Month: November 2018

Sausage & Kale Stir Fry

November 22, 2018

Sausage-Vegetable Stir Fry

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4 from 1 vote

Sausage & Kale Stir Fry

Easy 30 Minute Kale & Sausage Stir Fry is a great way to increase your vegetable intake. It was originally published by Andy, a registered dietitian and food blogger at beautifuleatsandthings.com.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 224kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb turkey smoked sausage cut into pieces
  • 1 whole green bell pepper sliced
  • 1 whole red bell pepper sliced
  • 1 whole yellow bell pepper sliced
  • 1 small onion sliced
  • 1 bunch kale stems removed
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tsp creole seasoning
  • Salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat a large skillet to medium heat and add oil. Add in bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add smoked sausage to skillet and cook until slightly browned. Add kale and seasonings, and cook until kale has wilted.
  • Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

Nutritional Information: 6 Servings, Calories 221, Carbohydrates 11g, Fat 15g, Protein 11g, Saturated Fat 3g, Fiber 1g, Sugars 0g

Nutrition

Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1142mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg

Demo 2 Recipe

November 22, 2018

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Demo Recipe

This must be the best demo recipe I have ever seen. I could eat this every single day.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Cuisine: DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), Egg Free Allergy Recipes, Low Saturated Fat, Peanut Free, Reduced Calorie, Soy Free
Servings: 2 people
Calories:

Ingredients

Fresh Pesto

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 12.5 g pine kernels
  • 50 g basil leaves
  • 6.25 cl olive oil extra virgin

Instructions

Fresh Pesto (you can make this in advance)

  • We'll be using a food processor to make the pesto. Put the garlic, pine kernels and some salt in there and process briefly.
  • Add the basil leaves (but keep some for the presentation) and blend to a green paste.
  • While processing, gradually add the olive oil and finally add the Parmesan cheese.

Finishing the dish

  • Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook your tagliatelle al dente.
  • Use the cooking time of the pasta to sauté your bacon strips.
  • After about 8 to 10 minutes, the pasta should be done. Drain it and put it back in the pot to mix it with the pesto.
  • Present the dish with some fresh basil leaves on top.

Notes

Use this section for whatever you like.

Baked Cauliflower Tots With Cheddar

November 13, 2018

Nutrition Snapshot

  • Each serving uses about half a pound of cauliflower, in a shape most children already eat without argument.
  • A serving carries about 17 grams of protein and about 5 grams of fiber from the cauliflower and the cheese.
  • The cheese makes these higher in saturated fat, so the notes give a version that uses less cheese.

Cauliflower tots are riced cauliflower squeezed dry, bound with cheddar, Parmesan, egg, and a little oat flour, then baked until the edges brown. They taste like a cheese crisp with a soft middle. They hold their shape when you wring enough water out of the cooked cauliflower and leave room between them on the pan. Frozen florets work and skip the steaming step.

Why These Are Great When You Have a Picky Eater

A child who pushes cauliflower to the side of the plate is usually refusing the form it arrives in. Steamed florets are wet, strong-smelling, and unfamiliar. Grate that same cauliflower fine, bake it into a small crisp shape, and it tastes like food the child already eats. Changing the form is what raises a picky eater’s vegetable count for the week.

Cauliflower is the entire body of these tots, about half a pound per serving. The cheddar and Parmesan supply the flavor a child will accept, and their protein and fat firm the tots up once the egg sets. The oat flour takes up the last of the moisture so the outside crisps.

Cauliflower carries about 2 grams of fiber per cup, so a serving of eight tots comes to about 5 grams, a real share of a child’s day. The arithmetic for a full day of fiber is in Fiber Math: Getting to 30 Grams a Day Without Trying.

Frozen Cauliflower Skips the Steaming Step

A 24-ounce bag of frozen cauliflower florets replaces one large fresh head and arrives already blanched. Thaw it fully in a colander, then squeeze it dry. Fresh cauliflower needs seven minutes of steaming first. Buy block cheddar and grate it yourself where you can, since pre-shredded cheese carries a starch coating that keeps the outside of the tots from crisping.

One Tray Feeds the Picky Eater and the Adults

Serve the child’s portion plain, with ketchup on the side. For the adults, leave the tots in for two extra minutes and spoon over plain Greek yogurt stirred with lemon juice, garlic powder, and black pepper. A teenager who eats twelve tots instead of eight takes in about 25 grams of protein from the same tray.

Freeze the Tots Raw and Bake Them From Frozen

Shape the whole batch, freeze the tots on the sheet pan for an hour, then move them to a freezer bag. They keep about three months. Bake from frozen at 425 degrees for 28 to 32 minutes, turning once. Baked tots hold four days in the refrigerator and crisp again in a hot oven or an air fryer; a microwave leaves them soft.

