Oatmeal Bake

Holy YUM!

This recipe is a meal prepper's dream!!! I had seen one of my absolutely amazing friends, Sarina, post photos of this over and over and finally I had to make it. Sarina is a sensational mom, Beachbody coach, Zumba instructor and a great friend. She is seriously the bees-knees and she knows her stuff!!! If you are interested in her coaching, etc check out her page: Sarina's Beachbody Page - what whaaaaat! This is not my brain child at all but I had to share given the ease of making this, the flexibility to make variations and how darn GOOD it was!!! This recipe is from Broke and Boujie, although I did modify the maple syrup a little (because you guys know how I feel about sugar).


Ingredients:

• 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats (or Steel Cut)
• 1/4 Cup Natural Maple Syrup
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 Cup Raspberries
• 1 Cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 Cups unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Banana, peeled and sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, syrup, cinnamon, baking powder, half of the raspberries and walnuts. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, egg and vanilla. Stir until the egg and vanilla are totally beaten in.

Spray a brownie pan with cooking spray or olive oil or coconut oil. Spread the oatmeal mixture out evenly in the pan.

Pour the milk-egg mixture over top of the oat mixture. Shake the pan gently to spread the liquid evenly.

Top it with the remaining raspberries, walnut and banana slices and throw it in the oven for 35-40 minutes and enjoy the amazing smell.

Let it cool before you eat it.

 

Alternate Toppings:

-      Blueberries, banana and cashew

-      Almonds, strawberry, blackberry

-      ½ cup pumpkin puree, 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice and pecans

Kale & White Bean Quesadilla

Who doesn't LOVE cheese? I know, I know, I am a dietitian and I know what cheese is and what it can do to your body. That being said- it's still amazing and delicious. If used correctly, you don't need a lot to make a flavor impact on your dish and still eat something super yummy.

I have been feeling a little uninspired as of late for some new recipes so I turned to old faithful, Pinterest. As always, I was diving through hoards of unhealthy recipes and looking for something special. Then I found the inspiration for these quesadillas from the blog Running to the Kitchen.
The original recipe looks so delicious but packs a whopping 2 cups of cheese! Now,for the purposes of my blog I knew I had to trim that don but boost up some other flavors so I didn't feel like I was missing out. After 2 attempts, I found what I was looking for! Here is my take on Kale & White Bean Quesadillas that are a high fiber, low fat, excellent source of plant protein and PACKED with yum!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well

4-5 leaves tuscan kale, stems removed and ripped into small leaves

8 tbsp. low shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese alternative)

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

3 whole wheat Flat Out Wraps or whole wheat wrap of your choice

 

1. In a medium skillet, brown onions, green peppers and garlic in olive oil for about 10 minutes on low. The onions should become somewhat clear in the middle and slightly browned on the edges.

2. Add cannellini beans, black pepper, onion & garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Cook beans in onion mixture until beans are tender, on medium for about 10 minutes.

3.Take a potato smasher or a large fork/knife and mash mixture thoroughly.

4. Place 1 wrap on a griddle pan set to medium. To one half of the wrap: add 2 tbsp. of cheddar cheese and 2-3 heaping spoonfuls of bean mixture. Then add kale leaves to cover top of bean mixture. Again top with 2 tbsp. cheddar cheese.

5. Carefully fold the empty half of the wrap over the top of the filling.

6. Using a spatula, carefully flip the quesadilla over to melt the cheese you added in the final step of #4.

7. Cook until cheese is melted and enjoy!!

 

This recipe makes 3 hearty, delicious quesadillas! Enjoy!!!

 

Apple & Bulgar Stuffed Acorn Squash

I was gifted a big bag of acorn and butternut squash a few weeks back and wasn't exactly sure what  I wanted to do with them because lately I have been short on time and preparing mostly quick, healthy meals. On one of the acorn squash I noticed a sticker with instructions on how to microwave the acorn squash. I had never though of that before! With that info in mind I decided to whip up a delicious autumn meal in under 15 minutes!

Ingredients
1 acorn squash (about the size of a grapefruit)
1 cup dry bulgur wheat
1 medium apple (I used jazz)
2 medjool dates
2 tbsp craisins
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 medium onion
olive oil spray
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Slice acorn squash in half, remove the seeds and spray with olive oil spray. Place cut side up in microwave for 6 minutes.
2. In a medium sauce pan add two cups of cold water to one cup of dry bulgur wheat. Set on medium-high. Once it comes to a boil reduce to low and cook for 12-15 minutes or until tender.
3. Add coconut oil to a saute pan.
4. Chop onion and add to coconut oil.
5. When acorn squash is finished cooking, scoop out flesh with a spoon. Run a knife through the chunks and add to onion.
6. Chop apples and dates and add acorn squash mixture. Add craisins. Saute for 5-6 minutes.
7. When bulgur is cooked, add to pan with apple mixture. Add cinnamon and pecans to mixture.
8. Scoop into the shells of the acorn squash & enjoy!

Optional:
Adding a cooking sweet potato would have bee FANTASTIC but I didn't have any in my pantry!

