Lets Talk Quinoa

I have a new fondness for Quinoa (pronounced "KEEN-wah") and have been experimenting with different recipes. One thing I have learned is, it is very important to toast and rinse this fun little grain. First of all toasting the grain enhances the flavor and then rinsing removes any residue of saponin, quinoa's natural, bitter protective coating which acts as a natural insect repellent. Cool huh?  Cooking Quinoa in chicken broth always enhances flavor and you can even serve as a breakfast dish by cooking in Apple or Orange juice in place of the water or broth. Rinse, toast, add juice and simmer for about 15 mins. Interesting....

Latin Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 teaspoon canola oil
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 1 can (4 ounce) chopped green chiles
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14 ounce) reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds, toasted 
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Toast quinoa in a large dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it crackles and becomes aromatic, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chiles and garlic; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the quinoa and broth; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Add toasted pumpkin seeds, cilantro, scallions, lime juice and salt to the quinoa; mix gently and fluff with a fork. 

I think this would be great served with Baked Tilapia! Serves 6 and it only took about 30 mins to cook.

 3g of Fiber and 7g of Protein & only 181 Calories

Check out this web site for some exciting Quinoa recipes

http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/diabetic-recipes/recipeResults.html?keyword=quinoa&go.x=0&go.y=0

Lets Talk Quinoa

I wanted to share this from http://www.hungry-girl.com (Fry-day's newsletter)

A friend posted this today on Facebook and I wanted to make sure you get a chance to try this! Hungry-girl is a FUN site to visit and you can sign up for her newsletter to be delivered to your email.  

Sweet-Garlic Butternut Fries

PER SERVING (1/2 of recipe): 189 calories, 1.5g fat, 453mg sodium, 45g carbs, 6g fiber, 13g sugars, 3.5g protein -- POINTS® value 3*

These fries are so good and sweet and garlicky, you'll FREAK when you taste 'em.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds -- large enough to yield 20 oz. once peeled & sliced)
1/4 tsp. coarse salt, divided
1/2 a head of garlic
1/2 tsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. sweet Asian chili sauce
Optional: additional coarse salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice ends off squash, and then cut it in half widthwise. Peel squash carefully with a vegetable peeler or knife. Cut the round bottom piece in half lengthwise and remove seeds.

Using a crinkle cutter or knife, carefully cut squash into spears/French-fry shapes. (For exact nutritionals, weigh spears and use 20 oz.) Pat firmly with paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Sprinkle evenly with 1/8 tsp. salt.

Lay spears on a layer of paper towels, and let stand for at least 5 minutes, to allow salt to draw out excess moisture. Pat with paper towels. If you like, sprinkle with more salt.

Remove the outer layer of garlic, leaving the skins around the cloves intact. Slice 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic, exposing the tops of the cloves. Place garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with oil, and use your fingers to make sure it's coated. Wrap foil tightly around the garlic, enclosing it completely.

Spray a broiler pan, a baking rack placed over a baking sheet, or a baking sheet with nonstick spray, and lay spears flat on it. (Use two pieces of bakeware, if needed.) Place foil-wrapped garlic on it as well (or directly on oven rack).

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Carefully flip fries, and then bake fries and garlic for 10 minutes longer.

Carefully remove foil-wrapped garlic and set aside. Bake fries for 10 more minutes, or until tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Once cool enough to handle, unwrap garlic, remove cloves (discard skin), and place in a small microwave-safe bowl. Add remaining 1/8 tsp. salt and mash with a fork until mostly smooth. Add chili sauce and mix well. Nuke for about 10 seconds, until softened.

Plate fries and top or serve with garlic sauce. Consume immediately!

I wanted to share this from http://www.hungry-girl.com (Fry-day's newsletter)

A New Idea For You To Try

Anybody who knows me well, know that I am a huge advocate for antioxidants! Coffee, red wine, dark chocolate, pomegranates, berries, grapes, nuts, olives, tea, popcorn AND OATS contain large amounts of healthful antioxidant substances called polyphenols.

*Polyphenols play important role in reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

I often research new foods that I haven't tried before for health reasons and curiosity sake. I have come upon a new favorite food! STEEL CUT OATS! You may have heard of them before but thought it takes too long to prepare. You are right, traditionally it can. But don't let that make you miss out on the nutty flavor and unique texture of the oatmeal made with steel-cut oats. But if you soak the oats overnight, they cook in just 10 minutes! Try this....

1-1/2 cup steel cut oats

6 cups water

1/4 chopped salted almonds

1/4 cup dried cranberries (or any berry for that matter)

Brown sugar, pure maple syrup, or agave nectar for topping

In a large saucepan, boil oats in water for 1 min. Cover and let stand overnight at room temp.

The next day, uncover the oats and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer stirring frequently, until the oatmeal is cooked and creamy but still a little bit chewy. (about 10 mins, I have found) Spoon oatmeal into bowls and then top with the almonds, dried cranberries, and sweetner of you choice. I also like to add a splash of vanilla almond milk to make this a very low cal nutritious HEALTHY breakfast for the whole family!

