Oooo La La...More Snacking Ideas

'Was going through my non-filed recipes stash and came across this newsletter from September 3, 2010 from The Hungry Girl, Lisa Lillien. (See yesterday's post).

In this newsletter was a compilation of her recommendations for 100 calorie do-it-yourself snack packs.  Read on....

14 almonds

25 dry roasted unsalted pistachios

16 Popchips

15 Guiltless Gourmet Tortilla Chips

12 hard pretzel sticks (NOT the rods!)*

19 hard  pretzel mini twists*

5 cups 94% fat free microwave popcorn

13 Quaker Mini Rice Cakes

4 Hershey's Mile Chocolate Kisses

4 teaspoons mini semi sweet chocolate chips

27 Reese's Pieces

45 mini marshmallows

1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

25 jelly beans (like Jelly Belly)

* sodium rich

Hungry Girl also put together her own mixes which remain at 100 calories:

10 small jelly beans + 15 pistachios

9 Reese's Pieces + 8 mini marshmallows + 2 1/2 cups 94% fat free microwaved popcorn

2 teas. mini semi sweet chocolate chips + 6 Quaker mini Caramel Corn Cakes

1 1/2 Tab unsweetened dried cranberries + 5 almonds + 5 mini pretzel twists.

Happy snacking!  Do it, but do it wisely!  xoxo

Snackers!

If you are anything like me, you love to snack.  While I am reading or watching a little television, I have that right hand motion from bag or bowl to mouth. In the past, I have chosen snacks that may not have been the healthiest, or sometimes have overloaded on even the healthier options.

I came across an interesting article in the most recent issue of Good Housekeeping magazine by Dr. Oz with a sample menus from his "Superfast Slim Down Plan".  There are 14 snacks listed which are 125 calories each.

Very exciting!  Here they are:

1. 1 hard cooked egg served with 6 oz low sodium vegetable juice.

2. 2 whole grain fig Newtons.

3. 1 Kashi TLC Fruit & Grain Bar in Dark Chocolate Coconut.

4. 1 Mini Babybel Light with 4 Triscuits

5. 1 Deep chocolate Vita Muffin Top with 1/4 cup raspberries

6. 1 small pear, spread with 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light Blue Cheese

7.  1/2 canned pineapple chunks in juice topped with 2 teas. chopped walnuts    and 2 teas. unsweetened shredded coconut.

8. 15 grapes and 1 reduced fat Cheddar Cheese stick.

9. one 100 calorie bag of popcorn sprinkled with 2 tab Parmesan

10. 6 oz. plain non fat Greek yogurt mixed with 1 teas. honey and dash of pumpkin pie spice.

11. one 12 oz. non-fat latte with one Dark Chocolate Hershey Kiss

12. one Kind Mini Fruit & Nut Delight with 5 grapes

13. 1/2 cup light vanilla ice cream topped with 4 strawberries sliced.

14. 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese with 1/3 cup cantaloupe chunks plus one Ak-Mak cracker.

Jolly Time Popcorn has the 100 calorie snack size packages and this is actually my usual go to snack in a pinch.  I also enjoy a little glass of the low sodium V8 with a sprinkle of hot sauce in it.  (No alcohol) to  jump start my metabolism.  I also like to keep the little Jello cups (0 calories) on hand or, I believe it is Del Monte, which makes the gelatin cups with fruit.  It is filling.

I also love to check out ideas from the Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 by Lisa  Lillien.  That is, 200 recipes under 200 calories. Lisa also has a wonderful web site and a free daily newsletter (Monday through Friday) at www. hungry-girl.com.  Most of the recipes are servings for one or two and are pretty quick to whip up.

How about Red Hot Chick'n Salad?  This recipe was "inspired by classic Buffalo wings.  It has the heat, the ranch, the celery and the carrots.  What it doesn't have is the fat and calories.  Yay!"

6 ounces cooked skinless lean chicken breast, cubed
3 Tab. fat free mayonnaise
3 Tab. chopped celery
3 Tab chopped carrots
2 teas. reduced fat Parmesan-style grated topping
1 1/2 teas. Franks Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1/2 teas. dry ranch dip/dressing mix.

In a medium bowl, combine mayo, Frank's, and ranch mix and stir well.  Add chicken, celery and carrots to the saucy mayo and stir.  Sprinkle with Parm style topping and stir again. And, eat up!"

This recipe make two servings (3/4 cup each) and is 142 calories.  Serve on a bed of lettuce or in a high fiber tortilla or eat right from the bowl.  So, if you have the hankering for wings......give this one a try!

See you next time!

Rice is nice...

I was actually never a big fan of rice.  Until, my late teens when an old beau started taking me to Asian restaurants and I discovered fried rice.  Now, that is something I could have eaten day and night, hot or cold.  And the variations from restaurant to restaurant are interesting. 

This past week Mike picked up some Jasmine rice.  I like the scent of Jasmine in perfume and even in tea....wasn't sure how I'd like it in rice....but I liked it. A lot.  He cooked it twice this week; once with peas and mushrooms which were stir fried with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and deglazed with chardonnay wine with 2 tablespoons of  balsamic vinegar.  Then, it was added it to the cooked rice. Yesterday, he cooked it with cabbage and onions.  He cut the cabbage and onions up and added to a pan of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  He covered it to steam for ten minutes or so and then removed the cover  to brown and then deglazed with wine and again, added to the cooked rice. Twas delicious. 

I have rice on the brain. 

So, today I am bringing you from Sheila Lukins' book, Celebrate, this recipe for Pineapple  Rice.

