Tag Archives: cooking

July 3, 2008 · 10:58 pm

Cooking Ahead

COOKING TIP #1

Cooking ahead is one of the mainstays of Hasty Tasty Meals. This weekend, I caught a buy-one-get-one-free sale at my local supermarket on London broil-cut roasts and boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I stuck both roasts in my gourmet slo-cooker and let them roast while I “fried” the chicken breasts in my electric skillet (It took two batches for the quantity of chicken breasts) for 25 minutes. In addition, I cooked up a bag of brown rice, which can be reheated and used in a number of meals .

I sliced half of the roast and froze in meal-size portions using my Food Saver (those are handy, but you can also use Ziploc® Freezer bags). I also packaged and froze meal-portions of the chicken breasts. Then I shredded some of the beef for burritos, cubed some for a beef pot pie, and ate sliced roast for dinner warmed with my broth-cornstarch fat-free gravy.

Some of the chicken will be used for chicken salad, some shredded for burritos (we love burritos), and some will be warmed in gravy and served for dinner as with the beef. I’m finished cooking for the week, I’m serving us healthful meals, and I’ve saved money!

COOKING TIP #2

A Vita-Mix is expensive, but I can’t imagine giving mine up. Here’s a yummy way to have a serving of dairy and a serving of fruit:

To the Vita-mix, add:

1 cup skim milk
2 oranges, peeled
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup Splenda® granular
¼ cup powdered milk
2 cups ice cubes

Blend on high for one minute until smooth and frothy. Makes two 16-oz shakes. It rivals the fast food orange cream shakes in taste, and is a lot more healthful.

RECIPE

With summer coming up, we’re faced with the cookout season. Don’t let get-togethers derail your healthful eating. If there’s an opportunity to contribute to the meal, offer to bring a dish or two. Then you’ll control the ingredients! Are you a sucker for the ever-popular green bean casserole? (I’m not, and only God knows why that dish’s popularity endures, 😕 but that’s just my opinion) If so, here’s my lightened version.

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Serves 8

Ingredients:

½ small onion, thinly sliced

1 Tablespoon butter

2 regular size cans of reduced sodium green beans, drained

1 can Campbell’s Healthy Recipe Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup

½ cup skim milk (add more if needed)

1 8-oz can mushrooms stems and pieces, drained

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

½ cup crushed corn flakes

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium skillet then add onion slices. Cook until onions caramelize. (This is when the sugars in the onions turn them a nice brown color) Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large measuring pitcher, combine the soup and milk then blend. Stir in the mushrooms.

In a three-quart baking dish, combine the soup mixture with the green beans. Spread the cooked onion slices on top, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and crushed corn flakes.

Bake, uncovered, for thirty minutes. It’s not the French-fried-onion-rings-on-top version, but it’ll still have crunch and taste good, too. Eliminating the onion rings saves a ton of empty calories, but keep that to yourself.

Happy Summer! 🙂

Leave a comment

Filed under cooking, Green Beans, Healthful Eating, Recipes, Smoothies

Tagged as , ,

June 4, 2008 · 7:56 am

Great flavor and convenience, too.

COOKING TIP #1

Microwave ovens are more for reheating or thawing than cooking. I know that statement seems blasphemous since my generation grew up on nuked foods. However, if you want tasty food served to rave reviews, take a little extra time and use some of the methods our moms and grandmas used.

For instance, if re-heating roast beef, warm it slowly in gravy. I make a little fat-free gravy in a large skillet or gourmet pan by combining a 14-oz can of low sodium, fat-free beef broth with 2 Tablespoons corn starch. Bring to a boil. As it thickens, I lower the temperature and add slices of roast beef to the gravy. (If it gets too thick, I simply thin with a little water)Warm for about ten minutes while I put together the rest of the meal. The beef flavors the gravy while the gravy moistens the meat, and it’s still fast enough to be a Hasty Tasty Meal!

COOKING TIP #2

Have you seen the latest in frozen convenience foods at your grocery? It’s called “Fiesta Blend” and contains chopped onion, chopped red bell pepper, kernels of corn, and black beans. I bought a bag and am delighted with the time it saves me. I can make a fast chili by adding to browned meat, chili seasonings, and a can of tomato sauce. Or I can toss it with cooked brown rice in a skillet over low heat for a zippy side dish. When I really want a kick, I sauté a handful and stir in a can of Rotel® tomatoes and green chilies to serve as a dip for tortilla chips. For breakfast, I use a handful as a starter for my breakfast burrito. Fiesta Blend has many applications, especially for the Tex-Mex cook. Keep a bag in your freezer for your southwestern Hasty Tasty Meals.

