All posts tagged: healthy cooking

healthy eating: sweet potato and hummus

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Who would have known my mediterranean cultural food would be the most sought after food groups to plan for healthy eating.  I mean as a child I was embarrassed when my mother spread humus in pita bread and send me off to school in the US (that is). Now, I laugh, as all those kids who poked fun at me back then, are now clicking their way through the internet for humus recipes. In light of some tidbit about my life, I want to share a recipe with you which I found here. In my opinion,  a very creative take on humus. I’ve eaten humus in all variations throughout my life: spicy, with eggplant, garlic or not, pasty, watered down and whatever else any store now offers, and am always still open to trying something new. So here it is Sweet Potato, Tahini/humus (as you know when you combine tahini and chickpeas, it’s humus) spread.  Let me know what you think: Ingredients for the sweet potato-tahini spread: 1/2 cup cooked & mashed sweet potato 2-3 tablespoons tahini …

no ordinary recipe: orange fennel cake

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I probably make a pit stop at Starbucks at least once a week, to treat myself to a shot of no frills espresso and a low-fat lemon mini loaf. The combination is amazing. Zesty lemon, not too much sugar, paired with coffee all black. So, you can imagine how excited I was to discover this amazing recipe – using mostly orange zest to create a similar cake I just cannot resist. Toasted Fennel & Orange Morning Cakes (makes 6 mini bundt cakes) 3 cups finely ground almond flour, packed ( I used Honeyville) 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 TBS fennel seeds 3 eggs 1/4 cup whole milk yogurt 1/4 cup honey 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/3 cup fresh orange juice zest from one orange Preheat oven to 350F and grease your mini bundt pan. *You may use a muffin pan but note that the baking time may vary. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Toast the fennel seeds until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Crush or chop fine and set aside. Combine the almond flour, salt, …

healthy eating: cauliflower dough pizza

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Can a recipe get any better than this? Cauliflower dough pizza plus your favorite veggies and you have an amazing alternative to  everyone’s favorite meal. No seriously I must be feeling better, because the first thing I craved today was pizza, but not the doughy kind, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I found a healthy recipe here and wanted to share, like I normally do when I am happy about something. Healthy + Gluten Free Pizza with a Cauliflower Crust Prep time 15 mins Cook time 35 mins Total time 50 mins   Author: Eating Bird Food Serves: 8 Ingredients ½ head cauliflower (about 2 cups riced) 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese 1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon basil 1 teaspoon oregano   Instructions Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Prep a cookie sheet or pizza stone. You can grease the cookie sheet or use greased aluminum foil. It will stick if you don’t grease it properly. (I used a Pampered Chef baking stone, which doesn’t require any prep if …

healthy eating: lavendar granola

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I have to say I love granola, more so soaked in Almond Milk than over yogurt, although I’m not that picky. But the store bought version tends to have too much sugar, which is something I am trying to definitely cut down.  So, I was happy to find the recipe from here to try and also to share.  The only difference is, although, I love lavendar, I prefer not to incorporate it in my food, so I substituted the exotic flavor with a dash of cinnamon (my favorite) instead. Lavender Granola Ingredients: 2 cups Oats 1/4 cup Flax Seeds 3/4 Nuts of choice or mix them all! (A mix of almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds) 1 tsp Vanilla 4 Tbsp Honey 1 Tbsp Lavender Buds Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, bring all ingredients together and mix well. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden, dry and toasty. Let cool, then transfer to a mason jar to store. Serve over yogurt and top with fresh berries …

