Food, Inc.

Several "posts" ago I told you about a documentary I watched called "Food, Inc." Opray (we all know who Opray is) talked about this movie yesterday. If you order by Friday, January 29, on Amazon.com, you can get this DVD for just $9.99.
You must get this documentary DVD, IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! It did for me, it will really make you think where your food is coming from. We all have the power to change the way we eat.
Go ahead.... I dare you!

"Sausage" and Peppers

I love sausage and peppers or should I say I use to love sausage and peppers. When I was a chicken eater, I switched to chicken sausage which is good. I was in my local health food store (Raisin Rack, Canton, Ohio) and I noticed Vegetarian Sausage made by Lightlife Smart Sausages, Italian Style. It was around $4.00, so I thought, well I spend that at Starbucks, I should give it a try. Well, I'm so glad I did. I LOVED it! I noticed they also have Vegetarian beef and chicken, I'll have to try that next time.

Here's my recipe, hope you enjoy it!

My version of "sausage and peppers"

2-3 green, yellow and/or red peppers (use any combination or just one) sliced

1 large onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

extra-virgin olive oil

1 package Smart Sausages Italian Style

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

spaghetti

In a little extra-virgin olive oil, saute peppers, onions and garlic until soft about 5-8 minutes, add "sausages" (I sliced mine), saute for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer about 10-15 minutes. Serve over pasta.

Enjoy!

Double-Chocolate Brownies

I'm always looking for healthy brownies. I saw these from Food Network. I gave them a try, they where good, not THE BEST brownies I ever had, I think I actually overcooked them by about 5 minutes. But for a heart healthy treat, I'd make them again.
Ellie Krieger's Double-Chocolate Brownies
Makes 24 brownies
Cooking Spray
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup each whole wheat and all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional) (I used pecans)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barley simmering water, stirring occasionally, do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.

Whisk the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar until smooth, then add the yogurt, oil and vanilla and whisk to combine. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle with walnuts, if desired. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in the pan on a rack before slicing.
Calories per brownie (with nuts) 160
ENJOY!

Honey Oat Quick Bread

I met my wonderful friends Andrea and Tracy the other night for Tracy's birthday. (OK, Tracy I didn't say your age). I haven't seen them since before Christmas so I decided I would make them a little goodies. I saw this recipe, it was really easy and I hope it taste good! (I actually gave it to them without trying it!) It smelled really good while it was baking. I plan to make a loaf for myself later. Give it a try, if you love bread, you won't need to go to the bakery the next time you want homemade bread.
Honey Oat Quick Bread
2 tablespoons plus 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats, or quick-cooking (not instant) oats, divided
1 1/3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
8 oz (scant 1 cup) nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup clover honey or other mild honey
3/4 cup nonfat or low-fat milk
1. Position rack in middle of oven, preheat to 375 degrees. Generously coat a 9x5 inch (or similar size) loaf pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon oats in the pan. Tip the pan back and forth to coat the sides and bottom.
2. Thoroughly stir together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using a fork, beat the remaining 1 cup oats, yogurt, egg, oil and honey in a medium bowl until well blended. Stir in milk. Gently stir the yogurt mixture in the flour mixture just until thoroughly Incorporated but not overmixed (excess mixing can cause toughening). Immediately scrape the batter into the pna, spreading evenly to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon oats over the top.
3.Bake the loaf until well browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-50 minutes. (It's normal for top to crack) Let stand in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a table knife around and under the loaf to loosen it and turn it out onto the rack. Let cool until barely warm, about 45 minutes.
1 slice 193 calories; 6 grams fat, 1 gram Saturated
Enjoy!

Waldorf Salad

I found this recipe the other day from the "Food Network" website. It sounded good and healthy so I decided to give it a try. You should too!
Waldorf Salad
1/2 cup walnuts (I used pecans)
1/2 cup non-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (not a fan of parsley so I left it out)
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 lemon, zest finely grated
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large crisp apples (I used Gala)
2 ribs celery sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup golden raisins (I used regular raisins)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 head Boston lettuce(I used romaine)
Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
Spread the nuts on baking sheet and toast in oven for about 8 to 10 minutes (be careful they don't burn!) Cool and break the nuts into small pieces. Set aside.
Whisk the yogurt, mayonnaise, parsley, honey and lemon zest in a large bowl and season generously with pepper.
Halve, core, and cut the apples into 3/4 inch pieces, leaving the skin intact. Add the apples, celery and raisins to the bowl, and sprinkle with the lemon juice, then toss with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately.
When ready to serve, toss walnuts into the salad. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter, or divide them among 4 salad plates. Place the salad on the lettuce and serve. OR you can just cut up the lettuce and mix it into the salad like I did!
ENJOY!

Yet Another Mushroom Barley Soup

But this time its cream of mushroom soup with barley. I've made hundreds of soups in my day, I think this is the best. I probably could of eaten the whole pot! It was a little time consuming to make, but if you prepare, its really easy. I actually did it in steps, I made the barley and softened the porcini mushrooms before I went to my exercise class, then finished when I got home.
I bought yet another amazing item from "Aldi" a cast iron pot. It was on sale for $39.99 before Christmas, I was in the store yesterday and they had them for $22.99! An amazing deal. If you think you have enough pots and pans but you don't have a cast iron, go get one! I made this yummy soup in mine and it turned out great!
Cream of Mushroom & Barley Soup
1/2 cup pearl barley
4 1/2 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup minced shallots (about 4 medium)
8 cups sliced white mushrooms (about 20 oz) I used 1/2 white mushrooms and 1/2 cremini
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon each salt & pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry sherry (don't use "cooking sherry" get the real stuff)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1. Bring barley and 1 1/2 cups broth to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine procinis and boiling water in a medium bowl and soak until softened, about 20 minutes. Line a sieve with paper towels, set it over a bowl and pour in mushrooms and soaking liquid. Reserve the soaking liquid. Transfer the mushrooms to a cutting board and finely chop. Set aside.
3. Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add white mushrooms and cook stirring often, until they start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the porcinis, celery, sage, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook stirring until the flour is incorporated, about 1 minutes. Add sherry and cook, stirring until most of the sherry has evaporated, about 1 minute.
4. Add the soaking liquid and the remaining 3 cups broth; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened, 18 to 22 minutes.
5. Add the cooked barley and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the sour cream until incorporated.
ENJOY!

V8 Juice

Remember the other day I told you about my "juicer"? This morning I decided to make a nice "egg beaters" omlette with mushroom and asparagus. I decided against toast, I thought, hmmm lets try homemade V8 juice. So, I got my juicer out, the recipe booklet I received with the juicer had a Vegetable juice recipe, so I thought I'd give it a try.
1/2 "box" of cherry tomatoes (use whatever tomatoes you have)
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
1/2 lemon (I used a whole lemon and it was too "lemony")
Worcestershire sauce
Process and enjoy!
Your on your way to a great beginning!

Juicer

I always wanted to buy a juicer but I didn't want to spend the $$$$. I was looking through the food ads and I noticed "Aldi" had a juicer for $39.99. Well, for $39.99 even if I used it twice that would be worth it. I went to my local "Aldi" they only had 1 left in a beat-up box. I thought, "well it should work", I got it home, no power. I exchanged it at another "Aldi" they had several left, I thought okay, I'll give it a try. I bought some oranges, I had apples. I took it home and made fresh orange juice. Yummy! I next tried apples....even better! What if I mixed apples, oranges and then threw in a cucumber, what would that taste like? Yummy! I put 1/4 of the juice in a glass filled the rest with seltzer water. What a nice FRESH refreshing low calorie drink. If you ever see a juicer for $39.99 (perhaps you live by a "Aldi"), give it a try. I'm going to try my own version of V-8 juice tomorrow.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

I always make a salad with my main meal of the day. After years of buying store bought salad dressing, I started making my own. I now can't even tolerate store bought salad dressing. Homemade is so much better and so easy. One of my favorite salad dressings is balsamic vinaigrette , easy, right? The following is the best I've made. Give it a try, you'll be surprised how easy it is.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Blue Agave Sweetener (you can use brown sugar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine.
Enjoy!

Crustless Spinach Quiche

I had the pleasure this past weekend of a visit from my sister Maria. What to make for breakfast, she's on the "Atkins Diet", so that means meat, and cheese, well the meat part was out for me, I thought hmmm... how about a nice quiche, that diet is all about eggs. So after looking over my many recipes I found this one. It was delicious, in fact Maria liked it so much she asked me for the recipe! We both decided this would make a nice lunch or dinner if you added a salad.
I hope you try it for any meal of the day.
Crustless Spinach Quiche
Serves 4
Cooking Spray
4 oz smoked Gouda cheese, cut into 4 pieces ( I used cheddar)
1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 large eggs plus 2 egg whites
1 15 oz container part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 to 8 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven, place a baking sheet on the rack and preheat to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9" round or 8" square baking dish with cooking spray.

Pulse the Gouda (or cheddar) in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the spinach, whole eggs and egg whites, ricotta, flour and nutmeg and process until well combined about 30 seconds. Add the scallions and pulse to mix.
Pour the mixture in the prepared dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan and paprika. Place the quiche on the preheated baking sheet and bake until the center is just set, 25 to 30 minutes.
Calories 389
ENJOY!

A Very Yummy Low Calorie Dinner

My quest to come up with a dinner I can serve not only myself but my family brought me to this recipe. I made spaghetti sauce which I had left over. I thought "how can I use the sauce without making the usual pasta with it?" I found this recipe from Dr. Dean Ornish Book, "Everyday Cooking" give it a try!
Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna
2 cups diced mushrooms
1 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach
1 cup nonfat ricotta cheese (I used low fat)
1/4 cup liquid egg substitute
1/4 cup fresh basil chiffonade (I didn't have fresh so I used 1 teaspoon dried basil)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 pound dried shell noodles
3 cups Marinara Sauce (or use your leftover spaghetti sauce like I did!)
1/2 cup grated nonfat mozzarella (I used low fat)
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
In a saucepan, combine mushrooms, onion, garlic and 1/4 cup water. Simmer, covered, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Uncover and simmer until liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes.
Put frozen spinach in a bowl and microwave until hot throughout, about 5 minutes. Do not drain. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in ricotta, egg substitute, basil, salt, nutmeg and the cooked mushrooms, onion and garlic. Stir well.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cook shells in boiling water until just tender (check package for timing). Drain well.
Stuff shells with mushroom mixture.
Place 1 cup sauce in bottom of baking pan, top with stuffed shells, cover with sauce, sprinkle with cheese, bake uncovered until hot about 30 minutes.
Serve with this delicious Caesar Salad also from Dr. Ornish' book.
Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
Serves 4
Homemade Croutons:
1 day-old baguette, in 3/8 inch dice
Caesar Dressing:
1/2 cup nonfat or low fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoon grated Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, mined
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 large head romaine, washed dried and chopped into bite-size pieces.
Make croutons: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put diced bread on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Make Caesar dressing: Put all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk to blend.
T assemble salad, put romaine in a salad bowl. Add 1 cup croutons and half the dressing. Toss well to coat leaves evenly with dressing. Serve immediately.
Enjoy this low calorie dinner for less than 350 calories!
Remember, keep that heart happy!

New Start...Breakfast

Another new start. I gained 5 lbs over the holidays. Now instead of losing 10lbs, I have to lose 15!
I'm always looking for breakfast ideas. They say that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" I agree. I was looking through my old cooking magazines for recipes. I found a great breakfast idea in my "Cooking Light" magazine. I'm amazed by the number of great vegetarian recipes are in this magazine. The recipe I came across is:
Crisp Potato Hash Browns
Yield 8 servings (1 hash brown per serving) Calories:97
4 cups shredded peeled baking potato (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Cooking spray
1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. Place potato in a large bowl, and cover with cold water. Let stand 5 minutes. Drain and rinse potato. Pat dry with paper towels. Combine potato, onions, green pepper in bowl. Add cornstarch, salt, pepper and onion powder, toss well to coat.
3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, coat thoroughly with cooking spray. Place a 3-inch biscuit cutter (I used a 3" round cookie cutter) on prepared baking sheet. Fill with 1/2 cup potato mixture (do not pack). Carefully remove cutter, repeat with remaining mixture. Coat tops of potato patties with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown.
I served with 1 piece rye bread and 1/4 cup scrambled egg beater, a great breakfast for less than 300 calories!
Enjoy! Let's get that heart healthy and waistline thinner!