Snap Peas with Coconut Lime Dressing

From Nutrition Action Healthletter - September 2013

The snap peas I intended to use were not good by the time I made this dish, so I substituted broccoli, and it was fabulous.  Really adds a kick to an old standard, and it only took a few minutes to whip up!
Served it over couscous with leftover chicken we had baked the night before, using Blackening Spice Rub from this blog, borrowed from canyonranch.com

Ingredients:
3/4 pound snap peas, trimmed
1/4 cup light coconut milk
2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce (or tamari, gluten free)
2 tsp lime juice
1 jalapeño, optional
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
1 shallot, thinly sliced

Directions:
1) Lightly steam the snap peas until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes (3 minutes if you
use broccoli).  Rinse under cold water.  Drain well and transfer to serving platter/bowl.
2)In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice and jalapeño.
3) Drizzle the dressing over the peas and top with the peanuts and shallots.

4 - one cup servings, each 80 calories, 95 mg sodium, 4.5 gm fat, 1 gm saturated fat, 9 gm carbs,
4 gm protein, 3 gm fiber.

Blackening spice rub

From www.canyonranch.com

My husband and I first tasted this when we went to Canyon Ranch for our 25th anniversary.  Don't let the number of ingredients scare you off - mix this up once and save it in an air-tight container for months.  It's great for an instant at-home dinner - prepare a salad and steam some veggies while the chicken is grilling, and voila!

As an easy way to cut portion size without anyone noticing, I slice the chicken breasts horizontally to make two servings out of one.  That way, there should be an adequate amount of protein, and the taste of the spice rub is more prominent.  People can always have 2 portions if they choose.

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp dry thyme
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 Tbsp dry basil
1 1/2 tsp dry oregano
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp curry powder

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small air-tight container and mix well.

Makes 2/3 cup, each 1 tsp serving contains approximately:

5 calories
1 gm carb
0 gm fat
0 gm chol
0 gm protein
157 mg sodium
0 gm fiber

White beans and cherry tomatoes

One of our favorite spots in Annapolis is Cleo's Fine Oils and Vinegars.  They sell an awesome variety of oils and vinegars.  Many of the oils are fused, in that the olives and whole fruits or herbs are combined at the onset, as opposed to infused oils, in which the fruits or herbs are added after the oil is produced.  We usually buy a large bottle of the pomegranate balsamic and a four-pack of other oils and vinegars.  They are fairly expensive, but they save us time and money by allowing me to throw together quick dressings.

Visiting the store is an experience, because the owners easily mix various oils and vinegars together, and have you taste by tiny sips or dipping bread samples.  You also go home with an extensive list of combinations you can do on your own.

My experiment for today involved using up some fresh cherry tomatoes and basil for lunch.  This side dish came out quite good, if I do say so myself!  I'm not exactly sure of the ingredients, but it's something like this:

Ingredients:
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved.
2 Tbsp sweet onion, chopped
1 15 oz can navy beans (or other white beans)
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp Agrumato Lime extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Serrano Chili Honey Balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
Mix ingredients together -- that's it!

If you have time, you can roast the cherry tomatoes in a small amount of oil with garlic or onion, at 425 for about 30 minutes.

Watermelon and mint - have your bowl and eat it too!

Before the watermelon season is over, try this creative serving idea with peaches and mint!  Watermelon is, as you would assume, mostly … water, and weighs in at only 46 calories per cup, which is mostly sugar.  A good sweet watermelon doesn't necessarily need anything to improve it, but this combination with peaches, berries and mint really hit the spot tonight.  The mint especially made the taste of the peaches and watermelon pop!

Mint comes in 600 varieties, but the two that we're most familiar with are peppermint and spearmint.  Peppermint is used mostly in the form of oil in sweet treats, like candy or ice cream; spearmint, which you can find in the produce section of the supermarket with other fresh spices, is more savory.  It is used in certain Indian dishes, and a favorite of mine, Thai green curry paste, as well as in mojitos with tequila and citrus.