Here is a chart that I found online which I think will be very helpful when deciding which foods to either add to your diet or eat more of.

List of 20 Best Foods High in Antioxidants

In the table below, the foods antioxidant power is given as per their serving sizes.

Rank	Type	Food item	Serving size	Total antioxidant capacity per serving size
1	Beans/Legumes	Red Beans (dried)	Half cup	13727
2	Fruit, Berry	Wild blueberry	1 cup	13427
3	Beans/Legumes	Red kidney beans (dried)	Half cup	13259
4	Beans/Legumes	Pinto beans	Half cup	11864
5	Fruit, Berry	Blueberry	1 cup	9019
6	Fruit, Berry	Cranberry	1 cup (whole)	8983
7	Vegetable	Artichoke (cooked)	1 cup (hearts)	7904
8	Fruit, Berry	Blackberry	1 cup	7701
9	Fruit	Prune	Half cup	7291
10	Fruit, Berry	Raspberry	1 cup	6058
11	Fruit, Bery	Strawberry	1 cup	5938
12	Fruit	Red Delicious apple	One	5900
13	Fruit	Granny Smith apple	One	5381
14	Nut	Pecan	1 ounce	5095
15	Fruit, Bery	Sweet cherry	1 cup	4873
16	Fruit	Black plum	One	4844
17	Vegetable	Russet potato (cooked)	One	4649
18	Beans/Legumes	Black beans (dried)	Half cup	4181
19	Fruit	Plum	One	4118
20	Fruit	Gala apple	One	3903

Another bit of good information for you to think about is ORAC:

Scientists at the USDA have developed a rating scale that measures the antioxidant content of various natural plant foods. The scale is called ORAC, which stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.

Fruits	Antioxidant Value ORAC units per 100 grams	Vegetables	Antioxidant Value ORAC units per 100 grams
Prunes	5570	Kale	1770
Raisins	2830	Spinach	1260
Blueberries	2400	Brussels sprouts	980
Blackberries	2036	Alfalfa sprouts	930
Strawberries	1540	Broccoli flowers	890
Raspberries	1220	Beets	840
Plums	949	Red bell pepper	710
Oranges	750	Onion	450
Red grapes	739	Corn	400
Cherries	670	Eggplant	390
Kiwi fruit	602
Grapefruit	483

USDA recommends to eat foods containing at least 3,000 ORAC units a day. If you can not fit enough of these healthy foods into your diet, then I highly recommend you take a supplement.

At the end of the day friends, it is all about prevention. I hope to give you some helpful ideas to add powerful disease preventing food and tips to your everyday meals in order to aid in you and your family's well-being.

A New Idea For You To Try

Sweet Tooth Thursday~ 3 for 100 Pumpkin Muffins

With only 100 calories for 3 mini-muffins, these healthy and delightful mini-pumpkin muffins are topped with crunchy granola. These delicious bites are a guilt-free way to stop those mid-afternoon hunger pangs, yet nutritious and filling for a kid-friendly after-school snack!

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-wheat or all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup smart balance w/Omega-3's oil (in place of vegetable oil)
• 1 can (15 oz.) 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups lowfat granola cereal, crumbled...(I use Natures Path Pumpkin Flax Seed Granola!)

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350º F. Paper-line or grease mini-muffin pans.

COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Beat sugar and oil in medium mixer bowl until blended. Add pumpkin and eggs; beat well. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Sprinkle each with about a 1/2 teaspoon of crumbled granola. Press granola lightly into batter.

BAKE for 15 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store muffins in covered containers or resealable plastic bags.

Sweet Tooth Thursday~ 3 for 100 Pumpkin Muffins

WHAT TO COOK WEDNESDAY???? How about a Washington Apple Pizza?!?

This recipe is taken from the Dr. Oz website. Today's show was on Cancer fighting foods. For obvious reasons I was intrigued by the title, Washington Apple and Pizza, three of my favorite things! Try it and modify it if you like, I know I can't wait to!

Washington Apple Pizza

This recipe’s calcium, found in mozzarella, and quercetin, found in apple may help prevent breast and lung cancers.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings 

1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

3 tbsp sweet onion, minced

1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, diced

1 (16 oz) pre-cooked whole wheat pizza crust (think Bobolli folks)

1 Fuji, Jonagold or Golden Delicious apple, cored and thinly sliced

1/2 cup jarred sweet red pepper, thinly sliced

3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 425˚F. In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, onion, green and orange pepper; mix well. Spread on pizza crust. Layer apple and red pepper on top of ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake about 9 to 11 minutes or until cheese melts and pizza is heated through.

Anti-Cancer Shopping List

Vegetables & Fruits

A healthy diet isn't only a tool to help you lose weight. Eating the right foods in the right combination can actually help prevent disease. This shopping list is your key to health and longevity.

