Katherine’s 5th Batch Recipe: Chocolate-Covered Holiday Treats!

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter & Oat Balls Taste Better Than Peanut Butter Cups!

My fifth and final 2018 weekly batch recipe is all about holiday celebrating. This batch is a fun – and messy – activity for children, and adults, of course. They make an impressive gift, or even a dessert or snack for a holiday gathering. They taste like fresh peanut butter cups, but unbelievably … every. single. ingredient … is natural and healthful!

Batches make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen and ease some stress from your life. I feature batch recipes in my books, Diet Simple and Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes. Batches are your favorite delicious, quick and easy meals made ahead of time so that you always have something in the freezer or refrigerator, ready to eat, or serve for guests, on a moment’s notice. And, believe it or not, though it may take a little extra time to prepare the batches on the weekends, it actually saves time overall and calms the daily whirlwind of your life.

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter & Oat Balls

I always at least quadruple this recipe. It’s only four ingredients. It’s fast. It’s simple. These treats are so addictive, they’re gone in a flash, so be on your toes!

A Heaping 1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter (or any nut butter you like, such as Almond Butter)
3/4 Cup Old Fashioned or Quick Rolled Oats
1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
3/4 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
Natural, Unsweetened Coconut Flakes (optional)
Chopped Roasted Nuts (optional)

Mix oats, peanut butter and maple syrup. Roll into about 12 or more balls (the smaller the balls, the more chocolate on each one!) and place them on a baking sheet which is covered with parchment paper. Freeze about 15 minutes or until set.

Pull the frozen balls out of the freezer. Roll them in the melted chocolate and, if you wish, sprinkle with chopped nuts and/or coconut. Melt the chocolate carefully to prevent it from burning. Use a double boiler and stir until melted, or use a microwave stirring every 30 seconds until melted.

You may need to heat the chocolate again as the frozen balls may harden the chocolate while you’re “working.” Once every ball is generously covered and every last bit of chocolate is used up, freeze until the balls are set, at least 15 minutes.

Pull them out of the freezer and enjoy. You can save them in a plastic container in your refrigerator for three weeks. The more you make, the better!

Adapted from Eating Well Magazine.

This Week’s Batch Recipe: Cauliflower Vichyssoise

Cauliflower Vichyssoise

My second weekly batch recipe, based on what you can find at your Farmers Market this weekend is Cauliflower Vichyssoise. It is a take on the French Classic Vichyssoise – leak and potato soup – substituting most of the potatoes for cauliflower. Even though Vichyssoise is usally served cold, in the winter I serve my Cauliflower Vichyssoise warm.

Batches are all about making the most of the time you spend in the kitchen and easing some stress from your life. I feature batch recipes in my books, Diet Simple and Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes. Batches are your favorite delicious, quick and easy meals made ahead of time so that you always have something in the freezer or refrigerator, ready to eat on a moment’s notice. And, believe it or not, even though you’re spending time putting the batch together, overall, it actually saves time.

Soups are some of the best “batches” in the cold dark days of winter. They’re warm, filling, psychologically satisfying and sate the natural urge for comfort food in the winter. Eating soup also makes it easier to lose weight. How?

Classic studies have found that soups are effective weight loss foods. As long as the volume of a food is high (when water or air are incorporated into the food), people can feel full with fewer calories. In one study, researchers varied the water content in three different first courses to see how it would affect peoples’ intake at the main course. The study subjects were fed either 1) chicken rice casserole, 2) chicken rice casserole served with a glass of water, or 3) chicken rice soup – basically the casserole with water/broth added. The researchers found the subjects who ate the soup consumed 26 percent less, about 100 calories fewer, at the main course, compared to the other conditions, even though all three conditions provided the same amount of calories. As I always say, “A calorie isn’t always a calorie!”

Researchers surmise that a large food volume caused by water, even without added calories, helps us feel more satisfied for several reasons. It causes stomach stretching and slows stomach emptying, stimulating the nerves and hormones that signal feelings of fullness. Also, visually seeing a large volume of food can increase your ability to feel satisfied by it, even though the calories are relatively low. Finally, the larger a meal and the longer a meal goes on, studies show, your satisfaction declines and you lose interest in completing it. Water is the component in food which has the largest influence on how much you eat. This study, and many others like it, find eating a high-water-content, low-calorie first course, such as soup, enhances satisfaction and reduces overall calorie intake.

Cauliflower “Vichyssoise”
excerpted from Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season

Cauliflower is in the species of foods called “brassica.” The brassica family of foods has extremely high nutritional values and contain high levels of antioxidants and nutrients such as vitamin C, selenium, calcium, potassium, folic acid and choline – important for the brain, as well as soluble fiber, which reduces cholesterol and helps level blood sugar. Brassica, a huge category of foods including broccoli, cabbages, mustard seeds and greens, also contain potent anti-cancer compounds which help detoxify carcinogens in the liver before they continue to circulate in your bloodstream. These compounds also aid your immune response with anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.