healthy eating: yogurt with caramelized figs

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While adjusting to my new eating regiment (going on week three), I have to incorporate at least 6oz of plain yogurt with some sort of fresh fruit on a daily basis. Since the recipe never indicated which brand of yogurt to consider, I decided to go with my favorite yogurt complimented with fresh organic  blueberries. I loved the combination until of course I came across this recipe and my world hasn’t been the same since: Yogurt topped with Caramelized Figs 1 cup Yogurt of choice (I used Fage Plain Yogurt) 2 Figs, halved 3 Tbsp Organic Agave Sprinkles of Pistachio Nuts Dashes of Ground Cinnamon To caramelize the figs, add agave to a small skillet and place figs face down. Simmer over low heat until browned and toasty smelling (3-4 minutes). Place yogurt into bowl, drizzle over caramelized figs and sprinkle over pistachios and dashes of cinnamon. {click here for photo credit}

healthy eating – not just as a new year resolution

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While in my twenties, I have to say I had no worries about eating healthy, nor in moderation. I was able to eat and maintain my size 4 figure for decades,  so of course when I hit 40 I figured I was still one of the lucky ones who could eat whatever she wanted to and stay thin and healthy, until of course I developed high blood pressure and other health concerns which got me to re-think my eating habits. In the last two years, I’ve been on a crusade to find the best possible recipes and menus to follow just so I could, not only maintain my weight, but also ensure, all my health issues are under control. What I got sucked into during the time was following an accelerated and pre-packaged diet plans and  although I lost weight, I didn’t do it the (very) healthy way I wanted to. I won’t mention what didn’t really work for me, but from all the aggressive dieting I not only gained the weight back, but my …

healthy eating: substitute the good for the bad ingredients

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This is the time of the year, most of us, choose to eat comfort food and because of that fact, we seldom pay attention to quantity, ingredients and weight management. We can blame it on the colder weather or simply blame ourselves for not making a lasting change. So, while i search for ways to eat healthy, control portions and substitute the good for the bad, I came across the following information here and decided to share it with those amazing people who visit my blog.  

healthy eating: the benefits of beets

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I do everything in my power to eat healthy, even during the holidays, and although I am aware of the health benefits of most fruits and vegetables, it is always good to remind myself (ourselves) once in a while just to stay focused on eating healthy. One of my favorite vegetable is beets. However, the only way I prefer to eat them is if  they are freshly made. The canned version just doesn’t taste good.  The only trouble is they are a bit messy, so if you plan to boil, peel and cut them at home,  be careful as they tend to bleed into most anything. Beets are Low in calories, 1 cup of beets contains only about 60 calories and is cholesterol-free. It’s also a good source of dietary fiber and folic acid according to my favorite site here. Also here is a recipe I have tried at home and do recommend. Let me know what you think? prep time:10 min start to finish:1 hr 45 min makes:6 servings (2/3 cup each) Salad 4 …

healthy recipe: chile with chocolate and chipotle

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I love chile, but hate the ground meat version of it, so for this weekend’s football party I wanted to make a pot of chile and serve it up with some amazing San Francisco sourdough, cheddar cheese and lots of chopped onions. Check out the recipe I found here Ingredients Cooking spray 2 cups diced onion (about 1 large) 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey breast 3 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, minced 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1/2 cup light sour cream Chopped green onions (optional) Preparation Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and turkey to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until turkey is browned and vegetables are tender. Add sugar and next 9 ingredients (through chipotle) to pan, stirring to blend; bring …

healthy cooking: artichoke ravioli

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Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net  I found this recipe when I was searching for a pasta dish which, of course, had to be healthier than the norm.  When I read the ingredients I knew I had to try it. Sure enough it was delicious, especially with piled shredded parmesan cheese. Artichoke Ravioli with Spinach, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Squash: Artichoke ravioli (or flavor of your choice), cooked per instructions 2 tsp olive oil 1/4 red onion, cut into large pieces 1 cup of mushrooms, quartered 1/2 zucchini, diced 1/2 yellow squash, diced 1/2 cup of grape tomatoes 1 clove of garlic, minced 1 cup of baby spinach Basil olive oil Asiago cheese, shredded Fresh basil leaves Cook the ravioli per instructions (while the vegetables are cooking). Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened. Add the zucchini, squash, and grape tomatoes then cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the spinach and minced garlic. Cook for an …