Easy Dinner Side: Artichokes with Vodka Sauce

September 29th, 2011 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (1 Comments)

I was home alone with no one else to cook for except myself, so I whipped up something in 5 minutes. I had some frozen artichokes in the freezer, a jar of Trader Joe’s vodka sauce, and some fat free ricotta. There is nothing wrong with fat free ricotta, by the way. It is actually a natural food. Many companies do not even add preservatives–they just use skim milk instead of whole milk!

Anyway,  I came up with this:

I put the frozen artichokes in a bowl, added a few spoonfuls of ricotta (and then a few more spoonfuls!), topped with a hefty serving of vodka sauce, sprinkled with tomato basil spices and herbs, and then microwaved the whole thing for a few minutes. When it was done I did add a little extra Parmesan cheese and some red pepper flakes for some kick.

It was delicious! A bunch of my favorite foods all in one bowl. The great thing is that the ricotta has a decent amount of protein. So, the only thing missing from this meal is a carbohydrate source. Make some whole wheat garlic bread, and that can be a complete meal.

Did you know: artichokes are loaded with antioxidants and are a great detoxifying veggie. Apparently, they are even good at helping you get over a hangover because they help the liver detoxify. Hah! As an added bonus, artichokes are high in fiber, thiamin, iron, and a good source of potassium and phosphorus.

, , , , ,

Fresh Fig Bars

September 25th, 2011 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (5 Comments)

While my fellow RD’s are away at FNCE learning the latest on food and nutrition, I was home working hard on making fig bars. I have to do something health and nutrition related, right? Anyway, on impulse I bought these gorgeous looking figs at Trader Joe’s without first thinking what I was going to do with them.

At the cash register, the check-out woman told me she was growing figs in her own backyard! So cool. I want to have a fig tree when I grow up. Haha. Figs like nice and warm climates like here in Atlanta.
Fig Newton’s are one of my favorite foods, so I thought, why not make fig bars? I wanted to cut down on all the added sugars involved in making fig bars, and just try to use natural sugars. It was quite the endeavor…

Step One:
Chop about 3-4 cups of fresh figs (cut off the stems) and place in medium saucepan. Add about 1 Tbsp. lemon zest, salt, 1 cup of water, and 1/4 cup honey.
Step 2:
Heat the fig mixture on medium-low for 1.5 hours (liquid should be simmering). So, this is a good time to step away and watch some Hulu like I did. Stir the mixture about every 10 minutes or, during every commercial break.

Step 3:
After your 1.5 hours are up, in a separate bowl, mix 2 Tbsp. of flour with 2 Tbsp. of water very well. Mix until you have a nice paste. You may need to add more water. It helps to have a thinner paste. Pour this into the fig mixture to help thicken it. Also add the juice of half a lemon. I added a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger as well. These spices are optional.
Step 4:
Preheat your oven to 375 F, and grease a 9×9 or 8×8 square baking dish. Or, you can line it with parchment paper if you have it.

To make the crust, combine 1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats (or regular oats would work OK) with 3/4 cup oat bran or wheat bran and 2/3 cup applesauce and 1 Tbsp. Stevia (or 2-4 Tbsp. of real sugar if you prefer) and 1 Tbsp. baking powder and a pinch of salt. Add 1/2 cup of water to moisten the oats. I got the idea for the crust from Fat Free Vegan.

Press half (or slightly more) of the crust mixture into the baking dish:Step 5:
Pour all of almost all of your fig mixture on top of the crust. I saved some fig mixture to use as a jam at a later date. Then, try to top the fig mixture with the remaining crust. This is a little difficult. But, it really doesn’t have to be perfect. Bake for about 29-30 minutes until golden:
Let cool, and then cut into squares! Yum! They were delicious to me, but others might not think they are sweet enough.
There is very little added sugars to these bars, and they are almost gluten free (if you aren’t sensitive to oats). If you need a gluten free recipe, just use a rice flour as the thickener. So, this recipe and treat is much healthier than any fig bar on the shelves out there :)

, , , , , , , ,

Healthy Snack: Lentil Spread

September 21st, 2011 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (1 Comments)

I was at Trader Joe’s the other day and picked up a lentil spread to try. I get tired of hummus sometimes, so I figured I would try something else in the legume family.

This dip/spread has a ton of flavor, and I had lentils and jar of masala sauce at home, so Mr Cyclist decided he would try to make his own version of the dip. It was a great idea because making this type of spread at home is a much cheaper way to eat this snack. Homemade lentil dip makes about 4 cups (or more) while this one from Trader Joe’s is only 7 ounces!

Homemade Lentil Spread Ingredients:

  • 1 Jar Masala Sauce (Trader Joe’s has one, or you can make your own)
  • 2 Cups or more Lentils (Didn’t measure, just poured into saucepan)
  • 1-2 Cups Water (Just add some to cooking as needed to let the lentils absorb more moisture)
  • 2 Tbsp. Dried/Fresh Cilantro
  • Juice of 1 Lemon

You can add any extra spices and herbs that you like. In fact, I am not exactly sure what Mr Cyclist put into the spread. I know he added extra brown sugar for a little sweetness, and I did not like that–too sweet for me.