RECIPE

Are you trying to follow a low-carb diet? Or are you just trying to squeeze more vegetables into your day? Try this recipe for shrimp scampi. I did and I swear it really did fool my taste buds into thinking I was eating pasta!

Shrimp Scampi on Zucchini “Pasta”
Serves 2

Ingredients:
½ pound cooked medium-size shrimp (I keep bags of them in the freezer)
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dried tarragon leaves
2 medium zucchini, washed with the ends removed
3 cups water
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring water to a boil in a 3 quart saucepan. Meanwhile, preheat an 8″ skillet. Using the #2 cone of the Kitchen Cutter (or you may use a vegetable peeler or julienne tool), cut the two zucchinis into little ribbons.

Add the extra virgin olive oil to the preheated skillet and reduce the heat to Low. Add the garlic, shrimp, and tarragon. Cook together just long enough to heat the shrimp. Remove from heat and set aside.

Drop the zucchini “ribbons” into the boiling water for two minutes. DON’T OVERCOOK! Drain, reserving ½ cup of the water. Divide the zucchini and place in the bottom of two individual pasta bowls. Mix the reserved water with the shrimp mixture, toss together, then divide and serve on top the zucchini “pasta.” Sprinkle each serving with ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese, toss, and enjoy.

Enjoy!

Leave a comment

Filed under cooking, Healthful Eating, Recipes, Shrimp, Zucchini

Tagged as ,

March 19, 2008 · 2:08 pm

What in the world is a MUFA?

Happy Spring! I enjoy slow-cooking chili and baking muffins in the winter
months, but I miss the lighter fare. Here in Florida, warm weather has returned
to the Hasty Tasty Kitchen. It’s time to leave behind heavy stews and get back
to salads.

HEALTH TIPS

What in the world are MUFAs?

I avoid fad diets, or any diet for that matter, but I pay attention to advice
for healthful eating. The latest information on reducing belly fat (too much of
a spare tire is an indicator of increased risk for heart disease) concerns
eating fats. That’s right. We need to add fat–the right kind of fat–to our
diets. PREVENTION magazine recommends eating four meals a day, with each meal
including a serving of a MUFA-rich food. MUFA=MonoUnsaturated FAts.

What foods should we include in our diets to obtain MUFAs? Olives, nuts and
seeds, avocados, fish, oils (safflower oil is highest, but olive and canola oil
are good), and dark chocolate. Chocolate! Don’t you love it? Of course, this
information is meant to augment, not replace the other advice for healthful
eating. You still need your 5 servings of vegetables and 2-3 servings of fruit
per day, and you need to eliminate saturated and trans fats as much as you can.
If you’re trying to lose weight, watch your calories and keep each of your four
daily meals around 400 calories for women/ 500-600 for men.

For more information on how to enrich your diet with MUFAs, see the February
2008 issue of PREVENTION, or read the FLAT BELLY DIET by Liz Vaccariello with
Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD. Or visit http://www.flatbellydiet.com.

COOKING TIPS

Sauté vegetables, fish, or chicken by rubbing a MUFA on the food rather than
coating a skillet to reduce the amount of fat. Although you want a MUFA with
each meal, you still should exercise portion control. Fat is high-calorie.
Another way to get a MUFA in your meal is to drizzle a Tablespoon of flaxseed
oil over your salad (You can’t cook with flaxseed oil). Experiment with herbs
to jazz up the flavor. Eat a serving (½ cup) brown rice cooked with toasted
nuts. Or add an avocado slice to your chicken breast along with a sprig of
fresh cilantro or basil.

RECIPE

Bean Salsa Salad
Take this one to your next picnic! It’s high fiber, healthful, and contains a
serving of a MUFA!

1-16oz. can black beans rinsed and drained
1-16oz can navy beans rinsed and drained
2-11oz. cans Mexi-corn drained
2-4oz. cans chopped green chiles drained
1-small can jalepenos (optional)
1-red bell pepper chopped
1 cup cilantro finely chopped
combine all in a non-metallic bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 2/3 c apple cider vinegar, 1/3 c safflower
oil, and a pinch of cumin to taste. Add mixture to the bean salsa, toss well, then chill. Best if
made a day ahead. Enjoy!

Cheri

Leave a comment

Filed under cooking, Healthful Eating, Recipes, Salads

Tagged as , , ,

December 1, 2007 · 8:29 am

Healthy Holidays!

