Apple Crisp with Apple Skins

Prep: 30 min

Baking Time: 50-60 min

Serving 6-8 

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs apples, preferably Granny Smith or another nutritious variety
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping:

• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour or rice flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed OR 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted or salted butter melted

Preparation:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees (F). Peel and core the apples, but do not discard the peels. Slice the peeled apples into 1/4 inch slices and place into a large mixing bowl.

Combine 1 cup of sliced apples, the apple skins, the honey, 1 tablespoon of flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor. Process on high speed until the skins are finely chopped, about 3 min. (this will seem a long time). Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir the chopped mixture into the bowl of sliced apple, then spoon into a greased 8″ sq. baking pan. Set aside.

To make the topping, combine all the topping ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Stir until blended, then spoon over the apples. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake 50-60 min, or until the top is golden brown and the apple slices are tender. Cool 10-15 min. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variations: Add a teaspoon of grated lemon peel to the apples. Add 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or ground cloves. Use pecans instead of walnuts.

From Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson. Courtesy of Cynthia Floyd, dietitian cinflo58@yahoo.com

Turkey or Beef Chili!

Score Ten for Grass-Fed Beef

Compared with grain-fed beef, grass-fed beef was:

1. Lower in total fat
2. Higher in beta-carotene
3. Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
4. Higher in the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin
5. Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium
6. Higher in total omega-3s
7. A healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 vs 4.84)
8. Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter
9. Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)
10. Lower in the saturated fats linked with heart disease

S.K. Duckett et al, Journal of Animal Science, (published online) June 2009, “Effects of winter stocker growth rate and finishing system on: III. Tissue proximate, fatty acid, vitamin and cholesterol content.”

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup of diced sweet peppers (red, yellow, and/or orange)
2 medium onions, diced
6 cloves of garlic – chopped,
1.5-2 lbs ground beef or turkey
2-3 cans diced tomatoes
2-3 cups of cooked kidney beans (or 2 cans, if you don’t use dried)
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
a few shakes of black pepper
1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
4 tablespoons chili powder (or more to taste)

Directions

1. Heat up your cast-iron pan to medium-low and put butter into it. When it’s nice and sizzly go ahead and toss in your diced onions and peppers. Stir them around occasionally until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft. Toss in the chopped up garlic and stir for another minute.
2. Add ground beef or turkey to pan and cook it until it’s browned.
3. Meanwhile, get out your big stock pot and put in all the rest of the ingredients and get them simmering. Add the meat and onion mixture.
4. Simmer it all for a few hours before serving, if possible. It’s also even better as leftovers!
5. Serve with a salad on the side, and your choice of garnish such as  diced avocado, grated cheese, sour cream, and crumbled organic corn chips.
6. Adapt as you see fit, and make as much as your pot will hold.

 Courtesy of Cynthia Floyd, Dietitian cinflo58@yahoo.com

Salads!!!! Seafood, tofu or chicken!

Courtesy of Foodday.org. From Cynthia Floyd, dietitian cinflo58@yahoo.com

Vegetarian Lasagna – contains alcohol.

• 10 ounce box of lasagna noodles
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 whole medium onion
• 6-10 cloves garlic
• 1 whole red bell pepper, diced
• 24 ounces, weight white mushrooms, chopped (I used portobella)
• 2 whole yellow squash, diced
• 2 whole zucchini, diced
• 1 can (28 ounce) whole tomatoes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Red pepper flakes, cayenne, chili powder, and paprika (to taste)
• 30 ounces of ricotta cheese
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound thinly sliced mozarella cheese
• Extra parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
•  dice your vegetables small and roughly the same size.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Cook your lasagna noodles.

Heat the olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the chopped red bell pepper and cook for another minute or so. This helps soften it up before you add the other veggies.

Add the squash, zucchini, and mushrooms, and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the chardonnay and add salt, pepper, and seasonings to taste.

Crush the whole tomatoes with your hands or a fork, and pour the entire can into the skillet. Stir, and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste often to check the seasonings, add more if the taste dissipated when the tomatoes were added. Add chopped parsley.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, salt, pepper, and parmesan.