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Baked Cauliflower Tots With Cheddar

Riced cauliflower squeezed dry, bound with cheddar, Parmesan, and oat flour, then baked on one pan until the edges brown.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cauliflower, cauliflower tots, freezer friendly, gluten-free, high fiber, kid-friendly, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings (about 8 tots)
Calories: 295kcal

Equipment

  • Sheet pan (rimmed
  • 13 by 18 inches)
  • parchment paper
  • Steamer Basket
  • Colander
  • Food processor
  • Kitchen Towel
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds cauliflower florets fresh or thawed from frozen
  • 1 egg large
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese sharp, shredded
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1/3 cup oat flour organic, labeled gluten free
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper ground
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil extra-virgin

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and rub the olive oil over the parchment.
  • Steam the cauliflower florets in a steamer basket for 7 minutes, until a fork goes in with light pressure. Skip this step if you are using thawed frozen florets.
  • Drain the cauliflower in a colander and let it cool for 10 minutes.
  • Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor 8 to 10 times, until it looks like coarse rice.
  • Pile the riced cauliflower into the center of a kitchen towel, gather the corners, and wring it out over the sink until no more water runs.
  • Put the squeezed cauliflower in a mixing bowl. You should have about 2 cups.
  • Add the egg, cheddar, Parmesan, oat flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
  • Mix with a spatula until the mixture holds together when you press a spoonful in your hand.
  • Scoop a rounded tablespoon of the mixture, press it firm in your palm, and roll it into a short cylinder. Repeat to make about 32 tots.
  • Set the tots on the sheet pan with half an inch of space between them.
  • Bake for 15 minutes. Turn each tot and bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until both sides are brown.
  • Let the tots sit on the pan for 5 minutes before serving. They firm up as they cool.

Notes

One serving is about 8 tots, roughly 175 grams.
Less saturated fat. Use 3/4 cup cheddar and 1/4 cup Parmesan, and add 2 tablespoons more oat flour to replace the bulk. The tots still hold together and each serving drops about a third of its saturated fat.
No food processor. Grate the raw florets on the large holes of a box grater, then steam the gratings for 4 minutes instead of 7.
Oat flour swap. Almond flour works at a third of a cup for a third of a cup. Anyone with celiac disease should buy oat flour labeled gluten free, since oats are often milled on equipment shared with wheat.
Frozen cauliflower. A 24-ounce bag of frozen florets replaces the fresh head. Thaw it fully, drain, and squeeze. No steaming needed.
Freeze them raw. Shape the batch, freeze the tots on the sheet pan for an hour, then move them to a freezer bag. They keep about three months. Bake from frozen at 425 degrees for 28 to 32 minutes, turning once.
Reheat. A hot oven or an air fryer crisps baked tots again. A microwave leaves them soft.
Dip. Plain Greek yogurt stirred with lemon juice, garlic powder, and black pepper. Ketchup for the child’s plate.
Leftovers become a side for eggs at breakfast, or a lunchbox item eaten at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 405mg | Potassium: 773mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Calcium: 362mg | Iron: 2mg | Magnesium: 62mg | Phosphorus: 358mg | Choline: 142mg

Gluten Free

Nothing in these tots contains wheat. Oat flour is the line to check, because oats are often milled on equipment shared with wheat, so anyone with celiac disease should buy oat flour labeled gluten free. If you avoid gluten by preference, ordinary oat flour is fine. Almond flour swaps in at a third of a cup for a third of a cup.

Go deeper

Fiber Math: Getting to 30 Grams a Day Without Trying (food.nutriscape.net)

Fiber (supplement-sciences.nutriscape.net)

Whole-Wheat Turkey Pizza Pockets for the Lunchbox

November 13, 2018

Nutrition Snapshot

  • One pocket carries about 20 grams of protein, enough to hold a school-age child through the afternoon.
  • Each pocket brings about 4 grams of fiber from the whole-wheat dough and the spinach in the filling.
  • Most of the saturated fat comes from the mozzarella, so drop to a cup and a half and add extra marinara.

These are pizza pockets built from scratch: a soft whole-wheat yeast dough folded around ground turkey, marinara, mozzarella, and a little turkey pepperoni. The dough mixes in ten minutes and rises while the filling cooks. Baked, they come out crisp at the edge and molten inside. One batch makes twelve, and they reheat straight from the freezer.

Why These Are Great for Packing School Lunches

A lunch built mostly on bread and a thin layer of filling empties fast, and hunger returns within the hour. Protein and fiber slow that down. Protein takes longer to digest, so the stomach stays fuller for longer. Fiber slows how fast the starch in the dough turns into blood sugar.

The ground turkey supplies about 7 of the 20 grams of protein in one pocket, the mozzarella about 5, and the whole-wheat dough about 4. Ground turkey is the protein that carries this recipe, and the pepperoni is there for flavor in a small amount. Whole-wheat flour is also where the fiber comes from.

Three cups of chopped spinach cook down into the turkey and disappear into the sauce, which is how the vegetable gets past a child who picks vegetables out. The dough uses organic whole-wheat flour, since wheat is one of the crops sprayed with glyphosate before harvest. The explainer on protein at lunch carries the dose arithmetic.

Microwaving the Pepperoni First Takes Out Some of the Fat

Lay the pepperoni slices on a paper towel, cover with a second towel, and microwave for 30 seconds. The towels come away greasy, and that grease is saturated fat that would otherwise sit in the filling. The slices also crisp slightly, which keeps them from making the dough soggy. This step costs half a minute and changes the fat number on the card.