Mint is rich in menthol, which makes you aware of the cold receptors in your mouth and on your skin.  You may be familiar with this from the cool sensation from mouthwashes or the icy sensation of Vicks VapoRub.  It was often added to cigarettes; we now know it decreases the cough reflex, so it enabled, and with its cool taste encouraged, more people to smoke cigarettes.  It has been used to treat gastrointestinal symptoms.  By relaxing the muscles of the GI tract, it eases bloating, cramping, and bowel irregularities.  One caution though, is that by relaxing the muscles, can sometimes worsen heartburn and reflux.

Here's a creative fruit bowl creation for a summer day.

Ingredients:
1 watermelon
Mixed fruits to fill 1/2 the melon:
blueberries
strawberries
peaches
kiwi

2 Tbsp fresh mint, sliced thinly

Directions:
First, cut a thin slice off of the long side of the melon. This will prevent the melon from rolling once it is filled.

Then cut the melon in half.  If you'd like to make a basket shape leave a handle intact across the
top.  You can make a stroller by leaving half of the top intact.

Then, scoop out the watermelon with a melon or ice cream scooper.  Let the empty melon drain
upside down for a few hours if possible.  Refrigerate the melon balls.

Meanwhile, cut up any other fruits - I used white and yellow peaches, berries and kiwi. Add fresh
squeezed OJ just to coat the peaches and keep them from turning dark.  Refrigerate.

When you're ready to serve, combine the melon, other fruit and toss with mint.  Fill the basket - and
you're done!

White Beans with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

From Nutrition Action

See variation with Cleo's oil and vinegar in this blog

The roasted tomatoes make this side dish a summer "must have"
August 15, 2013
Author: Kate Sherwood in: Healthy Recipes

Roasting the tomatoes brings out their tart-sweet juiciness. But if you don’t want to turn on the oven, sauté the tomatoes and garlic in the oil with ½ tsp. of fresh thyme leaves instead.

Time to prepare: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
5 cloves garlic, sliced
5 sprigs thyme
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 15 oz. can no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
¼ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 
• Preheat the oven to 425° F.
• In a 9″ x 13″ baking dish, toss the tomatoes, garlic, and thyme with the oil. Roast until the tomatoes start to brown and the garlic is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove and discard the thyme sprigs.
• Toss the beans with the tomatoes and garlic. Season with the salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

Nutrition Information:
Per serving (1 cup)—
Calories: 180
Sodium: 160 mg
Total Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 21 g
Protein: 6 g
Fiber: 6 g

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Arugula

Arugula is a dark leafy green, so like spinach and others, it is a good source of calcium, vitamins A, C, K, as well as iron, calcium and potassium.  Potassium has been shown to help keep blood pressure in good range.  It is classified as  a cruciferous vegetable, like broccoli or cauliflower, so as mentioned in Thu's cauliflower article, perhaps it has some cancer-prevention benefits, as well.  At 5 calories per cup, it is low in fat and high in fiber and has all the other benefits noted -- not a bad deal!

If you buy arugula in a bag, it is usually the smaller, milder variety, and has been pre-cleaned.
At a farmer's market, you might see it sold by the bunch; in that case, the leaves will be larger, with tougher stems and the taste will be more peppery.  Be sure to remove the stems and rinse the leaves well, to remove loose dirt.

Since the taste can be strong, when I use it in a salad, I like to mix it in with other greens, to give it a bit of a kick.  The soup recipe below is a good way to get its health benefits, but cooling it down at the same time.



Adapted from Canyon Ranch Nourish - indulgently healthy cuisine

This is a nice cool, low calorie soup for the summer.  My family pointed out that it tastes just like gazpacho, without the tomato -- and it's true.  I happen to like the nutty, peppery taste of arugula, so I made some with an extra 1/4 cup of arugula blended into the soup - hence the two different shades in the soup bowls pictured above, mine being the darker one.

The nice aspect of making this in the blender is that you can decide as you go how much, if any, arugula to add.  The original recipe calls for topping the soup with heavy cream, but I opted for plain yogurt, adding just a touch of protein to the dish.

