Kjerstin’s Swedish Cucumber Salad with Fresh Dill
Excerpted from “Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season!“
This recipe from my mother is a typical Swedish side dish (though I substituted yogurt for sour cream). When she (and I) serves it at parties, it is always a huge hit. It’s especially delicious using locally grown, just picked cucumbers. It’s great served alongside smoked salmon, but also any spicy dish, such as an Indian Curry.
1 English Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced (any seasonal cucumber will do)
1 Cup White Wine Vinegar
1 Cup Water
2 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Dill
1/2 Cup Low Fat or Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Dash Pepper
Mix water, vinegar and salt. Add cucumber slices and let sit for about an hour. Drain well. In clean bowl, mix together yogurt, dill, sugar and pepper. Mix cucumber slices in the yogurt mixture. Let sit in refrigerator for at least one hour to blend flavors. Will last several days in the refrigerator.
Susan Belsinger’s Creamiest Summer Peach Fruit Smoothie
Excerpted from “Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season!“
“Another great combo is raspberries with peaches. Besides being quick and easy, the best thing about this recipe is that it tastes good and it is good for you! Sometimes when I know I’m going to be burning a lot of energy—I add a handful of dry oatmeal—if makes it thicker and more filling, adds protein, and keeps me going longer. Just double the recipe if you are making smoothies for two,” says Susan. I’d like to add that soymilk makes extra creamy smoothies. Try it!
Serves 2
About 1 to 1 1/2 cups peaches and/or other fruit, cut into chunks
About 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1 cup cold soy milk
3 to 5 ice cubes
2 drops pure vanilla extract
Put the fruit in the blender. Drizzle the syrup or honey over it. Add the ice cubes. Pour the soy milk over all and add the vanilla. Blend until pureed and frothy. Serve immediately in a tall glass with a straw.
My Favorite 15 Minute – or Less – Summertime Recipes
Caprese Salad: A Simple Summertime Dish in 5 Minutes
Summer is my favorite time of year for food that needs NO COOKING!
Fresh Kale & Summer Peach Salad with Toasted Almonds and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Sweet Summertime Melon Chunks with Crumbled Feta & Fresh Mint
Fresh Summer Salsa with Watermelon
Zucchini Ribbons with Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette
Swedish Waffles, Vanilla Bean Yogurt & Fresh Summertime Peaches
Kjerstin’s Chicken Salad with Summer Grapes, Peaches & Toasted Walnuts
Creamiest Summertime Peach Smoothie
Kjerstin’s Cucumber Salad with Fresh Dill
Nora Pouillon’s Chilled Cucumber Soup with Yogurt & Cilantro
Kids Eat Right Month: Make Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter & Oat Balls!
Children aren’t born with healthy eating habits – they learn from their parents. With repetition and practice, healthy eating habits can become a way of life for the entire family.
August is Kids Eat Right Month™, when the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and its Foundation focus on the importance of healthful eating and active lifestyles for children and their families.
“Parents raise healthy eaters, bite by bite, meal by meal, as children transition from infants to teens and then to young adults,” said registered dietitian nutritionist and Academy Spokesperson Isabel Maples.
“Raising a competent eater takes years. Start by keeping mealtimes pleasant. Sit down regularly as a family to share meals, because positive attitudes about food grow from that. When there’s joy in eating, good nutrition can follow,” Maples said.
“As children grow, involve them more and more in the responsibility and decision making of meals and snacks. That might mean initiating teachable moments in the grocery store, enlisting your child’s help in planning meals or showing your teen how to prepare afterschool snacks,” Maples said. “Involving kids from the ground up gives them a sense of accomplishment and allows them to gradually develop key life skills about healthful food and good nutrition.”
Maples offers additional healthful eating habits that all families can begin today:
- Allow children to use their internal signals to decide how much to eat,
- Explore a variety of flavors and foods from different cultures and cuisines,
- Make food safety, such as washing hands, a simple part of every eating occasion,
- Teach basic skills for making positive food choices away from home.
“The more involved kids are, the more they will enjoy the fruits of their labors,” Maples said.
Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter & Oat Bites
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter (or any nut butter you like, such as Almond Butter)
3/4 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
Natural, Unsweetened Coconut Flakes (optional)
Chopped Roasted Nuts (optional)
Mix oats, peanut butter and maple syrup. You can try this with a wooden spoon, but you’ll probably need to give up on that technique. Go ahead and throw your hands into the task! Your kids will especially love this part.
In the palm of your hand, roll into about 12 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.
In the meantime, place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. To melt without burning, place in the microwave just 30 seconds at a time, while stirring in-between. You can also melt chocolate safely by doing so in a double boiler.
Roll the bites in the melted chocolate and, if you wish, sprinkle with chopped nuts and/or coconut.
Refrigerate until the bites are set, at least 15 minutes.