Pineapple Rice

1 Tab. extra virgin olive oil

1 teas. salt

2 cups long grain rice

8 oz. (in one piece) Virginia or Black Forest Ham

1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple drained, juices reserved

3 scallions included 3" green, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 carrot, peeled and cut into tiny dice

2 Tab. soy sauce

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 Tab. snipped fresh chives

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Combine 4 cups water with the olive oil and salt in a sauce pan and bring to boil over high heat.  Add the rice, stir and reduce heat to medium and cover the pan.  Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, cut the ham into 1/4 inch dice.

3.  Fluff the rice with a fork.  Add the pineapple and toss to combine.  Then add the ham, scallions, carrot, soy sauce and 2 Tab. of the reserved pineapple  juice and transfer it to a serving bowl.

4.  Shortly before serving, add the peas and the chives and season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately. 

Note:  If you make the rice ahead of time and want to reheat it, do not add the peas and chives.  Place the rice in a microwave safe container, cover with paper towel and reheat on high for 3 to 4 minutes.  Then stir in peas and chives and serve.

I wonder how would this taste with a little bit of coconut thrown in...??  Okay, my everyday foodie friends...love sharing with you!  Catch you next week! 



Veggie Pizza ala Nancy

Today, I made a broccoli, cauliflower, tomato and mozzarella pizza.  It is so easy and the variations are endless.  I use pre made dough from the grocery store - usually available in or near deli departments.

If your dough is frozen, turn it out into a bowl very lightly coated with olive oil in the early morning.  Turn the dough over so all sides have a bit of oil coating.  Cover the bowl with a damp, clean dish towel and let sit.  Check after a few hours.  If risen, pound down, flip again & cover again.

If your veggies of choice are frozen, put in a colander to thaw.

When ready to make the pizza, chop the veggies into small bits.  I do this right in the colander using kitchen shears.  Then, add a little olive oil to a saute pan (large enough to hold all the veggies) along with several minced cloves of garlic.  (I used four today).  Saute the garlic until very lightly browned, add the veggies and saute until soft.  I usually add a little pepper but not not salt as you will get the salt from the mozzarella.

When the veggies taste yummy, pull from the heat.

Get a large cookie sheet (or pizza stone).  If using cookie sheet, drizzle a little olive oil; if using a pizza stone, cover the stone with ground corn meal.  Spread the dough, using your clean hands to cover whatever pan/stone you are using.  Then, chop up a tomato or two and spread over the dough and sprinkle with Parmesan.  Add the sauteed veggies.  Sprinkle with more Parmesan and then cover with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella.  Make the pizza even so there are no big clumps of veggies.  Sprinkle with olive oil, very lightly and bake at 350 degree over for about 30-35 minutes.  I like my crust to be golden brown and the cheese to be bubbly and lightly browned.  Watch the pizza.  When ready, remove from oven and let sit to cool.

Serve with red pepper flakes and/or more Parmesan.  So good.  This is adapted from the recipe from my second MIL, Mary Tortora.  The possibilities are endless.  Spinach and tomato; artichoke and broccoli; tomato and onion; eggplant and tomato; etc.

If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!!  Ciao!

Bananas Foster Truffle Cups

Today's recipe comes from

http://candy.about.com/od/chocolatetrufflerecipes

There are plethora of truffle recipes at this site.  It was difficult for me to decide on this one, but I will definitely be back there to get a couple more!

Bananas Foster Truffle Cups

"Decadent Bananas Foster Truffle Cups combine a cinnamon-spiked banana-chocolate ganache with rich butterscotch sauce. The filling is placed into an edible chocolate cup and topped with a caramelized banana disc.

This recipe calls for chocolate candy or dessert cups. These can be purchased at many liquor stores, specialty food stores, and some large markets.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 large banana, fully ripe
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2/3 cup butterscotch sauce, divided use
• 1 tbsp dark rum (optional)
• 16 chocolate dessert cups
• 1 tbsp butter

Preparation:

1. Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat it until small bubbles form all along the edges of the pan, but do not allow it to come to a full boil.

2. While the cream is heating, prepare the chocolate and banana mixture. If you have a food processor, cut the banana in half and place half of it in the food processor with the cinnamon. Turn the processor on and mix until the banana is liquidy.

3. Add the chocolate chips to the banana and process until the chocolate is in small pieces. The mixture will clump together, so stop the processor several times to scrape it down. Once the cream is simmering, with the processor on, carefully pour the hot cream in a small stream down into the bowl of the processor and let it run until the ganache is smooth and free of lumps.

4. If you do not have a food processor, this can be done in a mixer, or you can mash the banana by hand and add very finely chopped chocolate to it, stirring until well-combined. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate-banana mixture and whisk it until it is smooth. This method produces a ganache that tastes the same, but there might be small pieces of banana that are not incorporated.

5. Stir 1/3 cup of butterscotch sauce into the ganache and stir it until smooth. If you are using rum, now is the time to stir in one tablespoon of dark rum into the ganache as well. Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature.

6. Spoon a small amount of the remaining 1/3 cup of butterscotch sauce into each of the sixteen chocolate cups. Cover the sauce with a large spoonful of the banana-chocolate ganache, using enough ganache to come just to the top of the cups. Refrigerate the cups until the ganache is set, for at least three hours or overnight. The ganache will not become solid, but it will firm up enough to hold its shape when the cup is tilted.

7. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Slice the remaining half of the large banana into sixteen discs. Place the discs in the hot saucepan and cook them until they are golden brown, then use a fork to flip them over and cook them on the other side until they are nicely caramelized. Top each truffle cup with a caramelized banana disc and serve immediately.

8. Truffle cups can be stored, without the banana garnish, in the refrigerator in an airtight container for several days. The caramelized banana does not store well and should be added just before serving."

Oooh la la.....                                                        

.....I may just make these for dessert tomorrow!