• leafy greens
• brussels sprouts
• tomatoes
• beets
• carrots
• sweet potatoes
• squash
• broccoli
• onions, leeks, shallots
• mushrooms
• lentils
• peppers: bell, jalapeno
• spinach
• oranges
• grapefruit
• lemon
• lime
• apples
• berries – blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
• apricots
• pomegranates
• mango

Whole Grains

• whole grains (bread, pasta, tortillas)
• oats
• flaxseed
• quinoa

Visit this website for more information- http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/anti-cancer-shopping-list

WHAT TO COOK WEDNESDAY???? How about a Washington Apple Pizza?!?

Welcome to TRADITION TUESDAY

When I think of a traditional dish in my household, I think of Tuna Noodle Casserole. I think this little go to meal gets forgotten about or put on the back burner in a health conscience society. But I am here to revive this comfort food with a few health conscience change ups to make this yummy dish a guilt free staple. But first lets talk tuna for a bit!

Health Benefits of TUNA!

Nutrients:
Tuna is an excellent source of protein, and while some vitamin and mineral losses occur during canned tuna processing, the protein nutritive values are not dramatically changed. Tuna is an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, protein, potassium, selenium, and vitamin B12. It's a very good source of niacin and phosphorus.

Lowers Blood Pressure:
An international study of 4680 men and women ages indicated that omega-3 fatty acid intake (largely from fish) could be beneficial in preventing adverse blood pressure levels.

Coronary Heart Disease Prevention:
Several studies and clinical trials have provided strong evidence that modest consumption of fish or fish oil (1-2 servings/wk of oily fish, or approximately 250 mg/d of EPA+DHA) substantially reduces the risk of coronary heart disease death.

Alzheimer's Disease Prevention:
While it is not known exactly why fish is protective against Alzheimer’s disease, the secret may lie in the high content of omega 3 fatty acids in fish. These fish oils may stabilize phospholipid concentrations in the brain membrane and may influence neurotransmitter function. Several epidemiological and animal studies have supported a protective role for omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and suggested that they have a positive effect on learning and memory.

Cancer Prevention:
In a prospective study of 61,433 women it was suggested that consumption of fatty fish such as tuna could reduce the occurrence of renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer).
Preliminary studies have shown that fatty acids present in fish inhibit the growth of breast cancer, and the Oncology Department at St Thomas' Hospital in London has proposed that premenopausal women over the age of 40 years who are shown to be at increased breast cancer risk supplement their diet with omega-3 fatty acid rich fish.

Arthritis Relief:
There is evidence from double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials that the increase of dietary omega-3 fatty acids supplied as fish oil can have beneficial effects in rheumatoid arthritis. 

Glycemic Index:
In a study to determine the estimated GI of various foods, it was concluded that tuna has a GI of 0.

So now you have more reasons to eat Tuna or any fish for that matter. Remember it is the omega-3 fatty acid rich fish that make the most difference in your diet. This is probably why I love Spicy Tuna Rolls so much! My sushi loving mouth is watering! Ok, back to the recipe in the spotlight. 

Not so Traditional Tuna Noodle Casserole

2 cups whole wheat pasta (I like wide egg noodles)

2 cans tuna in water (6oz)

2 cans low sodium (healthy request) cream of mushroom soup

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

2 cups frozen peas

Special K cornflake crumbs

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain. Place cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl.

Stir in tuna, soup, cheese, salt, and pepper, and peas. Stir together gently until well mixed.

Place in a 2 quart casserole dish sprayed with Smart Balance cooking spray oil. Top with cornflake crumbs.

Bake uncovered at 350* for 30-40 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly. I like to top with parmesan cheese. Serves 6 but I double this recipe for my family of 6 because they always want seconds and left overs for lunch the next day!

Tell me what you think and let me know what additional ingredients you like to add to your tuna noodle cass!

Welcome to TRADITION TUESDAY

TRY THIS GREAT IDEA!!!

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano and chopped almonds are combined and baked to make round crisps, then dipped in melted chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt for an incredible sweet-savory combo made from just five ingredients. This innovative recipe can be served as an appetizer or dessert with a glass of red wine or maybe even prosecco. Either way, your guests will be impressed! And I bet you can’t eat just one.

STRAIGHT FROM THE WHOLE STORY BLOG....

Makes 24 crisps

Ingredients

2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano
6 tablespoons finely chopped dry roasted whole almonds (skins on)
4 ounces good quality semi-sweet or dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 scant teaspoon vegetable oil
Sea salt for sprinkling

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Toss cheese and almonds together in a bowl. Form 12 mounds of cheese mixture on each lined baking sheet, spacing them 3 inches apart. Using the back of a spoon, press down on each mound to form a 1/4-inch thick circle. Place one baking sheet at a time on middle oven rack. Bake rounds 6 to 8 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and let crisps cool on baking sheets.

Once crisps are cooled completely, line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Toss chocolate with vegetable oil in a small bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Dip about one-third to one-half of each crisp into melted chocolate, hold a few seconds above chocolate, then place on the lined baking sheet. Immediately scatter a tiny bit of sea salt over chocolate. Let chocolate set before serving. You can put crisps in refrigerator or freezer to speed setting.

TRY THIS GREAT IDEA!!!