Anyway, you can experiment with this type of dip/spread and you could make all kinds of variations on this. This one just happened to have more Indian flavors. I will definitely be making something like this again because it was pretty filling, tasty, and nutritious!

, , , , , , , ,

Tilapia with Ricotta Pea Puree

September 17th, 2011 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

I came across a recipe on Food Network for halibut with a ricotta pea puree, and since I absolutely love ricotta (and happened to have plenty of peas in the freezer), I made my own version of this recipe. I was not about to be buying halibut, but I stopped by Trader Joe’s and picked up some tilapia and fat free ricotta.

I have never been able to saute white fish very well. I have come to the conclusion that I just need to use more olive oil in cooking the fish since it is a less fatty fish and needs the oil so it doesn’t stick to the pan. Anyway, I used lemon pepper seasoning, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley for flavor on the fish.

This dish turned out pretty well. The flavors of the more salty and savory fish went well with the sweeter and slightly starchy ricotta pea puree. I would have even eaten the puree by itself, but Mr. Cyclist insisted that the puree and fish tasted best only when eaten together.

I served it with a side of steamed broccoli. Perfect light meal!

, , ,

Now That’s A Loaded Baked Potato!

September 13th, 2011 | Posted by Nicole in Recipes - (0 Comments)

I always seem to stock up on ground turkey because it makes easy meals during the week. This week I decided to make it a topping for baked potatoes! I deem this man-friendly as well since it is a meat and potatoes dish. I don’t normally eat that many white baked potatoes because I just prefer the taste of sweet potatoes.
We often forget that white potatoes have good nutrition as well. If you want to get the full nutrition benefits, make sure to eat the skin as well. The skin is the part that has more of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Nutrition Facts of 1 Medium Potato: 130 calories, 30 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein, excellent source of vitamin C, good source of B6, folate, potassium, and manganese.

Ingredients in Recipe: For this ground turkey potato topping recipe I used ground turkey (a little more than 1 lb.), 1 can Rotel, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 medium onion, plenty of chili powder, oregano, chipotle powder, cumin, garlic powder, and seasoned with salt and pepper. All you have to do is cook all these ingredients together for about 10 minutes or so, and it is done! Before you start cooking, you can heat the potatoes in the oven (or toaster oven) for about 30 minutes.

It turned out really well. But, you can’t really go wrong when you add a spoonful of sour cream as well :) I was going for more of a chili topping while still keeping it healthier. I even used it the next day to eat on top of a salad–like a taco salad!

, , , , ,

Tired of Oatmeal? Try Multigrain Hot Cereal

September 10th, 2011 | Posted by Nicole in Food Review - (1 Comments)

I came across this multigrain hot cereal from Hodgson Mill when I was deciding what oatmeal to choose at the grocery store. I decided to try it because I was tired of my same oatmeal routine.
The ingredients are so simple (all natural and whole grain).
The flaxseed gives the cereal fiber and omega-3′s, the bran adds more fiber, and the soy helps to add even more protein.
Looks perfectly healthy, and like a good breakfast to me! This is what it looks like dry before cooking. You only need a third of a cup for a serving which actually cooks up to be about a cup or so.
After:
I don’t think this will be winning any oatmeal beauty pageants, but it tastes great. I didn’t add anything except I did cook it with skim milk. It doesn’t really need any sweetening or anything because it has a good hearty taste. The texture, however, is not really my favorite. It is a little gritty, but I got past that. You can try adding some fruit for extra flavor–I like adding bananas.

, , , , ,

Tasty Thai Food

September 6th, 2011 | Posted by Nicole in Food Review - (0 Comments)

I had what was so far the tastiest Thai food this past Labor Day weekend. I was out at Jekyll Island, GA having a nice weekend, and the boyfriend and I decided we wanted to set out mouths on fire with some spicy Thai food at Tuptim Thai in Brunswick, GA.

We got this Thai salad as an appetizer. It was savory, salty, sweet–all flavors packed into one salad.

And of course we got some spring rolls. Maybe not the healthiest… I always love the dipping sauce–tangy and sweet. One spring roll is about 6o to 80 calories.
For my entree, I got a vegetable dish with a spicy brown sauce. It had so many flavors (including basil–yum!), and a wide variety of veggies, and a few tofu pieces. I really don’t know where all the flavors come from. It is a mystery to me.

I think this was called pad prik, and the nutrition facts are pretty healthy for this dish compared to others. I am not sure exactly how many calories it is, but I believe it is very reasonable for a dinner meal.

And my boyfriend got a green curry which the server recommended. I am not usually a huge fan of curry because I don’t like a lot of coconut milk flavor, but this one was this best I have had–I actually liked it. Again, I have no idea what makes it so good!
We both even ordered a glass of wine because it was only $3.50! Anyway, we really enjoyed the dinner, and my mouth was on fire when I left like I had expected. But, the visit makes me want to learn more about Thai cooking, and try to re-create some dishes.

, , , ,