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Heart Healthy Foods and Recipes

Hamilton Beach Juice Extractor: Arming Your Kitchen for Greater Health!

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While almost everything about the Pandemic has been tragic, hideous, ugly, and negative in every way – a few small benefits can’t be overlooked.

Most of us will never take anyone in our lives for granted ever again – young or old, I truly believe our loved ones will be cherished more than ever before. I also believe we’ll be more apt to be more thankful for the simple joys in life, things we once took for granted, like simply going out for a hamburger with your spouse or shopping at Target with your daughters.

Another benefit, I believe, will be a lot more people getting serious (really SERIOUS) about their health and weight. COVID, like so very many diseases, did not and does not discriminate when it comes to its victims BUT it most certainly does more damage to those who are older, those with pre-existing diseases, and/or those who are overweight.

Many people are realizing that the time is now (past now, if we’re being honest) to get in better shape and lose excess weight where it may lurk.

Fortunately there are a lot of healthy kitchen tools and small appliances that make it easier to eat and live much healthier. Juice extractors, for example, are one of the easiest, fastest, and most efficient ways to make sure we’re getting all the fruits and vegetables we need in our diet.

I am as big a fan of smoothies as anyone in the world, but even I admit that they can tend to be pretty high in calories. When it comes to juicing, you can get the benefits of the vegetables and fruits without all the extras we put in our smoothies.

The beauty pictured here is the Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor and it is one of the best on the market.

Features

  • Fits whole foods – for less pre-cutting
  • Easy to assemble and store
  • Powerful 800 Watt motor
  • Dishwasher safe parts
  • Includes recipes, tips and juicing cup
  • Extra-large pulp bin lets you juice longer – use pulp in recipes or for composting

Product Description

Tired of those expensive, sugary juices filled with preservatives and questionable additives? Ready to retire your old juicer and upgrade to something better? The Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor can take nutrition to the next level and help you kick-start a healthy lifestyle.

Eating healthier and incorporating fruits and veggies into snacks or meals doesn’t have to be boring, expensive or time-consuming. In no time flat, before you can say “over-priced juice bar,” the Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor extracts the juice from a whole apple. This kitchen staple and secret weapon proves that there’s a fast, easy way to add more produce into your daily diet. What’s more, there is no need for adding sweeteners or preservatives, making juice the ultimate healthy drink.

Rated a “Best Buy” by a leading consumer advocacy publication, the Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor flawlessly performs the task of extracting juice from whole fruits, vegetables, citrus fruits and tomatoes with efficiency and speed. Equipped with a powerful 1.1 horsepower motor, an extra-wide feed chute and a stainless steel cutter/strainer, it quickly processes whole fruits and vegetables — with no pre-cutting — to produce invigorating, healthy juice.

See Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor (Amazon link) for A LOT more information.


No Excuses Detox by Megan Gilmore (Review)

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No Excuses Detox
No Excuses Detox
You may have heard of Megan Gilmore’s first book, Everyday Detox (you can read my Everyday Detox review here).  I was beyond excited when I heard she had another cookbook out and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Her recipes are creative, easy, and feature foods you have most certainly heard of and probably even have on hand.

No Excuses Detox is just as exciting as her first cookbook and the recipes are just as creative and delicious. Megan proves that creating healthy meals for yourself and your family doesn’t have to be difficult. She offers tons of great recipe to make sure your family doesn’t keep eating the same things over and over – a trap that’s easy to fall into when you’re trying to eat healthy.

But let’s be honest – you can only eat so many grilled chicken salads and vegetable soup before you start to lose your inspiration. That’s when fried potatoes, greasy “head-sized” cheeseburgers, and pizzas topped with everything in the refrigerator start to look good. This collection of recipes keeps you from getting to this point and (this part I really love) the results are far more delicious than the less-healthy options.

The book includes Megan’s great advice on substitutions, time-saving tips, meal plans, and even a “Beginner Five-Day Shopping List.”

Do you feel all of those excuses slipping away???

From Everyday Detox author Megan Gilmore, powerhouse blogger behind Detoxinista.com, here are 100 quick-to-prepare, affordable, and delicious whole-food recipes that make it easy to follow a healthy lifestyle for you and your family every day.