See the photo below for a quick way to de-seed a cucumber.  Just cut it in half and run a spoon down the middle.  Then slice the cucumbers

lengthwise, and chop them horizontally all at once -- quick and easy.

Ingredients:
3 medium cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 cup water
1/4 cup diced onions (white or sweet onions are best)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp plain yogurt (or heavy cream)
1/4 cup julienned arugula (more, as is, in blender, to taste)

Directions:
1) Combine the cucumber, water, onions, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender and purée until very smooth.  If you choose to add in more arugula, this is the time.  Re-blend until smooth.  Refrigerate in a covered bowl for at least 30 minutes, or until well chilled.

2) Serve 3/4 cup cucumber soup with 1 tsp yogurt or cream and a sprinkle of arugula.

White Sangria

This provided a delicious way to relax before dinner at the beach -- chips and guac and some light fruity sangria  --   aaah!  Thanks, Gail.

White Sangria

1 bottle fruity white wine (like Vouvrey)
1/2 c triple sec
1/4 c sugar (or less)
juice of two oranges
sliced orange, lemon, lime

Stir and let mixture sit 3-4 hours in a clear glass pitcher, then add a can of club soda.
Easy, pretty, smooth and delicious. Enjoy!

Serving Size: I doubled the recipe for 8 people and there was some leftover.

Cardamom Grilled Chicken with Apple Curry Sauce

This is adapted from Canyon Ranch, although it is not on their website.  My husband and I stayed there for our 25th anniversary, and came home with many delicious recipes -- many of them involving chocolate - my husband's favorite food group!  For more unusual and healthy recipes, visit them on canyonranch.com

Ingredients for spice mix: 
(this makes enough for about 15 chicken breasts)
3 Tbsp cardamom
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (this is medium spicy - adjust up or down, according to taste)
 6 - four ounce skinless chicken breasts, boned and defatted

Ingredients for Apple Curry Sauce:
1 Tbsp canola oil
4 tsp minced red onion
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp fresh mint

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or prepare grill)
2) In a small bowl, combine ingredients for spice mix.
3) Dust each breast with about 1 tsp spice mix.  Store remaining mix in an irtight container for future use.
4) Bake chicken for 10 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
5) Coat a medium sauté pan with canola oil and sauté onions until translucent.  Add apple sauce and water and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Add curry powder and mint.  Cook until mixture begins to thicken, about 10 minutes.
6) Serve 1 chicken breast with 2 Tbsp of sauce.

Chicken with Black Bean-Chipotle Sauce

Adapted from Canyon Ranch Nourish - indulgently healthy cuisine

If there are any leftovers, they can be used to create other dishes during the week.  The chicken can be cut into strips and added to a salad for lunch, and the bean sauce can be used over tofu.  There's a lot of leeway in terms of the spiciness.  My family likes it on the relatively bland side, but it can be made as spicy as you like.  Served with a small salad and a side of quinoa, it makes a great dinner.  We love cilantro, but if you think it tastes like soap, as many people do (it's genetically determined), you can try using another herb you like.  I might try basil.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients for the sauce:
4 Tbsp diced yellow onion
2 tsp minced garlic
14-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 - 2 tsp ground chipotle chile pepper, according to taste
1 cup low sodium vegetable stock
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
up to 1 tsp sea salt

Ingredients for the chicken:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp chili powder
4 four ounce skinless boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:
1) Preheat the grill or broiler.
2) Lightly spray a large saucepan with canola oil spray.  Sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat until the onions are translucent.
3) Add the black beans, chipotle, stock, tomatoes, cilantro and salt, and slowly simmer for 10-20 minutes or until the liquid is slightly thickened.  Remove from the heat.
4) Combine the olive oil and chile powder in a small bowl and mix to form a paste.  Rub the paste over the chicken breasts.
5) Grill or broil the chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
6) Serve each chicken breast with 4 tablespoons of black bean sauce.

Per serving: 330 calories; 29 gm carbs; 8 gm fat; 73 mg cholesterol; 37 gm protein; 11 gm fiber; 586 mg sodium, but depends on content of stock, canned tomatoes and added salt.