Happy Mother’s Day!!

May your day be filled with smiles and love!  Enjoy!!

Weekend Wisdom: Food Safety at Home

This past week I attended a food safety course for my Food Sanitation License.  This is needed for my new position as a Chef/Instructor at Marcel’s in downtown Glen Ellyn (I start teaching in July, 2012).

Since food safety is fresh on my brain, I wanted to share a few tips & reminders we can all benefit from at home:

Remember the goal of food safety is to prevent physical, chemical, or biological harm.

Always start food preparation with clean hands.  It’s simple advice, but important to remember:  20 seconds under warm water with lots of soap.

Wash all produce with cold water, including fresh herbs, greens, and sprouts.

Make it a habit to wash off tops of cans before opening, including drink cans.

Never thaw frozen food at room temperature.  Use the refrigerator, microwave, or cold running water.

It is best to cook and store foods with a high acid content, like fruit, fruit juices, tomato-based foods, sauerkraut, and other foods with vinegar in stainless steel or glass.

Never re-use the same cutting board, knives or other equipment without first a thorough washing when working with raw meat or poultry.

Do not use plastic wrap or plastic/Styrofoam containers in the microwave.

Check the temperature of your fridge and freezer:  the fridge should be at or below 38 degrees Fahrenheit, the freezer at 0 degrees.

Cooked leftovers should not be kept in the fridge for more than 7 days and always remember to follow a package’s ‘use by’ date.

Remember the saying, “When in doubt, throw it out!”

This list is just a start.  Do you have a home food safety tip you’d like to share?

Pan-Seared Tilapia with Tomato & Avocado Salsa

Let’s not forget fish as a quick cooking dinner option.  In this recipe, I use tilapia, a mild-tasting fish that yields to the flavors of other ingredients in the dish.  I served it on a bed of mixed spring greens that were dressed with a vinaigrette.  You can certainly serve it with the salad-on-the-side, if preferred.  It’s a dish that’s beautiful to the eyes and pleasing to the taste buds!

5, 4-ounce tilapia filets (This recipe serves 5 instead of my usual 6 since I have a non-fish eater in the family, but he is always required to ‘take a bite’)

1 cup milk, placed in shallow bowl.

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, placed in a second shallow bowl

1 large lemon, cut into quarters

1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

4 scallions, sliced

Dip fish filets in milk and then into the bread crumbs.  Heat a small amount of olive oil in a medium skillet.  Place half the filets in the pan, squeeze the juice of 1/4 lemon on the filets and cook about 4 minutes on each side or until fish is cooked through (the flesh turns opaque and white- not translucent and pink).  At very end of cooking, add half of the tomatoes, avocado, and scallions and squeeze in the juice from another 1/4 lemon.  Transfer to a plate and cover with foil while the recipe is repeated for the other half of the filets.  Serve the tilapia on top of mixed spring greens tossed lightly with your favorite vinaigrette.  Divide the salsa evenly to the top of each filet.

The salsa here is mild.  You can ‘spice’ it up with some jalapeno or add ‘saltiness’ with some capers.  Please let me know what your family likes!

Make-Your-Own-Pizza Night

For another easy spring meal, I’ve been taking advantage of the ready-made whole grain pizza crusts that are available in the grocery store.  It’s even a dinner my older kids can make on their own.  All that is needed is sauce, crust, cheese, and toppings.  Customize it however you like, and in my opinion, the more veggies, the better!  Once the pizza is assembled, it takes 10-15 minutes in a 400 degree oven (or according to the pizza crust instructions).  Serve it with a green or fruit salad, it becomes a Myplate meal!

The photo above illustrates how customized a recent pizza nite was at our house.  My boys made their half by layering pizza sauce, pepperoni, and shredded mozzarella.  My girls’ half was pesto, fresh tomato, mushroom, and spinach, topped with fresh mozzarella and drizzled with a balsamic glaze.   Can you guess which half I helped eat?  Enjoy!!

Calling all smoothie lovers!