In No Excuses Detox, Megan Gilmore presents a collection of satisfying, family-friendly recipes developed with speed, convenience, and optimum digestion in mind. Because enjoying what you eat on a daily basis is crucial to maintaining health goals, these recipes for comfort food favorites–from Freezer Oat Waffles, Butternut Mac n’ Cheese, Quinoa Pizza, Loaded Nacho Dip, and Avocado Caesar Salad to Frosty Chocolate Shakes, No-Bake Brownie Bites, and Carrot Cake Cupcakes—taste just as good as their traditional counterparts, but are healthier versions packed with nutrients. Megan Gilmore sharply identifies many of the reasons people fail to stick to a healthy diet—too busy, budget conscious, cooking for picky eaters, concerns about taste or fullness, and more—addressing them head on and offering simple solutions. This beautifully packaged and artfully photographed book gives readers no excuse to not eat well year-round.

No Excuses Detox Cookbook Black Bean Burgers
About the Author

Megan Gilmore is the creator and recipe developer behind Detoxinista.com, a website that makes healthy living easier and more accessible, and the author of eEveryday Detox. A certified health coach and certified nutritionist consultant, she trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and NHI College.

Recipes Include

  • Fresh Pico de Gallo
  • Mushroom and Black Bean Tacos
  • Sloppy Joe-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
  • Loaded Nacho Dip
  • White Bean & Rosemary Dip (AMAZING!)
  • Zucchini Hummus
  • Creamy Cauliflower “Potato” Salad (perfect for this summer)
  • Knock-Off Italian Dressing
  • Frosty Chocolate Shake
  • TONS more!

The average person gives the following excuses for not cooking and eating healthier meals:

  • “The food doesn’t taste as good.”
  • “My family won’t eat it!”
  • “I’m too busy to cook.”
  • “It’s too expensive to eat healthy food.”

Basically, this cookbook addresses (and obliterates) these concerns and leaves us all with… you guessed it No More Excuses! Each excuse is taken, individually, and the author offers great advice… from someone who knows because she has been there.

You can find No Excuses Detox on Amazon. The paperback version (the one I was sent in exchange for telling you all about it) is actually available right now for nearly $10 off the list price! It’s even cheaper than the Kindle version. 

No Excuses Detox

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping

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Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping
All of February is Heart Month and today, itself, is heart awareness day for women. I proudly wore my red today in honor of my mother who died from a heart-attack and as a means of raising awareness for heart disease. I hope and pray strides will be made in heart health for the sake of my three beautiful daughters (and everyone else’s beautiful daughters for that matter!)

In honor of Heart Month and today’s Heart Awareness Day, I want to tell you about a healthy breakfast that’s perfect for any time of day. I got the idea for roasted sweet potato pancakes from a tweet from Cooking Light. They made Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with just two ingredients: a roasted sweet potato and 2 eggs.

Intriguing!

Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds
I saw one willing sweet potato on the shelf and knew I had eggs ready at a moment’s notice in the fridge.

Since I’m “One of those gals” who is always looking for ways to “sneak” healthy food ingredients into as many meals as possible, I decided to also add 1 Tablespoon of Chia Seeds and 1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed to the mixture… but I’m getting ahead of myself. We have to roast the sweet potato first!

I cut my sweet potato (skin on) into four rounds and sat them in a small iron skillet. I drizzled 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Seed Oil (Amazon link) over the tops (but you could easily use Olive Oil). I made sure all sides of the rounds were coated, then sprinkled on a little paprika and a little cinnamon for good measure.

I roasted the sweet potato at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, then removed the skin and mashed them really good with a fork. I then added two eggs along with the chia seeds and flaxseed (1 TBS each).

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancake
I added some ghee to a non-stick pan (you could use butter, of course) and positioned a few pancake molds (not even remotely necessary – I was just trying to be cute). I poured some batter into the two molds and cooked my pancakes over medium heat for 6 minutes – I removed the molds when they looked “set.” After the six minutes, I flipped and cooked them for 4-5 minutes more.

They held together beautifully – which, I’m not lying, kind of surprised me.

Tip: Use the widest spatula you have – otherwise it may take two to flip them. If you aren’t using pancake molds, simply divide the dough into two pancakes. Again, a mold is not necessary.

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes
Topping:

For the topping, I beat 1 cup of whipping cream with 1/2 TBS sugar. Because I wanted to bring a little bit of apple flavor and goodness to the party, I grated nearly half of an apple and stirred it into the whipped topping, reserving some for the topping.

I topped the pancakes with the topping and sprinkled on some more chia seeds and grated apple.