HEALTH TIPS

Diabetes
This year I’ve put into practice the importance of reading labels, excercising caution to avoid trans fats, excessive sodium, high fructose corn syrup, and excessive saturated fat and sugar. I also shun refined grains in favor of whole grain products.

I blame much of the current diabetes epidemic on food additives and processing. Yes, we overeat, but why? Some of these additives confuse our bodies and trigger hunger. I proved this in 2007 by changing my diet. I’ve lost weight and have better control of my appetite.
A friend of mine has been diagnosed with Diabetes and recently met with a nutritionist. Here are the guidelines she was given, which boils down eating for diabetes in simple terms:

1400 calories per day
180 carbs per day [break down into 3-45 carb meals and 3-15 carb snacks.]
Eat NOTHING over 5 gms of fat per serving.

Men and children need more calories, so discuss this with your own doctor. I’m not a diabetic and I don’t want to become one, but I’m following these guidelines, too. Maybe I’ll lose a few more unwanted pounds!

COOKING TIP

When making your resolutions for the new year, try incorporating a new health habit, such as: To avoid excess sodium; To eliminate trans fats; To replace refined grains with whole grains. My resolution (since I succeeded in eliminating high fructose corn syrup from my diet in 2007) is to reduce my consumption of sodas. I enjoy my Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper, but all soft drinks are rough on tooth enamel and the digestive system. Much as I hate to give up soft drinks, I plan to limit my intake to one can per day. That’s a step toward eliminating all sodas, but I know me well enough to know I can’t go cold turkey!

Whatever your resolution, make it reasonable and achievable. Don’t set yourself up for failure with grandiose, difficult goals. Double-digit weight loss is the stuff of reality TV shows but not practical for the rest of us. Still, there are lessons to be gleaned from programs such as The Biggest Loser.

To help you make your cooking healthier, focus on menus with lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Make your protein lean and your fats healthy (olive, safflower, canola, or flaxseed oils). For more information on healthful menus, see the December 2007 issue of PREVENTION magazine, featuring “The Biggest Loser Diet” or go to prevention.com/biggestloser .

RECIPES

Easy Holiday Cookies
Makes 4-6 dozen
Holiday cookies are a tradition, one that’s difficult to avoid during the Christmas season. I’ve tried to make up healthful cookie recipes, but let’s face it—this time of year we want a few indulgences. So here is how I make “cut out” cookies that are festive and moderately improved over the store-bought varieties (I use a “healthy” fat instead of butter or trans fats). This method is also a time-saver.
Ingredients:
One 18 oz. size cake mix, any flavor (but Lemon’s my favorite)
1 large egg, beaten
¼ cup Canola or Enova® oil
1 Tablespoon water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Combine ingredients in a medium size bowl. Batter will be stiff. Work with hands to form a ball of cookie dough. Roll out dough on a pastry board or cutting board (or cover your countertop with wax paper) to ¼” thick. Using your favorite holiday cookie cutters or a small glass, form cookies and transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet (or use parchment paper).
Bake for ten minutes or until slightly brown. Remove from oven. Using a metal spatula, carefully lift each cookie from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Serve plain or decorate, if desired.

The next recipe is our favorite, for holidays or any day!

Foolproof Salmon Fillets
Serves Two
Salmon is farm-raised now and is widely available. I buy it flash-frozen because it tastes great when cooked right—low and slow. Try one of the new Mrs. Dash marinades (I like the Mesquite flavor) or make your own. Avoid high sodium products.
Ingredients:
2 frozen salmon fillets
¼ cup marinade*
Directions:
Preheat a 10″ stainless steel skillet over med/low heat. Add salmon (do not try to move the fish once it “sticks” to the pan), top with marinade, then cover. When the lid vapor-seals (meaning moisture makes it difficult to remove the lid; on some cookware, the lid spins freely at this point), lower the heat and time for 15 minutes.
Lift the lid and check for doneness. Do not overcook. However, when starting out with frozen fish, additional time may be needed. Turn fillets, cover, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes (or in 5 minute increments until fillets are done). Remember to use the lowest heat setting possible and don’t remove lid for the first 15 minutes. This “low and slow” method keeps fillets moist and helps you avoid over-cooking.
Serve immediately.
*Marinades are easy to make yourself. Remember to include an acid and a sweetener for balance, i.e. 1 ounce lime juice, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon grated ginger. Or 1 Tablespoon each: pineapple juice mixed with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and honey.

Happy Holidays from Chef Cheri!

Leave a comment

Filed under Cookies, cooking, Recipes, Salmon

Tagged as , ,