April was a month of smoothie-making!  Two weeks ago, I taught nutrition/smoothie making at our local junior high for 6, 7, & 8th grade girls and their moms.  The blenders were buzzing!  Then, this past Friday, I taught 3rd, 4th & 5th graders at our local grade school.  All together, over 175 smoothies were made!!  Smoothies are a great snack food (or an easy to-go breakfast) with their protein content and dairy & fruit servings.  Veggies can also be used in smoothies…raw leafy greens, cooked sweet potatoes and carrots, just to name a few.  Grains can be added, too, like wheat germ or ground flaxseed.

What is your favorite smoothie?  Please share it with us!  Here is a recipe from two third graders that received many praises last week: Ben & Matt’s Sports Fuel Smoothie:  Mango-Pineapple-Peach-Strawberry.  It’s a combination of flavors you can’t beat!

This recipe makes two-12 ounce smoothies:

1/4 cup each:  mango juice and pineapple juice

1/4 cup each:  peaches (we used frozen) and strawberries

1 cup yogurt (I prefer low-fat Greek yogurt for its extra protein content)

1/2 cup ice

Blend on high for 1 minute until smooth.   Enjoy!

Be creative and make your own, you can use this recipe as a guide.  Please remember to share your favorite with us!

Slow Cooker Sunday: Jalapeno & Portabella Braised Beef

This is another fully flavored slow cooker meal for our busy spring season.  It is adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens’ Creative Slow Cooker magazine:

Slow Cooker Jalapeno & Portabella Braised Beef

2 pounds lean stew meat

¼ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup each:  reduced sodium soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced thin

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 large Portobello mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

Trim fat from meat.  Place pieces in a slow cooker.  In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire, jalapeno, vinegar, tapioca and garlic.  Stir in cilantro.  Pour mixture over meat in cooker.  Top with mushrooms and onion.

Cover and cook for 6-8 hours.  Serve over cooked egg noodles, polenta, or mashed white or sweet potatoes.

Weekend Wisdom: Benefits of Plant Protein

This week I introduced protein-rich tofu.  Although I am not a vegetarian, I recognize that all of us can benefit from replacing some animal protein in our diets with plant protein.  The current US diet consists of a 1 to 2 ratio of plant to animal protein.  A 1 to 1 ratio is considered more desirable for optimal health and disease protection.  The evidence is striking that a plant-based diet is optimal for health and wellness.

The benefits of a plant-based diet are mostly due to the rich fiber content and the plant-specific phytochemicals in each plant food.  Phytochemicals are non-nutritive plant components with preventive or therapeutic benefits.  These benefits are specific to the plant and can reduce your risk for chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

The sources of plant protein are:  legumes and soybeans; whole grains; nuts and seeds; and vegetables.

Except for soy and the whole grain quinoa, sources of plant protein are incomplete.  This means that not all of the essential amino acids are present in the food.  However, if paired with a complementary source of plant protein during a day of eating, complete proteins can be built by the body.

This list shows you how to pair different sources of plant protein to build a complete protein:

Whole Grains with Legumes (like black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans and lentils)

Nuts and Seeds with Legumes

Vegetables with Whole Grains

Vegetables with Nuts and Seeds

Corn with Legumes

Myplate2yours is a great resource for recipes featuring plant protein.  I have added a new tag ‘plant protein’ for recipes that feature a good source of plant-based protein. You’ll find Bean & Cheese Quesadilla, Rice & Bean Burrito Bowl, Greek-Style Hummus,and Quinoa with Cherries and Pine Nuts. Stay tuned for more!!

More on Tofu

Tofu and Vegetables Stir Fry was the first recipe I’ve posted that features tofu.   Today, I want to share a few helpful tips you may need to know when shopping and cooking with this healthful ingredient:

Tofu is…

Made from soymilk.

Most often located in the produce section of grocery stores.

Typically packed in water and refrigerated.  This water is drained before cooking.  It can also come in aseptic packaging that does not require refrigeration before opening and is not packed in water.