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping
With experimentation, I discovered that these pancakes are also fantastic with maple syrup or honey. You could actually even drizzle a little honey on top of the whipped topping.

When you try these, go easy with the whipped topping at first – I actually added more than I needed. The pancakes, themselves, are so darn good, you don’t need much with them. These were a lot of fun to make and tasted fantastic.

And did I mention they were healthy?

Roasted Sweet Potato Pancakes with Apple Whipped Topping

Pasolivo Extra Virgin Olive Oils (Raving Review!)

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Pasolivo Olive Oils
I was recently sent a set of Pasolivo Olive Oils to try and it was love at first sight and life-long commitment at first bite. There’s a saying young people have  when they’re completely blown away by something – they say that particular thing is “everything right now.”  I’m going to go ahead and borrow that phrase because in my kitchen, Pasolivo Oils are everything right now. Read the review along with ways I’ve used these beautiful oils below. Be sure to keep reading after each picture, because the raving will continue.

Grilled Chicken with Pasolivo Lime Olive Oil

When it comes to not only being the best cook you possibly can be, but also keeping your cooking exciting and fun, my number one tip is this: set yourself up for success by filling your pantry with the best ingredients you can get your oven mitts on.  Not just your favorite staples that you swear by, but also exciting, refreshing new ingredients and food that’ll take the ordinary to the extraordinary.

The concept… the very words, in fact… of taking  the ordinary to the extraordinary came to me recently when I made something I make probably 20 times a month – fried eggs.

Fried Eggs with Pasolivo Citrus Olive Oil

Pasolivo’s Citrus Olive Oil

Typically, I use a combination of olive oil and butter in the pan when frying eggs. Butter, of course, brings a wonderful flavor to the egg game, as does olive oil. Olive oil also keeps butter from getting too dark and ruining everything.   However, a few weeks ago, as I was about to make a couple of eggs over easy, I reached for my Pasolivo Citrus Olive Oil instead of my regular olive oil. I told the butter he could sit this one out – so I simply added a little of the beautiful smelling Citrus Olive Oil to the pan and cooked my eggs as I normally do

Holy. Cats. It was out of this world. The citrus flavor combined with the eggs in a way that is almost impossible to describe. Basically, it took something that I’ve made a million times and made it seem like it was something brand new.

It took ordinary to extraordinary.

Roasted Asparagus
The Pasolivo Citrus Olive Oil is also fantastic for grilled asparagus. Asparagus is a frequent guest in our kitchen, and I love the fresh new flavor the Citrus Oil gives to this longtime friend.  I would imagine Pasolivo’s Lemon Oil would also be fantastic with grilled vegetables. I look forward to finding out!

Roasted New Potatoes with Pasolivo Rosemary Olive Oil

Pasolivo’s Rosemary Olive Oil

Pasolivo’s beautifully fragrant and delicious Rosemary Olive Oil has the exact same effect on chicken, roasted new potatoes (pictured above), pork, and (of course) pasta. It woke up a pasta salad recently by infusing such a wonderful rosemary flavor that you’d swear you were eating in an herb garden.

I love using the Rosemary Olive Oil in my skillet for cooking chicken strips. The Rosemary Oil brings a fresh, authentically Italian flavor to anything you pair it with. Drizzled over new potatoes, it made possibly the best roasted potatoes I’ve ever had.

Roasted Tomatoes with Pasolivo Rosemary Olive Oil
The Rosemary Olive Oil makes the best roasted tomatoes I’ve ever had and I have no intention of ever roasting tomatoes without it again. Sometimes I drizzle the Rosemary Olive Oil over the tomatoes and roast them in the oven, but my favorite way to “roast” the tomatoes is simply to drizzle the pan with the Rosemary Oil, then (after the skillet has gotten hot), simply place the tomatoes – right on the vine – in the skillet.

They sit and “roast” while I’m getting everything else ready.  Finish off with a little sea salt or Kosher salt and you have a side that’s as delicious as it is nutritious.

I’d expect that Pasolivo’s Basil Olive Oil is a Heavenly combo with tomatoes, too.

You can, of course, simply slice tomatoes (or halve cherry tomatoes) and arrange them on a platter with mozzarella slices or balls… then drizzle with Olive Oil or Rosemary Olive Oil, a little salt, and BOOM! A quick, easy, and oh so good appetizer or side.