TIPS:
Make this gluten free by using amaranth, quinoa or brown rice instead of bulgur.

Chick Pea and Spinach Sauté

Recently I was in Atalntic City for a bachelorette party and we dined at a tapas restaurant in Revel Casino called Amada (a Jose Garces restaurant). The restaurant offered a pretty extensive menu of tapas or Spanish style appetizers, finger foods and snacks. This restaurant offered gourmet tapas and I was just in heaven! S many items were absolutely delicious but one in particular stood out, the "Espinacas con garbanzos". Let me say that my version was not anywhere as amazing as the version I had however, it is so delicious in a different way. Give it a whirl! 

Ingredients 

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 can garbanzo beans 

2 cups frozen spinach 

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp red pepper flakes

4 heaping tbsp tomato sauce 

Salt and pepper

1) Heat olive oil in a large saucepan until hot. 

2) Add 1/2 can chickpeas to skillet carefully (the chickpeas will cause the oil to pop so be careful). 

3) Cook chickpeas on medium-high heat for ~10 minutes until crispy. Set aside. 

4) In a different skillet, cook spinach in a small amount of water until wilted. Drain water when spinach is completed. 

5) Add tomato sauce, spinach, seasonings and garlic to the 2nd skillet. Cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. 

6) Add other 1/2 can of chickpeas and lemon juice to spinach mixture. Cook for 5-7 minutes. 

7) Add original crispy chickpeas and fold into the spinach mixture. 

8) Allow to rest for a few minutes. 

This can be served alone, with a hearty Italian bread or over quinoa! 

 

Nutrition Information

285 calories per serving
34 gm carbohydrates
13gm fat
0 gm saturated fat10gm protein

62mg sodium
2gm sugar
8 gm fiber

1 Pan Vegetable Stew

Hi Everyone!
I just began the final leg of my nutrition internships yesterday! I am still going to try to post as much as a I can but make sure you keep an eye on my Facebook and Twitter accounts for  items as I make them. This stew was inspired by my friend Marielle. We share a lot of similar food interests; she is a more strict vegetarian than I am and has made her own version of this twice recently. She always sends me pictures and I decided that I was going to tackle it today! In total, this really only took about 30 minutes from start to finish. I happened to have all of these items on hand but this would make for a beautiful post-farmer's market meal! Not pictured, I enjoyed this with a nice triangle of ciabatta! Mmmm!

Ingredients
1 can crushed tomatoes (28oz)
1 can chick peas, drained (15oz)
4 stems kale, chopped & including stems
3 large portobello mushroon caps
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
~ 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
4-5 stems scallions, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

1) On medium heat add olive oil, onion and garlic. Allow to brown slightly.
2) Add kale and tomatoes. Cook about 5 minutes until becomes wilted.
3) Add chick peas, mushrooms, scallions and garlic. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Sauce will reduce slightly.
4) Zest the 1/2 lemon and squeeze juice into mixture. Add parsley.
5) Cook on medium low for 4-5 minutes more.
6) Rest for 2-3 minutes.
Enjoy!

It is really the easiest meal to make! The most time is spent chopping everything up!

Options:
1) If you are not a vegetarian simple add meat. Chicken or ground turkey would be fabulous.
2) If you don't have parsley, basil would be a great substitute. I would imagine dried herbs would also work well but not provide the fresh flavor.
3) If you don't have scallions they can be omitted entirely. They are a member of the onion family and mine were going to go bad if I didn't use them.

Veggie & Bean Soup

Veggie & Bean Soup!

Hey Everyone! I hope you are all doing well and being safe after the Hurricane Sandy craziness we have all experienced over the last 48 hours! As most of you probably know by now, cooking relaxes me, so I decided to make a hearty soup to ease the nerves from the recent events. I was also away for 3 days before the hurricane so when I returned home, I had some veggies that needed to be cooked or they'd go bad. I also had a slight case of cabin fever where I was eating pretty much everything in sight! :) Most of it was pretty healthy but this soup will fix me up! I loved using the Spaghetti Squash as noodles in this dish! Delicious and low in carbs!

Ingredients:
32oz low-sodium vegetable broth
2.5 cups chopped kale
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 box frozen lima beans (10oz)
4 carrots
1 spaghetti squash
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 medium onion
olive oil
3 cloves garlic
3 bay leaves
Italian Seasoning
Black pepper

1) Preheat oven to 425F. Slice spaghetti squash in 2 and place face-down on a roasting sheet. Place in oven for 30 minutes.
2) In a large pot, pour in 4Tbsp olive oil and heat on medium high.
3) Chop onion and add to pot.
4) Mince garlic and add to pot.
5) Allow onion and garlic to sweat (about 4-5 minutes). Stirring every minute or so.
6) Add vegetable stock, bouillon and 2 cups of warm water. Allow to boil.
7) Slice carrots.
8) When liquid is boiling, add kale, carrots, spinach, frozen lima beans, rinsed kidney beans, 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning and 3 bay leaves.
9) Cook soup on high for 15 minutes, then turn down to medium-low.
10) When spaghetti squash is finished roasting, remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before handling.
11) Using a fork or pasta spoon (or my pastasaurus :), scrape inside of spaghetti squash. The insides will pull like spaghetti noodles. Add the noodles from 1 half of a squash to the soup.
12) Allow to cook for 10 more minutes on medium-low.