I like to drain extra water out of my tofu in a slightly unconventional way (that is, I have never seen this method used by anyone else, but it works!).  Take the tofu out of the packaging.  Place it on a plate and put a weighty, clean bowl on top for 10 minutes.  This easy method quickly drains excess water and helps keep the tofu intact when stir frying.

Found in different textures; soft, firm and extra firm.  Typically firm and extra firm are used in stir fry recipes.

Perishable.  It is always labeled with an expiration date.

Easy to cut into strips or cubes for cooking.  Tofu should be cooked for at least 5 minutes.

Packed with a nutritional punch!  It boasts 10 grams of protein in each ½ cup serving.  Soy and whole grain quinoa are the only plant sources of complete protein, containing all the essential amino acids.  Soy protein is also known to help reduce the risk of heart disease when part of a heart healthy diet.  Tofu is also a good source of calcium and iron.  These minerals vary by brand and you can use the Nutrition Facts label to help you choose the best one.

I hope this is helpful.  If you have any other questions about tofu, please ask!!

Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry

Stir frying is an easy way to prepare a quick and tasty meal.  The most time-consuming part of any stir fry is preparing the veggies.  If prepped ahead of time or purchased ready to cook, this recipe is done in 15 minutes.

This stir fry features tofu, which adds a creaminess to the finished dish.  If your family has never had tofu and ask, “What’s for dinner?”, use my friend Laurie’s reply, “We’re having stir fry!”.  And just like Laurie’s, I hope your family finds a new favorite!

Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry  (serves 6-8)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion

1-1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced ginger

2 packages (16-ounces each) firm tofu, drained and cubed

1 large carrot, sliced

2 cups broccoli, cleaned and cut into small florets

1 yellow squash, cut lengthwise and sliced

1 cup sugar snap peas (or pea pods), trimmed

1 can baby corn, drained (in the picture above, I didn’t have any baby corn so I used sliced red bell pepper and mushrooms instead.)

½-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (how spicy hot do you like it?)

2 medium green onions, thinly sliced diagonally

Sauce:  1/2 cup water, ½ cup rice wine vinegar, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup light soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in ¼ cup water

In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients.  Set aside.

In large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Stir in onions and cook for one minute.  Stir in garlic and ginger, and cook for 30 seconds.  Stir in tofu, and cook until golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a separate plate.

Stir in carrots, broccoli, squash and peas.  Add crushed red pepper.  Cook until veggies are tender, 5 minutes.  Return tofu to skillet.

Add sauce and bring to a simmer.  Add cornstarch/water mixture.  Simmer until sauce thickens.  Garnish with scallions.

Weekend Wisdom: Celebrate Earth Day

Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22.   Let’s celebrate by considering how we can make our kitchens greener:

Lighting:  Compact fluorescent bulbs use ¼ of the energy of typical incandescent bulbs.  Their price tag is higher but they last 10 times longer.

Water:  Save this precious resource by not running the faucet when rinsing dishes

Packaging:  Styrofoam is known to last in landfills for hundreds of years.  Eggs can be bought in cardboard containers to avoid Styrofoam packaging.  Also, glass, plastic, cans, and paper can all be recycled.

Shopping:  Support local growers and producers of food and products.  Buying local reduces travel, and, in turn, reduces greenhouse gases.

Bags:  Make it a habit to carry cloth shopping bags instead using of plastic or paper (remember to recycle the paper and plastic bags, if used).  Also, decline a bag for smaller items you can carry.

Cleaning:  Use rags or towels for cleaning instead of paper towels.  Consider using cloth napkins to clean our faces instead of paper.

Food storage:  Use glass or plastic re-usable containers to store food.  Use biodegradable waxed paper, when possible, instead of plastic wrap and foil.

Earth Day is a great reminder to reduce, reuse, and recycle every day.  This list is certainly not exhaustive.  Please share how you ‘go green’ in your home or kitchen.  By doing our part, we can contribute to a greener world!