Black Bean and Rice Bowl

Pasolivo’s Lime Olive Oil

I’ve also completely loved the Lime Olive Oil. I have used it with fish and chicken – so good! I haven’t tried the Lemon Olive Oil yet, but I have a feeling it is every bit as memorable as the Lime. Seriously, the lime olive oil brings out a fresh, new flavor in fish and chicken dishes.

The Lime Olive Oil pairs beautifully with chicken (grilled chicken with the lime oil is pictured toward the top of the post).  The subtle flavor it adds somehow compliments chicken’s natural flavor and kicks it up to a whole new level.

I’ve also used the Pasolivo Lime Olive Oil when making tacos and other southwestern dishes. Pictured above is a Black Bean Rice Bowl I made for supper one night not long ago. I steamed the rice, sauteed onion, jalapeno peppers, and chopped green pepper in the Lime Olive Oil, then added canned black beans (drained and rinsed), a little more lime olive oil, and salt.

When it came time to assemble the bowls, I put the steamed rice on the bottom, followed by the black bean mixture, chopped tomatoes, shredded leaf lettuce, white cheese, crumbled Queso Fresco, and cilantro.

The flavor the lime olive oil brought to the party made the entire dish fresh, flavorful, and flat out delicious.

There is absolutely NO artificial or “off” flavor with Pasolivo’s Rosemary, Lime or Citrus Olive Oils – they simply taste perfect. You’d swear the flavor came from real citrus and rosemary. They’re mind-bogglingly delicious.

Pasolivo Rosemary Olive Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pasolivo’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pasolivo’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is also excellent.   To be honest, it’s in a league of its own. When you specialize in making the best Olive Oils you possibly can, you tend to become something of an expert in the field. You can taste Pasolivo’s expertise each and every time. I also LOVE the adorable tins these oils come in. They’re fun, unique, and make me smile every time I see them on my counter.

They’re far too good looking to put into a pantry or cabinet. Mine sit out right beside my Rachael Ray gadgets – an honor afforded to precious few.

Pasolivo’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil is also a delicious and healthy alternative for buttery garlic bread. Pour a little into a beautiful dish, add a little cracked black pepper – then dip your bread into the deliciousness – healthier than butter and uncommonly delicious.  As you’d imagine, the Rosemary Olive Oil is PERFECT for this approach.  PERFECT.

Pasolivo has a beautiful assortment of olive oils (click here to view all of them):

  • Rosemary Olive Oil
  • Citrus Olive Oil
  • Basil Olive Oil
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Tangerine Olive Oil
  • California Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Lemon Olive Oil
  • Lime Olive Oil
  • Kitchen Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I often love the food products and kitchen gadgets I’m sent to review on Get Cooking. Every now and then something will come along and I honestly wonder how I ever lived without it. I’ll go on to become their biggest fan and most loyal customer. This is definitely the case with Pasolivo Oils. I have no intention of ever running out of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Rosemary Olive Oil, Citrus Olive Oil, or Lime Olive Oil.

What’s more, I fully intend to buy and use each of the others. I’ll let you know how wonderful they are.

Visit Pasolivo’s Website for more information about the company, tips, recipes, and ideas for using their award winning olive oils. Be sure to order some for yourself today.

You’ll be incredibly glad you did so.

Roasted Tomatoes with Pasolivo Rosemary Olive Oil

Salad Love: Review of a Must Have Book for Salad Lovers!

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Salad Love

Salad Love

As you know, I have an obsession with salads. I’m a self-confessed salad addict and hope to never be cured. If only all of my food fixations were as healthy.

Yeah, I’m looking at you chocolate sundaes.

The book pictured here, as you’d imagine, is a dream come true for all of us who love salads like most people love cookies. Salad Love: Crunchy, Savory, and Filling Meals You Can Make Every Day is, in a word, perfect. It’s beautiful, has gorgeous photographs throughout, and is packed with unique, delicious, and easy to pull together salads and salad dressings.

From the Inside Cover:

Determined to eat more vegetables for lunch, David Bez embarked on a personal challenge to create one new salad every day using seasonal, healthy ingredients. In Salad Love, he shares his favorite recipes from his yearlong experience. Crunchy, savory, and incredibly satisfying, these salads go beyond your typical combination of lettuce, protein, and toppings to create vibrant, plant-based meals that offer something for every palate. In summer, try Oak-Smoked Cheddar, Peaches, and Blueberries; for fall, savor hearty Roast Chicken, Quinoa, Red Pepper, and Peanuts; in winter, fuel up with Ham, Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, and Dried Cranberries; and in spring, enjoy Egg, Asparagus, Croutons, and Pecorino.