Adapted from Eating Well Magazine
Caprese Salad: A Simple Summertime Dish in 5 Minutes
Caprese Salad: A Simple Summertime Dish in 5 Minutes
Summertime, when the livin’ is easy… preparin’ meals should be easy too. With an abundance of fresh, natural and locally grown ingredients, there is no need to cook or spend more than five minutes in the kitchen preparing something delectable, mouth-watering, and perfectly balanced nutritionally.
Simply slice some vine-ripe tomatoes on a plate, spread about three ounces of mozzarella (and a touch of goat cheese, if you wish) on top, add a sprig of fresh basil – all from the Farmers Market. Sprinkle fresh extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper on everything.
Effortless! Only a plate and knife to rinse, and a fork to clean.
Nutritionally, this is a perfectly balanced meal, because it comprises the following four/five elements:
* At least half the plate is a fruit or vegetable,
* It contains 3 ounces of protein,
* The protein source is dairy,
* It’s topped with a heart-healthy fat, the freshest olive oil you can find.
The only element potentially missing is a whole grain. So add a hardy, toasted slice of whole rye or whole wheat bread with a shmear of olive oil and garlic. Or, smother a one cup serving of whole grain pasta with the salad.
Perfetto!
Healthy Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait – No Baking Necessary!
- At June 17, 2018
- By Katherine
- In News, Recipes
0
A Lineup of Various Fruit, Including Strawberry, Parfaits (Wikipedia.org)
This is an outrageously delicious dessert, especially because the main ingredient is sweet, tender, locally grown strawberries.
I tried this parfait with my Salvation Army Addiction Recovery class, where I teach how preparing and eating more fruits and vegetables can be deliciously fun. The recipes we make must be healthy, simple, inexpensive, quick, and with no cooking necessary. This was a HUGE hit!
For 10 Servings or More
Ingredients:
Use 3 medium bowls, one for each layer:
1 bowl:
Crush in Large Chunks: 9 Graham Crackers or 1-1/2 Cups Granola or Vanilla Wafers
Add Chopped Nuts, if desired
In 1 bowl, toss:
3 Cups Strawberries, sliced with hulls removed, with
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
In 1 bowl, Blend, then refrigerate until set, if desired:
8 Ounces Low Fat Cream Cheese
1 Cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt
2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Garnish with extra strawberries, granola, and/or chopped nuts on top
Optional: Place a Sprig of Mint on Top
In a wine glass, martini glass, or clear cup, place a layer of the crushed graham crackers, a layer of the cheesecake mixture, then a layer of the strawberries. Repeat.
This recipe is adapted from “Life Made Sweeter.”
Intensely Flavored Strawberry Sherbet in 5 Minutes
Berry Sherbet (Photo by Renee Comet, Photographer, for the National Cancer Institute – from Wikipedia.org)
5 Minutes? Yes, you heard right. Through the Salvation Army, I teach people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction – and often from the criminal justice system – the importance of including fruits and vegetables in their diets. Sound boring? It certainly could be. But not when we make recipes like this 5 Minute Strawberry Sherbet, adapted from a recipe by Kelly Senyei. It’s a sure-fire way to make anyone actually crave fruits for dessert in place of less healthy choices.
This sherbet (sherbets often contain dairy, while sorbets don’t) is luscious, creamy, and intensely flavorful. I bought the strawberries at the local Farmers Market for maximum succulence. The class hulled the berries and placed them evenly on a baking sheet. Then they (the strawberries, that is) went into the blisteringly cold Salvation Army walk-in freezer. While waiting for the berries to freeze, we reviewed a little lesson about the health benefits of strawberries. The class was especially excited hearing about strawberries’ potential for reducing inflammation, the risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, cognitive decline, for stimulating the immune system, and more. They learned about oxidation’s role in increasing disease, and how the more than 100 nutrients in strawberries serve as antioxidants, reducing the risk for those diseases.
I love teaching people who really need help and who benefit so much from my counseling and classes, from people with low literacy and low income, to sophisticated folks – in my classes and private practice. It is amazing how delicious food naturally attracts anyone to a healthy way of eating and living.
Here goes:
Place about 1 cup of Greek yogurt (plain or another flavor, like peach or vanilla) in a food processor. Add 8 cups of frozen strawberries, 2 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed Lemon or Orange Juice, and its zest if you like. Next, add honey or sugar to taste, about 4 to 6 Tablespoons.
Cut the recipe in half for a smaller party.
Blend in the food processor for 5 minutes straight – no peeking! And, voila… you have a rich dessert everyone will love. If you’d like to be extra fancy, serve it in a stemmed crystal glass.
A Luscious – Seemingly Sinful – Potato Dish Without Guilt for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner
I love potatoes! Doesn’t everyone? There’s been so much potato-bashing, though, everyone seems afraid to eat them; and that’s a shame. Potatoes are filled with vitamin C, vitamin B-6, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants. Fingerlings are hard to find, but I found some to-die-for golden fingerlings at Trader Joe’s and at Farmers Markets. They have become a staple for their utter deliciousness. it’s a handy fact that they’re nutritious, too.