4 to 8 Servings

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Canola Oil
2 Leeks
1 Head Cauliflower
1 Medium Potato
6 Cups Chicken Stock (or vegetable stock), fat removed
1 Cup 1% Milk
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
8 leaves Fresh Parsley, Chopped

Blending the cauliflower, leaks and potatoes with my favorite “Cuisinart Smart Stick”

Slice the white part of the leeks, cut the cauliflower into florets and set aside. Heat canola oil in an iron skillet over medium heat. Add sliced leeks, stirring frequently for about ten minutes until soft. Stir in the stock, cauliflower and potato. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about twenty minutes or until vegetables are soft. When mixture has cooled a bit, puree with the  The Cuisinart Smart Stick… No mess, no fuss! (or blender or food processor), add the milk. Serve hot in the cool weather, cold in the hot weather. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley.

700 calories in the entire pot of soup

This Week’s Seasonal Batch Recipe: Thanksgiving Turkey, Veggie & Barley Soup

Turkey, Veggie & Barley Soup, an adaptation of Michel Richard’s Chicken, Mushroom & Barley Soup in my book, “Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations”

The second best part of Thanksgiving is leftovers! I try to encourage my clients to focus on healthy leftovers, of course, but perfection is never possible or even a healthy objective. One Thanksgiving, I saved the French Apple Cake dessert for breakfast the next morning (It’s better for your weight and health to eat the most fattening food earlier in the day – Sometimes, it’s all about STRATEGY!). It was one of the best breakfasts of my life!

This is the first recipe in my “Seasonal Batch Recipe” series. My advice: Make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen and ease some stress from your life by batch cooking. I feature batch recipes in my books, Diet Simple and Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes. Batches are your favorite delicious, quick and easy meals made ahead of time so that you always have something in the freezer or refrigerator, ready to eat on a moment’s notice. And it actually saves time. When you get home from work in the evening, just zap the batch in the microwave and Voilà! Instant delicious, nutritious dinner.

Studies show you’re more likely to eat whatever is in your environment. If you surround yourself with yummy, healthy, wholesome foods, that’s what you’ll end up eating. It’s simple physics: You naturally take the path of least resistance. So why not make things easy on yourself? Plan to make a few batch meals, or even just one, this weekend so you and your family will have their home-made favorites at your fingertips all week long.

Let’s take advantage and start batching with America’s favorite holiday-for-leftovers!

Thanksgiving Turkey, Vegetable and Barley Soup

Adapted from Michel Richard’s Chicken, Mushroom and Barley Soup, excerpted from Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations

4 servings

Nothing could be simpler or more delicate than this dish.  The flavors are rich and earthy. It contains all the elements of a complete meal.  It’s nutritious and filling to boot.  I feel honored that Michel Richard provided this recipe for Diet Simple.  It fits perfectly as something you can cook, store in the refrigerator and eat for several meals and is a wonderfully delicious addition.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Small Onions, Peeled and Diced
1 Pound Thinly Sliced Mushrooms, or other Vegetables
2 Quarts Unsalted Turkey Stock (defatted)
2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
6 Tbsp Pearl Barley
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
About 1 pound, boned, skinned and sliced Turkey into bite-size pieces or small slices
About 1-1/2 Cup (about 3 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (Optional)

Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the onion, cover and  cook until translucent, for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the mushrooms – and/or other leftover vegetables. Increase heat to medium-high and cook uncovered until lightly browned, for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the turkey stock, soy sauce, barley and garlic.  Simmer gently for 45 minutes to cook barley and blend flavors.  Season with salt and pepper.  (This can be prepared ahead, cooled, covered and set aside at cool room temperature for up to four hours or refrigerated for several days.)

To serve, bring the soup to a light simmer, add turkey, reduce heat and simmer just until the turkey becomes warm, for about two to three minutes.  Ladle into four soup plates.  Pass Parmesan, if desired.

Nutritional Analysis:

Calories320
Total Fat5g
Saturated Fat2g
Cholesterol70mg
Sodium1,100 mg
Total Carbohydrate26g
Dietary Fiber6g
Soluble Fiber 1.20 g
Omega 3 Fatty Acids 0.1 g
Sugars1g
Protein 34g

Nutritional Analysis with Parmesan

Calories500
Calories from Fat 200
Total Fat22g
Saturated Fat9g
Cholesterol100mg
Sodium 1800mg
Total Carbohydrate28g