Complemented by 280 full-color photographs, Salad Love invites to you explore inspired salads any day of the year.

I love the fact that Salad Love is divided into four seasons. This allows you to find perfect salads for whatever time of year it is. Naturally, you can make any salad in the book any darn time you want to – but the freshness of the ingredients will change with the seasons.

In addition to the 260 Salad Meals (again, beautifully photographed with easy to follow details), Salad Love also includes nutritional information, tips, and “salad tools” the author utilizes to make his salads the best they can be. You’ll probably already have all of these on hand.

There are 24 easy to make dressings also included in Salad Love. A few of these include:

  • French Mustard
  • Toasted Sesame
  • Classic Italian
  • Wasabi and Soy Sauce
  • Nut and Lemon
  • Raw Green Pesto
  • Citrus
  • Lemon Zest
  • Plus a lot more!

The salads in this book are unique in that each stands on its own. There is no need for extra food – each salad can, in fact, be your meal. That’s one of the things I love most about salads – they’re filling, nutritious, and absolutely perfect any time of the day.

Review continued below the picture…

Salad Love

About the Author

DAVID BEZ is the author of Salad Pride, a blog that chronicles his personal challenge to make one new salad a day for an entire year. A home cook, David created the blog after his coworkers expressed interest in his daily lunches. He lives in London with his wife and daughter.
“I love salads and it hurts me when they are treated just as a sad and unsexy side dish. Salads can be creative and balanced, healthy and tasty, a fulfilling meal.” –David Bez

If, like me, salads are something of an obsession, you’ll want to click through and grab a copy of Salad Love (Amazon link)  pronto, if not sooner.

If, very unlike me, you’re just “meh” about salads, you’ll also want a copy! As I was looking through the book earlier, it occurred to me, if someone wasn’t “turned on by” salads, this book would flip their switch!

This beautiful (seriously, it really is a knock out) book is a must have for anyone and everyone. It would also make a wonderful gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, or birthdays. How can you beat giving a beautiful, useful gift that’ll could also make your loved one eat healthier?!

See Salad Love (Amazon link) for more information.

Note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. The opinions are entirely my own.

 

Confessions of a Salad Addict

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Salad with Chia Seeds and Kale
Have you ever met a salad fanatic? Someone who is so completely consumed with salads that they anticipate their salad at a restaurant the way most people anticipate steak?  Someone who surveys the produce department like a cat surveys a bird feeder – looking for tasty morsels to light up their taste buds and, thereby, world?

Well. You’ve met one now.

Obsessed. I am completely obsessed with salads of all kinds – tossed, potato, gelatin, pasta, fruit, bean… you name it, I’m there.  I am SO there.

My particular “problem” occurred to me recently when my husband took me out for lunch at a wonderful steak house. My reaction to and enjoyment of my salad equaled his reaction to and enjoyment of his steak.

Truth be told, if I could – at this very moment – either have my steak or salad magically appear in front of me, I’d take the salad.  And his salad, too, if he didn’t mind. I’d trade my steak for it.

Not only are salads ridiculously beautiful (if done right) and ridiculously delicious (if done right) – they’re ridiculously healthy.

If done right.

I’ve always had a section on the food blog for salads, salad recipes, and good old-fashioned salad love, but I’m (even as we speak… okay, I’m the only one speaking, aren’t I?… make that even as I speak) throwing a lot more energy and emphasis into salads.

There are a number of reasons, a few of which are:

  1. We all need to eat healthier. Salads are, primarily, made up of vegetables and fruit – things we should eat A LOT more of. Salads are the IDEAL way to go about it. Ever stop to think how many servings of vegetables and fruits you can consume each day if you simply ate more salads?
  2. Salads are the perfect “side” to just about any meal.  They’re inexpensive to make, healthy, colorful, and delicious. And don’t add a ton of calories.
  3. Salads can be the perfect “main” dish for any meal.  If you add a little protein (hard boiled eggs, turkey, chicken..) to the vegetables, you turn a classic side into a classic main course.
  4. Salads are pretty! Okay, so this reason may be a “girly” one, but I don’t care. They ARE pretty and I like that.
  5. The options are endless.  Honestly, you could, literally, come up with different combinations each and every time you had a salad.
  6. Salads are perfect for those of us with food allergies and intolerances.  So many of us have food allergies and food intolerances these days – it’s a great comfort to know there are foods that are usually safe for all of us. You simply don’t add anything to your salad that causes you problems. Special note, if you’re gluten intolerant or have a wheat allergy – when you’re in a restaurant, be sure you tell your server that you don’t want any croutons. If, like me, you’re extra sensitive, let them know you can’t have any salad that has come into contact with croutons.

