The Busy Chef: Freezer Full of Soups

I’m extremely jealous of reader Amanda, who sent me this pic of all the soups she made in anticipation of a busy few weeks. The varieties include:

• Thai Tomato
• Chicken Gumbo
• Mexican Black Bean
• Stuffed Potato Dill
• Dark-n-Smoky Chili
• Three-Bean Minestrone
• Italian Sausage Stew
• Split Pea

She says: “The selection is all totally homemade from scratch with lots of fresh veggies and lean proteins.  Even the recipes that sound decadent are made with yogurt instead of cream, very minimal added fat and whole, healthy ingredients to amp up flavor vs. lots of added salt.”

And now you’re jealous, too.

ETA: Amanda sent me the recipe she used for the Thai Tomato soup, found here. She says:

“I generally add more ginger, garlic and hot sauce than they call for, but it’s super easy to adjust to your own taste.  It’s also so light that you can eat it as a snack or toss in a handful of frozen shrimp to amp up the protein and make it a more filling lunch.”

She also sent me her recipe for Chicken Gumbo, which I can forward to anyone who wants it!

Trader Joe is my boyfriend (shhh, don’t tell the real one). Read on to find out which of his amazing qualities I love best.

maryrambin:

Top Ten Best Trader Joe’s Purchases

—By Nutritionista

A few days ago, I got a question from reader Mary Beth. She’s one of the lucky ones who’s getting a Trader Joe’s in her neighborhood, and asked me for a list of my top ten favorite items. What a great (but hard-to-answer!) question. It’s no secret that I love Trader Joe’s and basically think it’s the mecca for healthy foodies everywhere. So I thought long and hard about this question, and here’s what I came up with (note that this is not a comprehensive list of all great TJ’s items, just some of my classic and versatile favorites!):

1. Flavored Greek yogurt (honey, blueberry, and pomegranate): Though fun-flavored Greek yogurt is popping up all over the place now, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for TJ’s version. This yogurt is filling, has great flavor and consistency, and is fairly affordable.
2. Just A Handful trail mix: Yes, it’s true, you CAN make your own trail mix and portion it out into individual baggies. But let’s keep it real: Will you? This is such a great item to have on hand, and I almost always keep a pack in my desk at work or in my purse. I think they make two or three different types, but they all contain a mix of dried fruit and nuts in a nice portion-controlled serving size. If you do want to make your own trail mix, TJ’s sells a plethora of affordable dried fruits as well as a variety of nuts (some flavored).
3. Apple cranberry bran muffins: I’m in awe of the nutrition stats on these babies: 80 calories, 13g fiber, and 5g protein. These make for a perfect (filling) snack or accompaniment to breakfast. I’ve mixed them into yogurt and oatmeal, too. A warning: these muffins are pretty “branny” (read: they taste like they have as much fiber as they do), so if you’re not a fan of bran, stay away.
4. Multigrain cereal: I’ve basically replaced oatmeal with this stuff. It looks like oatmeal, tastes like oatmeal, but boasts better nutrition stats (see the linked post for more info). I usually mix in PB and banana for a little more flavor.
5. Organic peanut butter: The first time I had organic PB, I almost choked. That stuff tasted nasty to my Jiff-seasoned tongue! But I was relieved to find that TJ’s peanut butter doesn’t have the weird texture and taste that other organic PBs do. And peanut butter is one of the things to definitely buy organic (nuts can soak up a lot of pesticides!). Their almond butter is also affordable and delish.
6. Shelled edamame: Trader Joe’s is one of the only places I’ve found that sells shelled, NON-FROZEN edamame. It’s perfect for snacking or adding to stir-fries, etc.
7. Precooked grains and beans: I know this is kind of a cop-out answer, but for the time-crunched chef, TJ’s sells all the precooked time-savers you could ever ask for. I’ve heard the frozen steel-cut oats are great, and they carry lots of premade rices and other grains. The precooked beans (like lentil and fava) come packaged rather than canned, so they don’t have that weird tinny taste. They’re great for throwing in soups or salads.
8. Dark chocolate wedges: These come in a little tin by the front of the store. At 35 calories each, they’re a great way to get a portion-controlled hit of dark chocolate without having to break a bigger bar with a hammer.
9. Banana, flattened: This “banana roadkill” (tm delishyourdish) is a great portable snack. Turn it into a roll-up by spreading on some PB or AB, and adding dark chocolate chips if you like. Say “yum.”
10. Mirepoix: This one’s just on the list for it’s pure usefulness. It can be the base of almost any sauce or soup, no chopping necessary! A great thing to have around.