When "noodles" are al dente, turn off heat and enjoy!!!

Rawr!!!!!
My Pastasaurus! My brother's lovely girlfriend, Allie gave it to me for Christmas last year!!! Love it! 

Tips:
a) Remove the seeds from the squash before roasting, makes for easier removal of "noodles".
b) You can make this simple soup with anything you have around your kitchen. Feel free to add potatoes, celery or broccoli.
c) If you are not a "salty" person, you can also sub the stock for low-sodium stock or remove the bouillon cube.
d) If you want a Pastasaurus, here is the Amazon link.

Kale Chips!

I didn't have time to take a picture of my finished product because I was Skyping with a friend and munching away. This is what they look like when done!
Photo Credit:  Kalyn's Kitchen

So I posted a photo of kale chips on my Facebook page a while back and I have gotten a lot of requests for the recipe. Kale is one of the world's superfoods and is very high in Vitamins K, C & A! It is high in fiber and pretty darn delicious, too!

I am a potato chip kind of person. I love the crunchy, salty, greasy aspect of it. But guess what? Crunchy, salty, greasy isn't great for your outsides or insides. Kale chips are a perfect way to get the craving for the crunchy, salty, greasy without all the negative side effects.

Ingredients
1 bunch kale
Olive oil in a misto (or olive oil spray)
Sea Salt Grinder
Black Peppercorn Grinder
Baking sheet pan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
1) Thoroughly wash and dry kale.
2) Using a knife, slice the leafy portion off of the center stem of all of the kale.
3) Cut the kale leaves into "chip sized" portions. I like tortilla sized kale chips, about 1 inch x 2 inch.
4) Spray olive oil on the sheet pan.
5) Spread kale out on the sheet pan. Try not to let leaves overlap. You may need to make two batch or use 2 sheet pans.
6) Lightly spray the kale with the olive oil. The idea is to provide a light coating and not soak the kale. Soaking it will cause the kale to get soggy and not achieve the crispy, chippy effect.
7) Using the sea salt and peppercorn grinders season to taste.
** Kale doesn't need much seasoning so I wouldn't advise going overboard with the salt. The natural flavor is delightful. Enjoy it!
8) Bake for 7-10 minutes. Keep an eye on your kale. If the edges begin to darken, it's done.

Tips
a) Save the stems of the kale in a freezer bag to make your own vegetable stock! Mmmm!
b) Kale smells absolutely putrid as it bakes. PUTRID! Don't let it discourage you from trying this tasty, healthy snack!

Kale me, baby!

Have a delicious day!!!! xoxox

Chili: Part 2!

Out of chaos comes clarity! My life has been crazy, crazy, crazy lately! I was inspired to revamp my chili recipe after meeting with a nutrition client last night. It is a combination of my own recipe and some inspiration from a fabulous site called: cookingcomically.com. The writer of that blog is a creative and hilarious cook and his recipes kill! Enjoy!!!!!!

Ingredients:

3 T olive oil
1 package soy crumbles
1 cup water
1 chopped green pepper
½ chopped red pepper
½ chopped yellow pepper
½ white onion chopped
½ red onion chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups pasta sauce
1 can no added salt kidney beans, drained
1 can butter beans, drained
1 T red crushed red pepper flakes
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
1 T paprika
1 T cumin
1 T sugar
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Get up close and personal with your food!

In a large pot, add 3 T olive oil at medium heat.
Add both varieties of chopped onion and allow to simmer until edges start to become somewhat golden.
Add soy crumbles and water to pot. Stir so crumbles break apart.
The contents of your pot will begin to sizzle. Add water, celery & chopped peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
Drain and add kidney & butter beans to chili mixture. Stir well.
Add 2 cups of pasta sauce to mixture. Stir well.
In a sealable container such as a zip baggie or plastic container, mix all dry seasonings together in this container. Seal and shake it up!
Add seasoning to the chili mixture and stir well.
Reduce heat and stir occasionally. Cook for about 30-45 minutes.
Serve hot & enjoy!

Tips/Tricks:
1)The sauce used in the images above is homemade. If you do not have access/time to homemade sauce, try to find one that contains little sugar and preservatives. The less junk in your chili, the better!

2) If you are NOT vegetarian and would like to add ground meat to this recipe, I would suggest first cooking the meat and draining it before adding to mixture. My recommendations would be ground turkey/ chicken.

3) I love to enjoy my chili with a corn muffin. Until I perfect a recipe, I swear by Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. It take 15 minutes to prepare and it really delicious! No high fructose corn syrup, too!

4)  Try topping this fabu dessert with fat free cheese, sour cream or enjoy with whole grain crackers.

5) Chili is wonderful to freeze! Make this whole recipe and freeze for a great go-to lunch or dinner!