The tossed salad at the top of the post is a great example of combining delicious flavors with healthy foods.  I love to use a mixture of greens in the tossed salads I make at home. Romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, iceberg lettuce (it may get a bad rep with food snobs, but I love the freshness and crunch it brings to the party) – any kind of lettuce you can find is perfect. The magic, however, is in combining several in one salad.

In addition to lettuces, I have gotten to the point that I simply do not make a tossed salad with strips of kale! Kale is uncommonly healthy and I’m crazy about what it adds to a salad. Same can be said of spinach, of course, but kale happens to be my personal favorite.

In addition to these, a few other personal favorite tossed salad ingredients are:

  • black olives
  • carrots (either shredded or sliced)
  • celery
  • tomatoes (but I have a strict rule with tomatoes in my salads – they can only be added at the last minute – otherwise, I don’t like the effect they have on the rest of the ingredients)
  • canned baby corn
  • mild banana peppers
  • roasted red peppers
  • green, yellow, orange, or red peppers
  • green onions
  • cucumbers
  • radishes
  • green olives
  • green chilies
  • bacon
  • turkey
  • ham
  • hard-boiled eggs
  • cilantro
  • parsley
  • cauliflower
  • asparagus
  • corn
  • “mostly” thawed frozen green peas
  • hominy
  • chickpeas
  • broccoli
  • black beans
  • kidney beans
  • and on and on and on…

A few favorite Gluten Free toppings for tossed salads are:

  • chia seeds
  • flaxseed
  • sunflower seeds
  • Frito’s Corn Chips
  • dried cranberries
  • crumbled potato chips
  • small fried tortilla strips
  • gluten free bread, butter, toasted, seasoned and cubed
  • onion rings (coated with gluten free flour instead or all purpose flour)
  • crumbled bacon
  • freshly shredded cheese – experiment with different cheeses (cheddar, white cheddar, Asiago, Swiss, Monterrey Jack, Colby, Parmesan…)
  • fresh cracked black pepper
  • sea salt (or Kosher)

Chia seeds are a delicious way to sneak in a little extra nutrition. Kids will just think they’re fun, they’ll never suspect how healthy they actually are.

Tomorrow we’ll pay homage to the greatness that is a Wedge Salad.  Beautiful, delicious, and oh so very, very cheap!

What are your own favorite salad ingredients and toppings? Share in the comments!

P.S. Whether it’s for salads or ANYTHING, don’t buy shredded cheese, buy the blocks and shred it yourself, as needed. It is SO much better this way – trust me.

Salad with Chia Seeds and Kale

Review: The Blender Girl by Tess Masters

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The Blender Girl
 

The Blender Girl: Super-Easy, Super-Healthy Meals, Snacks, Desserts, and Drinks–100 Gluten-Free, Vegan Recipes! (Amazon link) is currently the number 1 bestseller in blender recipes on Amazon and is receiving rave reviews.

Here comes another one!

As I’ve said 1,000,001 times, I collect cookbooks – they’re an obsession of mine. I don’t know where the fixation came from, but since my first cookbook (I was 16 at the time)  to my most recent cookbook (never you mind about the age..), I treat each like any collector treats their individual prizes… like treasure.  Someone once asked if I sell my cookbooks after I’ve reviewed or read them. I said… well, never you mind about that, too.

The Blender Girl is the most recent prized addition to my cookbook collection.  It’s full of gluten free and healthy recipes and I can’t wait to try each one.   Although the gorgeous author is on the cover drinking a smoothie, this cookbook is more than just smoothie recipes.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m ALL about smoothie recipes and the ones in this collection are fantastic – but I do love the fact that The Blender Girl (Amazon link) has a wide variety of recipes. Below are just a few:

  • Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake (shake)
  • Pineapple Salsa (smoothie)
  • Artichoke and White Bean Dip
  • Incredibly Edible Edamame Dip
  • Onion and Herb Socca
  • French Dressing
  • Greek Salad/Dressing
  • Creamy Cauliflower (soup)
  • Thyme for Corn Chowder
  • Pesto
  • Chili
  • Pizza/Pizza Sauce
  • Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff
  • Key Lime Pudding
  • Orange Dreamsicles
  • Mint Chip Ice Cream
  • Sugar-Free No Pumpkin Pie
  • Healthy Butter
  • Many, many, many more!