I know there are so many other great items at TJ’s that aren’t on this list. And now I feel really bad for those of you without a store nearby. I also feel bad for rubbing it in just now. Sorry! I’m sure someday, you’ll get to know Joe. Anyway, for those of you who shop there already, what are some of your favorite healthy Trader Joe’s finds?

Nutritionista Flavor Flav: Cooking with Wine and Beer

I’m going to let you in on a little secret (besides the fact that yeah, I watched all three seasons of Flavor of Love, wanna fight about it?): Wine and beer are the “secret” ingredient in many of my recipes.

You can add wine or beer to almost any dish and it will instantly add complexity and depth. Perfect for when you’ve got a splash of wine left in the bottle, or a bottle of beer that’s been neglected in the fridge for months. When cooking with wine and beer, a few golden rules:

• Make sure you allow enough time for the alcohol to evaporate (unless you really want to make “drunken” food!). The longer you cook the dish, the less alcohol remains, but do note that there will still be traces of alcohol even after an hour of cooking (about 25%, though it’s not likely to be perceptible to most people).
• Don’t ever cook with a wine or beer you wouldn’t actually drink! That includes cooking wine. They usually have added salt and food coloring. Gross.
• Don’t forget about Port, Sherry, Madeira, and Marsala. These wines pack intense flavor and can be used in many soup, stews, or sautes.

And here are some of my favorite uses for alcohol in food:

• Add bold red wine to chilis, stews, or pasta sauces. I add a splash to my White Bean Turkey Chili to add depth and balance out some of the spice.
• Use white wine to add flavor to fish or lighter, more brothy soups (like this recipe for White Wine Chicken Soup). Or try Lia’s recipe for White Fish Citrus Salad using white wine.
• Use flavorful beers as boiling liquids for things like clams, mussels, or corn on the cob. It would also be a nice addition to gumbo! This recipe for Cilantro Fish Stew with Clams, Mussels, Corvina, and Large Prawns from Beer for Dinner sounds to-die-for.
• Make friends with your slow cooker and add wine or beer to those recipes. Here’s one for Beer-Braised Pork and Black Bean Soup and another for Red Wine Short Ribs.
• Use wine or beer as a marinade for chicken or beef. When I lived in Buenos Aires (where steak is cheaper than chicken — and grass fed! And delicious!), our no-fail marinade for all that steak was red wine, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic.

I’m sure you get the idea. Any time you’re concocting a sauce, soup, stew, or marinade, you can probably figure out a way to add some tasty wine/beer to make the dish that much more flavorful. It’s a way to add flavor without adding more fat or sugar (but watch the sugary wines! They can make savory dishes overly sweet). If you have a favorite use for wine or beer in your cooking, let me know!

Dumb Choices Tuesday: Bagel-fuls Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Bagel

Another green check, another dumb choice. This time, it’s something we’re supposed to eat for breakfast. Like the last Dumb Choice I profiled, Bagel-fuls are as notable for what they DON’T contain as what they do.

Let’s look at the nutrition stats:

Calories: 200
Fat: 4g, 3g saturated
Carbs: 34g, 8g sugar, 2g fiber
Protein: 6g
Vitamin A: 2%
Vitamin C: 0%
Calcium: 10%
Iron: 10%

At first glance, they don’t seem that bad. Fairly low fat, a respectable amount of protein, and not too many calories. But what’s missing here? Fiber, for one. For an item with that much bread, I’d ideally like to see at least 4-5 grams of fiber. AT LEAST. A big hunk of white bread with some sugar (see below) flavoring is not exactly going to keep me full for too long, is it? Speaking of sugar, let’s check out the rest of the ingredients:

Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1|, Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Water, Cream Cheese (Pasteurized Milk and Cream, Salt, Cheese Culture, Stabilizers [Xanthan and/or Carob Bean and/or Guar Gums]), Brown Sugar, Invert Sugar, Sugar, Contains Less than 2% of Dextrose, Malted Barley and Corn Extracts, Yeast, Wheat Flour, Vital Wheat Gluten, Salt, Corn Flour, Spice, Magnesium Phosphate, Calcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Zinc Oxide, Dough Conditioner (Wheat Flour, L-Cysteine, Ascorbic Acid, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Azodicarbonamide, Calcium Iodate, Calcium Peroxide, Enzymes), Soybean Oil, Dough Improver (Ammonium Sulfate, Calcium Sulfate, Azodicarbonamide), Natural Flavor.

First of all, it’s important to note that this product contains soy in the form of soybean oil. If you’re sensitive to soy, this is one of the thousands of the seemingly soy-free products you should actually avoid. I also love the three different terms for sugar (brown, invert, and dextrose). Let’s also note that one of the ingredients in the “dough condition”, L-cysteine, is often derived from human hair or duck feathers (apparently artificial cysteine is cost prohibitive and this mostly used only in kosher food). So this item might also not be totally vegetarian either. Of course, I can’t overlook the hydrogenated soybean oil, which is trans fat.

But that’s not the point of the Smart Choice program, is it? Smart Choices isn’t trying to convince you to be vegetarian or avoid all forms of sweetener. So what makes this particular food a “smart” choice? I’m guessing it’s the relatively low calories and fat that put it in the “slightly better than a doughnut” category.

But what does a Bagel-ful offer you, besides the fact that it’s not high fat or calorie? Not a whole lot (which is kind of a theme with Smart Choice foods). As I mentioned before, it’s low on fiber. It’s also low on vitamins and other nutrients. It does have a whole lot of additives that help make its taste and texture just so.

If you had a Bagel-ful for breakfast, would you feel so gross and sluggish that you would be unable to function? Of course not. Would it probably taste alright? I’m sure. But when I talk about getting more bang for your calorie buck, this is exactly what I mean. For 200 calories, you get almost zero nutrition if you choose to consume a Bagel-ful. Alternatively, you could eat a slice of whole grain bread with a tablespoon of PB and half a medium-sized banana. The stats would look something like this (using 100% whole grain Natural Ovens for the bread and PB without added sugar):

Calories: 240
Fat: 9.5g, 2.5 saturated
Fiber: 7.5g
Protein: 13.5g
Carbs: 31.5

For my easy breakfast, you’re getting more than three times the fiber and double the protein. Yes, there are slightly more calories and fat, but my meal contains LESS saturated fat and NO trans fat (which I think is worth it!).

I estimated the cost of my simple breakfast to be about $.53, while a Bagel-ful will set you back about $.49 (from what I can tell). So a Bagel-ful is not much cheaper, contains much less nutrition, and isn’t really that much easier to make. Oh, and one more thing: they’re apparently not even that tasty!

This week, I give you… eggs!

maryrambin:

A little fashion week break.  But you know…being healthy is trendy ;)

The Incredible, Edible Egg

— By Nutritionista

Recently, I’ve rediscovered the versatility and deliciousness that is eggs. Though they have a bad rap, for non-vegans, eggs are actually one of nature’s perfect foods. First, though, let’s clear up some not-so-eggcellent rumors.

Myth: Eggs have a lot of cholesterol and are therefore bad for you.
Fact: Yes, relatively speaking, eggs do contain a lot of cholesterol, but it doesn’t go straight to your arteries. According to this Harvard Health article, for most people, only a small amount of the cholesterol in food passes into the blood. The only large study to look at the impact of egg consumption on heart disease found no connection between the two.

Myth: You should avoid eating eggs if possible.
Fact: For most people, eating one egg a day is perfectly safe and healthy. Egg whites contain no cholesterol, so I usually combine 2-3 egg whites with one egg for optimal eggy flavor while still sticking to the guideline of one egg/day.

Myth: Eggs don’t have any redeeming qualities.
Fact: Eggscuse me?! This is completely untrue. Eggs contain some good (unsaturated) fat and if you buy the omega-3 enhanced eggs, you get some of those healthy fatty acids as well! The small adverse effect of the cholesterol in eggs is counterbalanced by other nutrients including antixoidants, folate, and B vitamins.

Myth: Making eggs is hard.
Fact: Only if you’re on Top Chef! Scrambled eggs are one of the easiest things to make and in my experience, pretty darn hard to mess up.

Now onto the eating portion of this post. Eggs can be made savory or sweet depending on your mood. Don’t relegate them to breakfast only! Here are some ideas to help you get your egg on (as a general rule, one egg = two egg whites):

• Scrambles: Be creative to avoid snooze-worthy scrambled eggs. Leftovers work great with egg dishes. I made an autumn scramble last night using leftover sweet potato, spinach, onion and goat cheese. Just saute a whole onion until it’s nearly translucent, add a cooked and chopped sweet potato, then add egg/egg whites, spinach, and goat cheese. I find that spinach cooks in about the same amount of time as the egg. It’s also just enough time for the cheese to get melty. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper if you like and you have yourself an easy, hearty dinner. You could also try this Southwest Egg Scramble recipe. I often add a splash of some kind of milk product to my eggs to bulk them up without adding a lot of calories.
• Sandwiches: These can go savory or sweet! Cook an egg sunny-side up and place it on an English muffin. Then, pick your toppings. For savory, you use fresh baby spinach, sliced tomato, and red onion. You could also experiment with adding egg to whatever kind of sandwich you like most (remember that amazing-looking creation from Spanglish?). On the sweeter side, use egg white only (microwave or fry) and top your Englush muffin with jam and/or nut butter.
• French toast: Drench whole grain bread in egg/egg whites and a bit of milk, then dredge in a mixture of dry ingredients like ground flaxseed, rolled oats, and spices. Heat the bread slices in a griddle or skillet until golden brown. Top with berries, Greek yogurt, or other fresh fruit. You can make an easy “syrup” by heating (microwave or stovetop) frozen berries with a squeeze of agave. If you do use maple syrup, get the real thing! That fake stuff is nasty.
• Salads: Hard boil eggs and use them as a topper for salads and/or to make a lovely nicoise. Watch out for caloric egg salad, though. A serving probably contains more than the one recommended egg and lots of mayo.
• Burgers: Eggs make a great binding ingredient for burgers, both vegetarian and non. Try my recipe for Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers!
• Mexican fare: Use eggs as the base for breakfast (or whatever) tacos/burritos by adding ingredients like salsa, avocado, black beans, cilantro, and cheese to basic scrambled eggs. Try delishyourdish’s recipe for huevos rancheros here. The protein in the eggs could replace the beef or other meat you’d normally use in dishes like that.
• Frittatas: These are easy to make and keep well in the fridge for convenient meals throughout the week. As with omelettes or scrambled eggs, you can really add whatever ingredients you like, but here’s a recipe to get you going.

Make It: Real Simple’s Baked Chicken and Rice

Oh, how I love Real Simple. The recipes I find in the magazine/on the website are always real (as in, realistic for busy people to make) and simple (as in, a streamlined list of ingredients that usually aren’t too obscure). Real Simple, I commend you on your accurate naming skills.

I picked this dish out to make for my boyfriend because his favorite dinner is basically chicken + rice + some vegetable (usually green beans). I’ve never made rice in the oven along with other things, but it came out beautifully. Sometimes, I find rice snooze-worthy, but this batch was super flavorful because it had been cooking with all the other yummy ingredients.

This is what the dish is supposed to look like:

To streamline this meal even more, I chose to roast my green beans in the oven during the last 15 minutes of cooking the chicken. Have I mentioned that I love roasting/baking things? I think so, just a few dozen times! I think most veggies taste great roasted, and green beans are no exception.

The prep time for this whole meal was about 15-20 minutes and then all I had to do was sit back and let the oven do its thang. One recipe note: I had to cook the chicken much longer than the 35 minutes suggested. Whether that has to do with the oven I was using or what, I don’t know, but it’s just something to keep in mind.

Another thumbs up for a Real Simple find!