HEALTHY RECIPES: Eggplant Pizza

Who says pizza has to be all carbs and regret? Instead of avoiding your fave foods try a healthier alternative where you don’t give up all that yummy goodness. Try this new healthy spin to pizza and still get the yummy cheese and tomatoes!

What You’ll Need:
4 tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Eggplant
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tomatoes
20 Black Olives
Garlic Powder
Italian Seasoning

What You’ll Do:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Get a large baking sheet, cover with foil, and spread olive oil to cover the foil.

 

Cut round slices of eggplant as thin as possible and lay on top of the foil. Don't let the edges touch. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of cheese over each slice of eggplant.

 

Dice up all of the olives and spread 1 tbsp of olives on top of each eggplant. Cut the tomatoes into round slices and lay 1 slice on top of each eggplant. Sprinkle garlic powder and Italian Seasoning on top of each eggplant slice

 

Put in oven for 30 minutes. When ready let cool for 5 minutes & enjoy!

By: Olga Batkhan

BY JIAE K. ON 3/13/2010 7:00:00 AM 3 COMMENTS

HEALTHY RECIPES: Chicken Nuggets

1 cup bread crumbs (2 pieces plain whole wheat bread)

Olive oil

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (not the junky stuff in the cardboard container)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

A dash of salt and cayenne pepper

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard ("Grey Poupon" is good.)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken pieces; white meat (preferably naturally-raised)

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Over a plate, roll pieces of bread between the palms of your hands until you've made a cup of very small bread crumbs. Leave the crumbs on the plate to dry out while you prepare the rest. Put a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil onto a large baking sheet. Smear a generous amount of oil onto the foil with a paper towel.

2. Put the cheese, thyme, salt, cayenne, and pepper into a medium mixing bowl. Put the bread crumbs into the bowl and stir to mix. On a cutting board, carefully cut the chicken into two-inch long strips.

3. Put the mustard onto the empty bread crumb plate. Brush or spoon the mustard onto both sides of a piece of chicken. Dip the chicken into the bread crumb mixture so it's well covered and place on the baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the chicken.

Serve: Arrange on a platter and dip chicken into a small bowl of barbecue sauce or ketchup. Or, make a sandwich with a bun, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Leftovers can be refrigerated for a few days.

Measuring cups, spoons

Large baking sheet, heavy-duty aluminum foil

Medium mixing bowl

Cutting board

Paring or small knife

Optional: Basting brush

BY JIAE K. ON 3/6/2010 8:00:00 AM 11 COMMENTS

HEALTHY RECIPES: Spinach Crepes

Crepe Batter

What You’ll Need: (Makes 9 Crepes)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup reduced fat milk

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup unbleached white flour or whole wheat pastry flour

1 tablespoon sugar

Pinch of salt

Chilled or frozen stick of unsalted butter for the skillet

What You’ll Do:

1. Put all the ingredients into the blender. Blend just until smooth but don’t over mix or the crepes will be tough. Pour into a medium mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
2. Place the batter next to the stove and have a 1/4 cup (measuring cup) handy. Stir the batter. Place a 10-inch non-stick skillet on the burner and turn the heat to medium-high. (The skillet should have a flat bottom surface of about seven inches.)
3. Peel back some of the paper on the butter and rub the end of the butter around the bottom of the pan just to coat it. When the butter is hot, but not browned, scoop out 1/4 cup batter and pour into the center of the skillet.
4. Lift the skillet, by the handle, an inch off the burner and swirl (tilt, rotate) the pan so the batter evenly coats the bottom (not sides) of the pan. You will have crepes that are 7-7 1/2” in diameter. Place the skillet back on the burner, cooking the crepe until the edges start to brown and bubbles appear on the surface. (About 2 minutes.)
5. Using a pancake turner, flip the crepe over and cook about 1 minute until the flip side is also lightly browned. (The flip side will be speckled with light brown dots but won’t get as brown as the first side.) Remove the crepe to a flat dinner plate.

Hint: Creating crepes will take some practice so don’t get discouraged! Chances are good that the first two crepes that you make will be duds. Once you get it, you’ll LOVE making crepes like I do.

6. Smear some more butter into the skillet and repeat the above. If the skillet starts to smoke, the heat is too high; lower the heat slightly. Keep piling the crepes on top of one another until the batter is gone.
7. Serve the hot crepes with fillings or cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to two days. I’ve never had a problem with the crepes sticking together but if you do, stick a piece of waxed paper on top of each crepe so that each crepe is sandwiched between two pieces of waxed paper. They can also be frozen for a few weeks wrapped in plastic wrap but they’re best when they’re just made.

To Reheat: Heat a crepe in a large skillet, without butter, over medium heat for about a minute. Flip over, heat the other side until hot, and serve.

Tools:

Blender

Medium mixing bowl

Glass measuring cup, measuring spoons

10-inch non-stick skillet

Pancake turner

Flat dinner plate

Spinach Filling

What You’ll Need:

1 lb. bag frozen spinach, defrosted

1 cup reduced fat milk

2 tablespoons each: unsalted butter, white flour

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (not the kind in the can)

What You’ll Do:

1. Let the spinach defrost in a bowl. Place the cup of milk near the stove. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is hot, mix in the flour with a whisk and cook for about 30 seconds.
2. Add the milk slowly, whisking the flour and milk together so there aren’t any lumps. The sauce will thicken quickly.
3. When it starts to thicken, add the spinach and stir. Stir in the nutmeg, salt, and cheese; heat just until the spinach is hot. Serve or refrigerate for up to three days.

To Serve: Place a hot crepe on a plate. Spread 1/4 cup hot spinach down the center of the crepe. Roll it up enchilada style by bringing up one end, folding it over, and folding over the other end.

Other Ideas: grated Gruyere cheese (or your favorite grating cheese), or sautéed mushrooms and chopped onions

Tools:

Bowl

Large, non-stick skillet

Glass measuring cup

Measuring spoons

Whisk

By: Anne Vassal

BY JIAE K. ON 2/27/2010 7:00:00 AM 28 COMMENTS

HEALTHY RECIPES: Ole! Tacos

No need for taco seasoning mix, which is nothing more than stale, dried out spices, when you can make your own seasoned tacos in no time.

What You’ll Need: Serves 4

1 package corn tortillas

1 lb. ground turkey, chicken, or beef, preferably naturally-raised

1 tablespoon canola (or other mild) oil

1 large clove garlic, peeled

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, chili powder

1/2 teaspoon each: ground coriander, salt

1/4 teaspoon each: dried oregano, hot sauce

4 Romaine or leafy lettuce leaves

Optional: about 1/2 lb. grated jack or Chihuahua cheese; or Mexican crumbling cheese (Queso Fresco, Ranchito, or Queso Anejo Enchilado – my favorite)

Toppings: chopped cilantro, green onion, tomato, sour cream, bottled salsa, or make some Pico de Gallo

What You’ll Do:

2. Add the ground meat and sauté until the meat is cooked, frequently stirring to break up the meat. Add a little oil if the meat starts to stick. Stir in the spices, salt, oregano, and hot sauce; cook for another minute. Chop the lettuce across the leaves into thin strips.

To Serve: Place some lettuce on a tortilla, top with a large spoonful of taco meat, some crumbled cheese, and top with chopped cilantro or other toppings.

Cutting board

Chef’s knife

Large skillet

By: Anne Vassal

BY JIAE K. ON 2/20/2010 7:00:00 AM 19 COMMENTS