If you’re committed to healthier eating, this honestly should be the next cookbook you buy. In addition to the wonderful recipes, you’ll learn the many benefits of eating a more wholesome diet. You’ll also learn all about  soaking, sprouting, and dehydrating; proper food combining; and eating raw, probiotic-rich, and alkaline ingredients. Fortunately, it’s all in a very easy to understand format.  You don’t need a dietitian’s degree or nutritionist’s experience.

You just need a blender!

This is a beautiful, very detailed, and reader-friendly cookbook that’ll help get you on your way to cleaner, healthier eating. See The Blender Girl: Super-Easy, Super-Healthy Meals, Snacks, Desserts, and Drinks–100 Gluten-Free, Vegan Recipes! (Amazon link) for more information. This book is also available on Kindle.

Note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. The opinions are entirely my own.

Chickpeas, Kale, and Garlic.. Oh My!

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Chickpea and Kale Salad

Chickpeas, Kale, and Red (Purple) Onion Salad

A few days ago, my stomach let me know that it was time for a quick lunch break. Since I work from home, I have the luxury of setting my lunch clock internally. I knew I wanted something fresh, healthy, filling, and (since I had plans for a big supper) light in the calorie department.

I came up with a Chickpea and Kale Salad that was as delicious and filling as it was healthy.  I added a little red onion.  Little secret: when no one else is around, I call them purple onions because… well, they aren’t red anymore than I am. They are, however purple. The fact that this is something I take issue with probably tells you everything you need to ever know about me.

I’m certifiable… I’ve just yet to be certified.

Let your love for each ingredient – and your own personal taste – guide you with the amounts of each ingredient. For that matter, feel free to add to the list.

I chose the following:

  • Fresh Kale, cut into small pieces
  • Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • The juice of one lemon, along with a little lemon zest to keep things pretty
  • A couple of red onion rings
  • Very finely minced garlic
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • A tiny amount of sea salt
  • A splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

It was darn good, which I pretty much expected because I love each ingredient with a particular passion.  However, I honestly didn’t expect it to be so filling.  I couldn’t even eat my entire salad. I put a lid on the leftovers and saved it for later.

The combination of chickpeas and kale was out of this world. The splash of lemon made it all come together beautifully.

Health Benefits of Chickpeas

Chickpeas are more than just a cute face – although they are pretty darn cute at that.  They’re filling, fun to cook with, and have a great flavor.  But there’s more.  Garbanzo Beans (or Chickpeas) are a great source of fiber and are known to help lower cholesterol and improve blood sugar levels. Just  3/4 cup of chickpeas daily can reduce your risk of heart disease by helping to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

Throw chickpeas into tossed, bean, or pasta salads and soups for extra nutritional value, texture, and flavor.  Making hummus is another perfect way to enjoy chickpeas.

I may be an extreme chickpea fanatic, but I enjoy them as a snack all by themselves.  I drain them, rinse them, and pop them in my mouth like popcorn. So good!

Health Benefits of Kale

Kale comes with its own list of health benefits. One cup of kale has zero fat and only about 36 calories, making it a great choice for calorie counters.  Best of all, its high in vitamins and antioxidants.

Kale is something of a super food. Just look at its benefits:

  • The fiber in kale fills you up and lowers cholesterol.
  • The Vitamin C in Kale can help ward off diseases and infections as it strengthens your immune system.
  • The Vitamin C in Kale is also essential for healthy joints.
  • Kale also has Vitamin A which can keep your eyes healthy as you age.
  • Kale actually has more iron than beef!
  • Kale is excellent for healthy skin, hair, and nails – making it a delicious beauty secret.

So, Kale can help you lose weight and/or keep it off, fight off diseases, protect your eyesight and joints, build stronger bones AND make you pretty so pretty?  What’s not to love?

Enjoy Kale in green smoothies, in salads, and soups. One of my favorite ways to prepare kale is a baked kale recipe I found on the Cooking Channel’s website. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s awesome.

Health Benefits of Red Onions

Red… ahem, purple… onions (and yellow onions, for that matter) have an impressive list of health benefits, but the one that jumps out at me is their antioxidant power. These onions are some of the best natural sources of quercetin.  All you really need to know about quercetin is that it’s a scavenger when it comes to free radicals.