No-Sugar-Added Marinara and Uncured Pepperoni Change the Numbers

Jarred marinara is permitted here, and the label is where the choice happens. Buy a no-sugar-added marinara; the sweetened ones add several grams of sugar per batch and nothing to the flavor. For the pepperoni, look for uncured turkey pepperoni, which carries less saturated fat than pork pepperoni. Sodium is the number to compare across marinara brands, since it varies more than anything else on the label.

A Batch of Twelve Freezes Flat and Comes Back Crisp

Cool the baked pockets completely on the pan, then freeze them in a single layer on that pan for an hour before bagging. Frozen separately, they stay loose in the bag, so you pull one at a time. They keep three months.

To reheat, bake from frozen at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes, or use a toaster oven. A pocket packed frozen in the morning thaws by lunch and can be eaten cool, which is what a lunchbox needs.

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Whole-Wheat Turkey Pizza Pockets for the Lunchbox

A freezer batch of twelve pizza pockets on soft whole-wheat dough, filled with ground turkey, spinach, marinara, and mozzarella. One pocket carries about 20 grams of protein.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Rise45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: freezer meals, ground turkey, lunchbox, make ahead, pizza pockets, whole wheat
Servings: 12 pockets
Calories: 263kcal

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowls
  • Large skillet (12-inch)
  • Sheet pan (rimmed
  • 13 by 18 inches)
  • parchment paper
  • Freezer Bags

Ingredients

Dough

  • 3 cups organic whole wheat flour plus more for rolling
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 2 percent
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup warm water about 110 degrees

Filling

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey 93 percent lean
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 cups organic baby spinach finely chopped
  • 1 cup marinara sauce no sugar added
  • 2 ounces uncured turkey pepperoni about 36 slices
  • 8 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese shredded

Assembly

  • 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

  • Whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the yogurt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and warm water, then stir until a shaggy dough forms.
  • Knead the dough in the bowl for 5 minutes, until it is smooth and slightly tacky.
  • Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
  • Lay the pepperoni slices between two paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds, then set them aside.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add the ground turkey and cook for 6 minutes, breaking it apart, until it is cooked through.
  • Stir in the oregano, garlic powder, fennel seed, and black pepper, and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the chopped spinach and cook for 2 minutes, until it wilts.
  • Stir in the marinara and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Take the skillet off the heat and let the filling cool for 10 minutes.
  • Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  • Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each one into a 6 by 5 inch rectangle on a floured counter.
  • Spoon about 3 tablespoons of filling onto one half of each rectangle.
  • Top the filling with 3 pepperoni slices and about 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella.
  • Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together with a fork.
  • Set the pockets on the lined sheet pan and brush the tops with the beaten egg.
  • Cut two small vents in the top of each pocket with a knife.
  • Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the tops are deep golden.
  • Cool the pockets on the pan for at least 20 minutes before eating.
  • To freeze, arrange the cooled pockets in a single layer on the pan, freeze for 1 hour, then move them to freezer bags.

Notes

Lower the saturated fat: use 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella instead of 2 cups and add 1/4 cup more marinara to the filling.
Lower the sodium: leave out the pepperoni and add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika to the turkey.
No rolling pin: a straight-sided drinking glass or a wine bottle rolls the dough.
Freezing: freeze the cooled pockets in a single layer for 1 hour before bagging so they stay loose. They keep 3 months.
Reheating: bake from frozen at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes, or use a toaster oven. A pocket packed frozen in the morning thaws by lunch and can be eaten cool.
Meatless version: swap the ground turkey for one 15-ounce can of white beans, drained, rinsed, and mashed. A cup and a half of home-cooked dried beans replaces the can if you would rather skip the can lining.
For a child who picks vegetables out: chop the spinach very fine so it disappears into the sauce.
Leftovers become: a fast dinner with a green salad, or an after-school snack straight from the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 485mg | Potassium: 411mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 2mg | Magnesium: 72mg | Phosphorus: 330mg | Choline: 47mg

Gluten Free

The dough is the one source of gluten here. Swap the whole-wheat flour for a cup-for-cup gluten-free baking blend that already contains xanthan gum, and add about two tablespoons more water. The dough will be softer, so roll it between two sheets of parchment.

If you have celiac disease, the label check extends past the flour. Pepperoni, marinara, and dried spice blends can all carry wheat starch or barley, so buy versions labeled gluten free. People who avoid gluten by preference can skip that step.

Go deeper

  • How Much Protein a School Lunch Needs (food.nutriscape.net)
  • Fiber (supplement-sciences.nutriscape.net)

Psyllium Bread

November 6, 2018


She calls it “the life changing loaf of bread” and if you are dealing with constipation, she’s right!  Psyllium husk contains soluble fiber that helps regulate the your bowel whether you are dealing with constipation or diarrhea. You can buy psyllium in bulk and add it to certain recipes.

Another great point is the fact that this will bring your cholesterol down by trapping the cholesterol in your digestive tract and preventing it from being re-absorbed into the blood.

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