those vegetable servings that Karin has been promoting during March nutrition month.
08-Nov-2013
Comments Off on Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
Category : Healthy Eating
We declared Barb B. the princess of our pumpkin party for recommending this delicious and satisfying soup that turns out to be a celebrity weight loss secret. Because this simple recipe makes a large quantity of soup, you can freeze servings to curb cravings anytime you need some comfort food without blowing your diet. Our version differs from the original by using low fat coconut milk to maintain that guilty richness.
Butternut Squash SoupIn a large pot, saute until translucent:1 medium onion, chopped2 cloves garlic2T olive oil Then add, bring to a boil and simmer 25-30 minutes until easy to pierce with a fork :4 cups vegetable broth (canned or made from bullion)1 large (2lb+) butternut squash, peeled and cubed in 1″ pieces1 medium potato: any kind, cubed2 large carrots, diced or sliced into 1/4 rounds Remove from heat and add:1 can low fat coconut milk Next, puree in batches using a regular or handheld immersion blender. Then adjust the seasoning to your taste with salt & pepper, maybe even a dash of any one of the following: curry powder, garam masala, cinnamon or nutmeg. 110 calories per 1 cup servings (a bowl is likely a 2 cup serving)4g fat, 16g carbohydrates,2g protein, 1g fiber, 340mg sodium
28-Sep-2012
Comments Off on XO Friday Foodie: Super Simple Salmon Patties (Low Carb, Gluten Free)
Sometimes it’s nice to simplify something already simple. Too many ingredients and preparation equals a big mess. With many of our clients trying out our Smart Loss Seminars and learning how to cycle their carbohydrates to break weight loss plateaus, we decided that it was time to simplify our already simple Salmon Patties.
Low Carb Salmon Pattie1 pouch (5oz) of Salmon (See the original recipe
Salmon Pattie
1eggs
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 pinch of black pepper
Drain any juice out of the pouch of Salmon and place into the bowl with the egg and all spices. Mix up with a fork until you have a mixture that is Pattie-worthy.
07-Sep-2012
Comments Off on Friday Foodie: Blackened Fish Tacos
Fish Tacos
- Jalapeno-Onion Sauce
- Spices
17-Aug-2012
Comments Off on Friday Foodie: Edamame Falafel w/low fat cumin chipotle sauce
I found this recipe in the May 2012 edition of Martha Stewart’s “Everyday Food” magazine. It looked simple and absolutely
Edamame Falafel Patties
delicious at first glance, but the calorie count was way too impressive: a serving had a whopping 600 calories. Falafel is traditionally fried and in my opinion, despite dripping in oil, usually tastes dry anyway. Here is my variation that drops the calories to only 240 per serving by baking them instead of deep frying them and serves them with my new favorite low calorie sauces.
Ingredients:1 cup dry chickpeas (2 cups re-hydrated)2 cups shelled edamame, frozen.2 teaspoons cumin1/2 teaspoon salt Method: Put the chickpeas in water and leave overnight. They should double in volume, leaving you with 2 cups uncooked chickpeas. To hurry this process up, you can boil the chickpeas in the microwave and allow to sit for 2-4 hours. Drain. Use a food processor or a blender to mince chickpeas and edamame to a coarse mixture that sticks together when squeezed.
Falafel mixture & sauces
10-Aug-2012
Comments Off on Friday Foodie: 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta
Two things attracted us to this recipe:
- 15 minutes…we love any dinner item that takes only 15 minutes!
- Avocado…we love avocado (although it’s really hard to spell!)
We want to give credit where credit is due, so the source of this recipe is www.ohsheglows.com
Bowtie pasta with creamy avocado sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted
- 1/2 lemon, juiced + lemon zest to garnish (use caution, it is easy to make this too tart)
- 1-3 garlic cloves, to taste (we used 3 b/c we love garlic, but if you’re not a big fan use less)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- ~1/4 cup Fresh Basil
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 servings/6 oz of your choice of pasta (We like Barilla brand pasta in the yellow box)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice (be careful with the lemon juice…you can always add more, but you can’t take it out…the first time we made this it was WAY TOO TART), and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy. Ryan says next time he would omit the olive oil and just blend up the other sauce ingredients.
