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May 27, 2010
Lettuce Eat Cake!
Cake Baking 101 - If you're looking to modify your dessert recipes it helps to know what role specific ingredients play when baking.
Flour: thickens the batter and provides structure. Overmixing causes your cake to be tough.
Leaveners: (baking soda and powder) produce carbon dioxide bubbles which helps the cake rise in the oven.
Fats: (butter, shortening, oil) provide for a moist cake with a tender texture. Also adds flavor.
Sugar: tenderizes; absorbs liquid, making the cake moist; and caramelizes in baking, which enriches the flavor and helps the cake brown.
Eggs: become firm when cooked, which helps the cake set. Emulsifiers in the yolk allows fat and water to mix smoothly and ensures even texture.
It takes a little trial and error to get a modified recipe just right. Don't be surprised if it doesn't come out perfect the first time!
btw -visit lettuceeatcake.weebly.com and see how this group is battling weight loss together!
Posted by Lisa at 9:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 24, 2010
Meatless Monday: Black-Bean Toss
Ingredients
4 5-inch corn tortillas
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup chopped red onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 large mangoes, peeled and diced
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco (or to taste)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
8 cups mixed baby greens
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Stack the tortillas and cut them into 1/4-inch-wide strips, then toss with 1 tablespoon of the canola oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the cumin and the salt. Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray; arrange the strips in a single layer and bake 10 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, and remaining cumin; cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in remaining canola oil and the mangoes, black beans, lime juice, Tabasco, and cilantro.
3. Divide the greens among four plates and top with the bean mixture and tortilla crisps.
Nutrition facts per serving: 368 calories, 17g protein, 62g carbohydrate, 12g fat (0.9g saturated), 14g fiber
Originally published in FITNESS magazine, May 2010.
Posted by Lisa at 8:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 20, 2010
Gluten-Free Meals
Gluten-Free Weekly is a new meal planning service for home cooks who want gluten-free dishes. The service offers various subscriptions that cost from $5 to $8 a month and feature weekly dinner recipes, side dish suggestions and shopping lists. Visit www.glutenfreeweekly.com.
Posted by Lisa at 8:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 17, 2010
Spicy Avocado Spread
1 ripe medium avocado
2/3 cup canned white or cannellini beans
2 generous sprigs of cilantro
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 green jalapeno, chopped
1/2 tsp green Tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp salt
Rinse and drain beans. In a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Use as a spread for sandwiches or as a dip for vegetables. Serves 6
Serving size: 3-4 Tbsp
Kcal: 80
Fat 5 g
Sat fat .5 g
Trans fat 0g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 105 mg
Carb 8g
Fiber 4 g
Sugar 0 g
Protein 2 g
Posted by Lisa at 7:09 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 14, 2010
35 Dietitians and A Guy Gone Wild!
This is a great reminder written by fellow RD Jenna A Bell, PhD, RD, CSSD. Even dietitians splurge on not-so-healthy foods...but these foods are not part of our daily diets. Dietitian's favorite word: moderation! Hmmm...what's my splurge food? Chili's Skillet Queso! Cheese dip and seasoned beef, fried chips and salsa.
Check out her article:
Sure, all foods can fit in your diet. You're right, you shouldn't feel emotional guilt about what you put in your mouth. Feel guilty if you purposely run over your neighbor's cat, but don't waste those feelings on food and nutrition. We should eat until we are satiated...balance our calories with our activity...consume a variety of foods...all in moderation. That said, sometimes we must stray. We must go wild. We adore some foods that provide us very little nutritional value, are dense in calories and fat (rather than vitamins and minerals), are just too salty and fried, or even processed in a way that make us question whether they deserve to be called "real food".
Click here for the full article
Posted by Lisa at 9:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 13, 2010
In Season: Cherries
Succulent sweet cherries are only available during the late spring and early summer, so make sure to enjoy your fill. Sweet cherries are high in fiber and potassium, while remaining low in calories―just 1 cup of sweet cherries is about 100 calories. The intense color of cherries is due partly to their anthocyanin content.
Anthocyanins are a type of plant chemical (phytochemical) that are believed to be high in antioxidant activity. The best cherries are large (an inch or more in diameter), plump, firm, and rich in color and are equally delicious as a snack or dessert.
Posted by Lisa at 3:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 10, 2010
Chocolate-Cherry Heart Smart Cookies
1.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
1.5 ounces whole-wheat flour (about 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup dried cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Cooking spray
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; add brown sugar, stirring until smooth. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add cherries, vanilla, and egg; beat until combined. Fold in chocolate. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Cool on pans 3 minutes or until almost firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.
Makes 30 cookies, 1 serving = 1 cookie
CALORIES 94 ; FAT 3.2g (sat 1.6g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.2g); CHOLESTEROL 10mg; CALCIUM 15mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.7g; SODIUM 88mg; PROTEIN 1.5g; FIBER 1.3g; IRON 0.6mg
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2010
Posted by Lisa at 2:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 8, 2010
Physical Activity Guidelines
The government's latest physical activity guidelines recommend:
Keep track by the week. Adults need at least 2½ hours of moderate-intensity activity each week, such as brisk walking, or 1¼ hours of a vigorous-intensity activity, such as jogging or swimming laps, or a combination of the two types. These activities should be done in at least 10-minute bouts and can be spread throughout the week.
Get more ambitious.For even more health benefits, engage in 5 hours of moderate-intensity physical activity each week or 2½ hours of vigorous activity.
Strengthen those muscles.Adults should do muscle-strengthening activities at a moderate- or high-intensity level for all major muscle groups two or more days a week, including exercises for the chest, back, shoulders, upper legs, hips, abdomen and lower legs. The exercises can be done with free weights or machines, resistance bands, calisthenics that use body weight for resistance (push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups, for instance) or carrying heavy loads or doing heavy gardening such as digging or hoeing.
Don't use age as an excuse. Older Americans should follow the guidelines recommended for other adults if they are able. If not, they should try to be as active as their physical condition allows. Those who are at risk of falling should do exercises that improve balance.
Kids can make it fun. Children and adolescents should engage in an hour or more of moderate-intensity to vigorous aerobic physical activity each day. That should include vigorous activity at least three days a week, and it should involve bone-strengthening activities such as running, jumping rope, skipping and hopscotch, and muscle-strengthening activities such as tug of war, modified sit-ups and push-ups.
Posted by Lisa at 3:27 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 3, 2010
Meatless Monday: Chipotle Bean Burritos
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
1 (15-ounce) can organic black beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained
3 tablespoons refrigerated fresh salsa
6 (10-inch) reduced-fat flour tortillas (such as Mission)
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 3)
1 1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
6 tablespoons light sour cream
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in chile powder and salt; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/3 cup water and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in salsa. Partially mash bean mixture with a fork.
2. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/3 cup bean mixture into center of each tortilla. Top each serving with about 2 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1/4 cup tomato, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon onions, and 1 tablespoon sour cream; roll up.
CALORIES 361 ; FAT 10.3g (sat 3.8g,mono 3.1g,poly 2g); CHOLESTEROL 19mg; CALCIUM 395mg; CARBOHYDRATE 52.2g; SODIUM 735mg; PROTEIN 16.8g; FIBER 11.4g; IRON 3.3mg
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2010
Posted by Lisa at 8:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack