Thursday, December 31, 2009
Disclaimer
I should have probably mentioned that the brownies in the last post are kinda bittersweet. If you are a lover of dark chocolate, then they will suit you fine. If you are more of a milk chocolate person, you may need to add a few tablespoons of the evaporated cane juice for this recipe to be right for you. Enjoy!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
What can brownies do for you?
These brownines can satisfy your sweet tooth in a much more wholesome way. This recipe originally came from Fitness magazine but I tweaked it even further (of course!).
Allow me to go off on a tangent. I am a big believer in eating foods as close to their natural form as possible. Why drink a glass of orange juice from concentrate when you could eat an orange? or eat potato chips when you could make oven roasted potatoes? and what is the deal with refined grains? We take a natural, healthy food item, strip it of its nutrients and fiber then ADD THE NUTRIENTS BACK IN ARTIFICIALLY. What is the point?
My point is that foods eaten as nature intended them have much more of their natural nutrients, fiber, and less of the salt, sugar, or fat (depending on the food product) that may be added during the processing. Studies have linked diets low in processed foods to many benefits from better skin to lower incidence of diabetes.
For this reason, I always use less refined sweeteners such as evaporated cane juice. Sugar cane does have some trace vitamins and minerals, so I say keep them! You can find this at most grocery stores, so no specialty shopping needed. That said, I did cut down the sugar in this recipe because it should be used sparingly in a healthy diet.
White whole wheat flour is awesome for baking. If you don't use it, start now. It is made from soft wheat rather than traditional hard red wheat, so it has a lighter texture and milder taste which is ideal for baking but it's still a whole grain! How awesome is that?
Contrary to popular belief, sea salt does not differ that much from table salt as far as sodium content. It does, however, have a sharper taste which can allow you to use less. Canola oil is a good neutral oil for baking and is a much better choice than butter. Keep the oil amount the same even though you are increasing the cocoa powder and decreasing the baking chocolate. If you bake them just the right amount of time, these brownies are still deliciously fudgy. Here's the recipe:
1 large egg
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1 cup plus 2T evaporated cane juice
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup plus 3T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
Combine egg, yogurt and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, heat sugar, water, salt and oil on medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and mix in chocolate and cocoa until smooth. Combine chocolate and egg mixture. Mix in flour just until blended. Bake in 8" square non-stick baking pan at 350 degrees just until set (about 20-25 minutes).
Now, the most important part of making your brownies healthier: Cut into 9 squares. Eat only one at at time. Sit down and enjoy it. Savor the delicious chocolately flavor and you will feel more than satisfied.
No matter how much improved, brownies are still a treat and not a free-for-all at least until someone invents brownies made of broccoli. Still waiting for that one.
Allow me to go off on a tangent. I am a big believer in eating foods as close to their natural form as possible. Why drink a glass of orange juice from concentrate when you could eat an orange? or eat potato chips when you could make oven roasted potatoes? and what is the deal with refined grains? We take a natural, healthy food item, strip it of its nutrients and fiber then ADD THE NUTRIENTS BACK IN ARTIFICIALLY. What is the point?
My point is that foods eaten as nature intended them have much more of their natural nutrients, fiber, and less of the salt, sugar, or fat (depending on the food product) that may be added during the processing. Studies have linked diets low in processed foods to many benefits from better skin to lower incidence of diabetes.
For this reason, I always use less refined sweeteners such as evaporated cane juice. Sugar cane does have some trace vitamins and minerals, so I say keep them! You can find this at most grocery stores, so no specialty shopping needed. That said, I did cut down the sugar in this recipe because it should be used sparingly in a healthy diet.
White whole wheat flour is awesome for baking. If you don't use it, start now. It is made from soft wheat rather than traditional hard red wheat, so it has a lighter texture and milder taste which is ideal for baking but it's still a whole grain! How awesome is that?
Contrary to popular belief, sea salt does not differ that much from table salt as far as sodium content. It does, however, have a sharper taste which can allow you to use less. Canola oil is a good neutral oil for baking and is a much better choice than butter. Keep the oil amount the same even though you are increasing the cocoa powder and decreasing the baking chocolate. If you bake them just the right amount of time, these brownies are still deliciously fudgy. Here's the recipe:
1 large egg
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1 cup plus 2T evaporated cane juice
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup plus 3T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
Combine egg, yogurt and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, heat sugar, water, salt and oil on medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and mix in chocolate and cocoa until smooth. Combine chocolate and egg mixture. Mix in flour just until blended. Bake in 8" square non-stick baking pan at 350 degrees just until set (about 20-25 minutes).
Now, the most important part of making your brownies healthier: Cut into 9 squares. Eat only one at at time. Sit down and enjoy it. Savor the delicious chocolately flavor and you will feel more than satisfied.
No matter how much improved, brownies are still a treat and not a free-for-all at least until someone invents brownies made of broccoli. Still waiting for that one.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
mmm.... cheesy rice
I found this recipe while searching the internet for meatless meals I could make in my Crock Pot:
Wild Rice Casserole:
Ingredients
2 onions, finely chopped
3 celery, thinly sliced
2 (6 ounce) packages dry instant long grain and wild rice mix
2 1/2 cups water
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup butter
1/2 pound processed American cheese
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
Directions
1.In a slow cooker, place onions, celery, rice mix, water, condensed cream of mushroom soup, butter, American cheese and mushrooms. Cover, and cook on Low 6 to 10 hours or on High 2 to 4 hours.
Holy crap. Sounds like a delicious, fattening, comfort food. Let's try it.
Onions and celery are excellent. Keep the onions (they are full of vitamin C and antioxidants), and throw in a couple more stalks of celery for added vitamin K and fiber. Don't stop at 1/2 cup of mushrooms, either. Use a whole 8oz package. We want mushroom to be the predominate flavor in this dish, not butter and cheese!Wild rice is a good whole grain, so don't mess it up by combining it with refined white rice which has little nutritional value. Luckily, whole grains are more widely available than ever before and I was able to find packages of brown and wild rice mix which are a much better choice.
Now for the soup... find the least offensive condensed soup you possibly can. Low fat, lower sodium, no MSG, etc. I would suggest making your own sauce but that would ruin the point of a crock pot dish, so nevermind.
Ok, butter. Tell me exactly what purpose you have in this dish. Are you browning vegetables to help them carmelize and bring out their flavor? Are you contributing to structure? Texture? No, you are not. You have no point except to add 800 CALORIES and 90 GRAMS of FAT to this dish. It's pointless and you must leave it out completely.
As for the cheese, it does have the purpose of adding some flavor. However, you can do better than processed "cheese". Switch to an extra sharp cheddar, where a little will go a long way due to the intense flavor. Try adding 4oz of shredded cheddar at the end of the cooking process and you will save 289 calories and 18 grams of fat, not to mention a bunch of strange additives that usually are found in imitation cheese.
Now enjoy your made-over, much-improved comfort food- it's delicious and still super easy.
Wild Rice Casserole:
Ingredients
2 onions, finely chopped
3 celery, thinly sliced
2 (6 ounce) packages dry instant long grain and wild rice mix
2 1/2 cups water
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup butter
1/2 pound processed American cheese
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
Directions
1.In a slow cooker, place onions, celery, rice mix, water, condensed cream of mushroom soup, butter, American cheese and mushrooms. Cover, and cook on Low 6 to 10 hours or on High 2 to 4 hours.
Holy crap. Sounds like a delicious, fattening, comfort food. Let's try it.
Onions and celery are excellent. Keep the onions (they are full of vitamin C and antioxidants), and throw in a couple more stalks of celery for added vitamin K and fiber. Don't stop at 1/2 cup of mushrooms, either. Use a whole 8oz package. We want mushroom to be the predominate flavor in this dish, not butter and cheese!Wild rice is a good whole grain, so don't mess it up by combining it with refined white rice which has little nutritional value. Luckily, whole grains are more widely available than ever before and I was able to find packages of brown and wild rice mix which are a much better choice.
Now for the soup... find the least offensive condensed soup you possibly can. Low fat, lower sodium, no MSG, etc. I would suggest making your own sauce but that would ruin the point of a crock pot dish, so nevermind.
Ok, butter. Tell me exactly what purpose you have in this dish. Are you browning vegetables to help them carmelize and bring out their flavor? Are you contributing to structure? Texture? No, you are not. You have no point except to add 800 CALORIES and 90 GRAMS of FAT to this dish. It's pointless and you must leave it out completely.
As for the cheese, it does have the purpose of adding some flavor. However, you can do better than processed "cheese". Switch to an extra sharp cheddar, where a little will go a long way due to the intense flavor. Try adding 4oz of shredded cheddar at the end of the cooking process and you will save 289 calories and 18 grams of fat, not to mention a bunch of strange additives that usually are found in imitation cheese.
Now enjoy your made-over, much-improved comfort food- it's delicious and still super easy.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Welcome
This blog is dedicated to everyone who wants to eat more healthfully but doesn't know where to start. I say the best place to start is your own kitchen. I will be posting recipes that have been tweaked by me, a Registered Dietitian and life-long food lover. Have a favorite recipe you know probably is a little too high in calories or fat? A little too low in fiber or folate? Send them in, it's time for a make-over!
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