3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.
Please note: This dish does not reheat well due to the avocado in the sauce. Please serve immediately.
03-Aug-2012
Comments Off on Friday Foodie: Crunchy Chickpeas Snack
One of our clients suggested that we try this super simple savory snack. Low in fat and high in fiber these are a nicely satisfying snack that ranks high in the nutrition world.
Crunchy Chickpeas
Each 1/4 cup of crunchy goodness has 120 calories comprised of 2g fat, 6g protein, 20g carbs (including 6g of fiber: that’s a whopping 24% of the recommended daily allowance of fiber). Omit the salt and use chickpeas made from dry if you are concerned about your sodium intake.
Crunchy Chickpeas (makes 1 3/4 cups):- 2 cans (3 1/2 cups cooked) Chickpeas
- A whimsical mixture of your favorite spices (see suggestions)
- popcorn salt (for after cooking)
Method: Drain and rinse chickpeas, then pour onto a dish towel and pat dry. Place into a largish bowl and sprinkle with spice mixture, then stir well. Pour chickpeas onto a non-stick jellyroll pan (cookie sheet with low sides) and pop in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Bake until mostly crunchy and allow to cool. Use popcorn salt to adjust saltiness if needed. Although not required by most recipes I reviewed, I would suggest refrigerating them if you aren’t going to eat them within a few days.
I successfully made these on our grill with both burners on their lowest setting so I wouldn’t heat up the house. I used a spatula to stir them every 5-10 minutes as the grill
doesn’t cook quite as evenly as an oven. (Some “extra crispy” chickpeas happened anyway.)
A grill is your summer oven!
Spice suggestions for your signature super simple savory subtly spicy snack*:
- 1/2 teaspoon of: cumin & 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne.
- 1/2 teaspoon of each coriander and paprika (or smoked paprika)
- 1 teaspoon curry, either hot or sweet
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of any premixed seasoning blend, ie: Nature’s seasoning, Pleasonings, Lawry’s etc…
- Note: Do not use spice mixtures containing sugar as it will burn.
*Now say “signature super simple savory subtly spicy snack” five times fast! Enjoy -XO
27-Jul-2012
Comments Off on Friday Foodie: Simple Basil Pesto
Friday Foodie: Simple Basil Pesto
Category : Healthy Eating
Keep it simple, right?
This pesto is kept simple with fancy additions later.
All you need is two large bunches of basil, 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, ½ – ¾ cup olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. You can add parmesan and pine nuts later if you like.
Basil from Farmers Market
Fresh basil is best purchased at the farmer’s market for a fraction of store bought. Karin purchased a plastic shopping nearly full of basil for just $4 (four large bunches).
You only need two bunches for this recipe.
Remove the flowering heads, leaves from the stems and wash the leaves to remove any sand and dirt.
Pat them dry with a towel and coarsely chop them.
Garlic and oil in blender
Pour ½ cup Olive Oil and 2-3 cloves of garlic into a blender and blend well with the cover on (unless you like oil on your ceiling). Add the coarsely chopped basil in bunches, alternately stopping the blender to push the basil down. Patiently continue to do this, adding more olive oil as needed to allow blending.
Once you have a thick, but coarse paste add ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt to taste. That’s it!!! We like to freeze it in small 4 oz. Glad containers. You can add minced pine nuts (walnuts or raw skinless peanuts also work well) and parmesan cheese to taste when you serve it.
What can you do with pesto?
PestoThere are many uses for pesto, and all of them are delicious. Pesto can be frozen into small plastic containers or even ice-cube trays for handy single serving size cubes.
Make a speedy-quick version of a Caprese Salad: Mix several tablespoons of pesto, halved grape or cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese. Yum!
Also, it’s great mixed with pasta and fresh tomatoes, on toasted french bread and pizza!