Their flavor is rich, buttery, and nutty. Their texture is velvety. All I do is boil the whole bag in salted water until a fork easily pierces the biggest one. I strain out the water and let them sit overnight, so they don’t get soggy. I can and eat them almost every day, wherever the mood takes me – keeping them in the frig in an air-tight container – until I run out, and boil some more.
My buttery tasting golden fingerlings with fried eggs, nonfat greek yogurt, and cherry tomatoes start with the potatoes, of course. I measure out 6 ounces (160 calories) of boiled potatoes; a surprisingly large amount, I’m happy to say.
Then I quickly fry the eggs in a teaspoon or two of canola oil in a non-stick pan. I prefer them over-easy. I sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and a bit of kosher salt.
I plop the eggs atop the potatoes. I add quartered, fresh cherry tomatoes, and a dollop of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt (my favorite is Fage) on the side – and to me, it tastes like I’ve just smothered my potatoes in butter and sour cream. Wonderfully sinful. I add chopped cherry tomatoes for color, a glass of juice. And I have the PERFECT meal! It never fails to please…
The simple things in life are often the best. Don’t you agree?
Processed Food? You’d Be Surprised How Delish!
My Yummy Pulled Chicken BBQ Sandwich with Fresh Tomatoes on a Whole Wheat Bun
While making meals from scratch has been the paragon of nutritional virtue, it is increasingly unrealistic for most people in our crazy busy lives to even contemplate. And while processed, pre-prepared, packaged, frozen, vacuum packed, and even canned options seem like an abomination to many of you, they can be more nutritious – and many times quite yummy – for a fraction of the cost of a restaurant meal.
I’ve always enjoyed BBQ, but have never quite gotten the hang of making a really delicious one. The best BBQ I’ve ever had was in Texas – and it took days to make! BBQ in restaurants I’ve found too greasy, filling, and expensive. But I recently discovered a pre-packaged one in a local grocery store’s refrigerator section that is mouthwatering. For only 200 calories in a 1/2 cup serving – it is perfect for me (and, of course, most men could have twice that much). Try it yourself!
My BBQ Sandwich’s Simple Elements
No Time to Cook? No Problem!
- At February 04, 2018
- By Katherine
- In News, Recipes
- 0
Katherine’s Quick and Easy Soft or Fried Tacos with Light Cheese and Chopped Tomatoes, Onions and Jalapeno Peppers
No one wants to cook anymore. Who can blame them? We’re all so busy. When you get home from work, you’re exhausted, right? Simply too tired to cook a meal, or not willing to use up valuable relaxation time for cooking. No longer do we have the luxury of stay-at-home moms or dads who slave over a properly balanced home cooked meal every day. Personally, I spent so many years developing and testing recipes for my books, I’m sick of cooking myself. So I devote a lot of my “recipe” development time these days looking for recipes that don’t need a recipe… you know, meals whipped up in minutes without any rules.
The biggest challenge for most people is after-work dinners. But I’ve found many good solutions for creating easy, tasty and quick meals. Some take literally five minutes.
One of my favorites is an open-faced taco. I buy small, thin, whole corn tortillas and make either a soft or a fried version. But the ingredients are the same. Tomatoes are notoriously bad this time of year, but I find the smaller tomatoes on a vine excellent. I keep them on the counter for days – even weeks – and their flavor concentrates.
Katherine’s Quick and Easy Soft or Fried Tacos with Cheese, Chopped Tomatoes, Onions and Jalapeno Peppers
other toppings include avocado, fish, shrimp, chicken chunks, you name it!
1 serving:
Medium sized plate
2 Taco shells
2 Bonbel light cheese rounds
Canned Jalapeno pepper slices, to taste
Chopped FreshTomatoes, to taste
Chopped Fresh Sweet Onions, to taste
Chopped Fresh Celery (optional)
Chopped Fresh Avocado (optional)
Flaky White Fish Filet (optional)
Chopped Fresh Cilantro (optional)
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Place the 2 tacos on the plate, top with the cheese and jalapeno pepper slices. Microwave for about a minute, until the cheese has melted. Pile on the remaining veggies, cilantro, salt, pepper, and any other toppings you’ve chosen. Roll up and eat!
For the fried version, I add a little canola or olive oil to a non-stick pan. When hot, I put the tacos in and brown on one side. Flip over and top with the cheese, veggies and other toppings. Once the cheese melts, they’re ready to eat.
I buy the thinnest corn tortillas I can find. At only 50 calories each, and with mainly veggies, you have a spicy, filling low-calorie meal – perfectly balanced – that everyone loves. For the guys who need more – eat more! It’s just more nutrition! To add more calories, pile on the cheese.
Thin, Whole Corn Tortillas
Other toppings can be fish, shrimp, chopped chicken, avocado… really, anything you like. I’ve discovered a spicy frozen fish filet that’s ready in minutes that I think works perfectly.
Spicy Frozen Fish Filet