To assemble the lasagna, spread a small amount of the sauce on the bottom of a lasagna dish.  Layer 4 noodles on top, and then spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over them. Layer the mozzarella slices over the ricotta, and then top with 1/3 of the vegetable sauce. Repeat twice more, ending with the rest of the sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 20 minutes, and then remove the foil and cook for another 10-15. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 1o minutes before cutting and serving.

Grape, Mint and Feta Salad

Prep: 20 min

Resting Time: 30 min

4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (1.25 Lbs) black or red seedless grape halves
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh or dried mint.
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, preferably unfiltered

Preparation:

Combine the grape halves, feta cheese, nuts and mint in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Pour the dressing over the fruit and toss until combined. Let it rest at room temperature for 30 min before serving.

From Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson, Courtesy of Cynthia Floyd, Dietitian cinflo58@yahoo.com

Colorful Cornbread

Prep Time: 15-20 min

Cooking time: 20-25 min

Ingredients:

• 1 cup purple, red or blue whole grain cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup of honey
• 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup plain nonfat/low fat or full fat yogurt
• 2/3 cup skim, low fat or whole milk

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F). Grease an 8″ to 9″ sq. baking pan.

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Using a spoon, make a well in the center.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and stir briefly, until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and put it on the middle shelf in the oven.

Bake 20-25 min, or until the top is golden brown and the cornbread springs back when you touch it in the middle. Cool slightly and cut 6 to 8 squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson, Courtesy of Cynthia Floyd, dietititian cinflo58@yahoo.com

Baked Kale Chips

Prep: 15 min

Cooking: 8-10 min

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of Kale
• 2 tablespooins extra virgin olive oil, preferably unfiltered
• Salt to taste.

Preparation:

Preheat oven at 350 Degrees (F). Rinse kale and shake excess of water off. Tear the leaves off the ribs in roughly 2-inch pieces. Discard the ribs. Dry the leaves between layers of paper towels or in salad spinner.

Transfer the leaves to a large mixing bowl and todd with oil and salt, coating both sides. Place a single layer of leaves on one or more baking sheets and bake for 8-10 min or until crips but not too dry. Turn once. Cool and serve.

Variations:

Use sesame oil instead of olive oil and sprinkle the kale with 2 table spoons of sesame seeds before baking.

or

Press 1 clove of garlic into the olive oil and let rest for 10 min before mixing with raw kale.

From Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson. Courtesy of Cynthia Floyd, Dietitian. cinflo58@yahoo.com

Strawberry Basil Blast

Strawberry Basil Blast

– 1 bouquet of fresh basil

– 2 packs of fresh strawberries

– 1 Liter of Club Soda

– 1 Liter of Ginger Ale

Scrunch fresh basil leaves to release their flavor, add crushed and some thinly sliced strawberries (decor), with sodas!

You can replace strawberries with blackberries and blueberries.

Watermelon Water

Serves 6

Watermelon Water

4 cups of watermelon chunks
6 to 8 large basil leaves
Pinch of sea salt
¼ teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 quart chilled water

COMBINE Watermelon and basil leaves in a colander over a large bowl. Using a metal ladle or spoon, press the watermelon to extract as much juice as possible. (Or puree just the melon in a food processor.) Season the juice with the salt and vinegar, and strain into a pitcher. Stir in a quart of chilled water.

NUTRITION (per serving) 30 cal, 1 g pro, 8 g carb, 0 g fiber, 0 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 40 mg sodium

Recipe courtesy of Brian Preston Campbell, author of Cool Waters

http://www.prevention.com

Lemon Mint Water

Lemon-Mint Water

6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp sugar
12 mint leaves

COMBINE lemon juice, sugar, and 1 cup water in measuring cup or bowl. Stir until sugar dissolves. Pour into ice cube tray. Add 1 mint leaf to each section and freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Divide cubes among 4 tall glasses and fill each with 1 cup cold water. Serves 4.

http://www.prevention.com