Red onions also have cancer-fighting properties which is, all by itself, more than reason enough to include them in as many meals as possible.  I love the versatility of red onions, as well as their bright color. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a bad red onion. They’re always just perfect for whatever I ask them to do.

You’re probably already familiar with the heart healthy benefits of olive oil and garlic, so I won’t get into their nutritional value right now. Quite frankly, I could be here all day talking about their health benefits because they seemingly go on forever.

A final word about eating healthy: When you eat healthy foods regularly, you’ll find that your “junk food” cravings will decrease significantly.   I actually find myself craving great salads, soups, vegetables, and fresh fruit these days..  instead of hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips, doughnuts, and fries.  It doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen.

It just makes good sense to eat healthier, doesn’t it?

Chickpea and Kale Salad

Chickpeas, Kale, and Red (Purple) Onion Salad

Paderno Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer (Review)

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Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer

Like everyone these days, I’m always on the look out for ways to add more vegetables and fruits to my family’s diet. The recommended daily amount is higher than most people realize PLUS most experts recommend we go even higher than the recommended number for optimum health. See the Recommended Daily Fruit and Vegetable Calculator to find your own personal recommendations.

My family also likes to cut back on unnecessary carbs whenever possible, too.  We’ve found a pretty cool way to accomplish both of these goals (while providing me with another fun kitchen gadget in the process).  We bought the Paderno World Cuisine Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer off Amazon a few weeks ago and I love it even more each time I use it.

Zucchini Pasta

The first meal I used this cool slicer for was a Zucchini “Pasta” Salad. I made long, spiral noodles (pictured above) from a couple of zucchinis and combined them with chopped grape tomatoes, diced red onion and chopped red, yellow, and green bell peppers. I mixed up the always delicious dressing recipe on the back of all Hidden Valley Italian Dressing Mixes and covered the vegetables. After about 30 minutes in the fridge, it made an absolutely delicious cold salad. I mean, reallllly delicious.

I’ve also used the Spiral Vegetable Slicer (Amazon link) for salads and soups. It’s faster and easier than traditional shredders and slicers. This walking accident-waiting-to-happen has found it to be much safer for the fingers and hands as well.  And, trust me, if it’s safe for this accident prone klutz, it’s safe for just about anyone.

Colorful Tossed Salad

One night, I was craving Italian, so I pulled out the spiral vegetable slicer. I had  read, online, that A LOT of people enjoyed their spiral cut zucchini (raw) with hot spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce over it.  I was anxious to give it a try, so I grabbed a few zucchinis. I had cans of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes on hand, so I simply warmed them up – adding fresh basil, oregano, chopped garlic, and salt. We put the tomato mixture on top of our raw zucchini and were SHOCKED at how great it was. I didn’t peel my zucchini but a lot of people prefer it peeled. Most of the time, I hate to peel veggies because it seems kind of wasteful to me.

Besides, I like the colors. 🙂

About the Paderno Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer:
Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer

  • Make quick work of fancy vegetable peeling with the spiral vegetable slicer – it’s incredibly fast, easy, and even fun to use.
  • Suction cups on the legs hold the slicer in place beautifully while you work your mojo. I read a review once that said the suction cups didn’t work – all I can say is they must have been trying to use them on a wet surface or something because I’ve had less than zero problems getting it to stick.
  • Clean up couldn’t be any easier. I hate, loathe, and despise contraptions that have 101 parts to clean after each use. This spiral slicer is a cinch to clean.
  • Includes 3 sets of blades: 1/8-inch spacing, 1/4-inch spacing, and straight blade for ribbon cuts.
  • This VERY affordable plastic spiral vegetable slicer would make a great gift idea for foodies, vegetarians, and anyone who enjoys good food!
  • Simply place vegetable or fruit on prongs, turn wheel while pushing base toward blade.
  • Made of durable plastic.
  • Backed by a 1-year warranty.

Even one of the biggest pasta lovers in the world (that would be me) thought the zucchini noodles, tomatoes, and shredded Parmesan made a delicious meal.  Served with a colorful tossed salad, this meal is an excellent way to get your daily vegetable serving count up.

I haven’t used the slicer for coleslaw yet, but it occurs to me how much it’ll simplify the process – cabbage, peppers, carrots.. all sliced in one place for an especially lovely coleslaw.

Apple Strips

 The spiral slicer isn’t, of course, just limited to vegetables. Just look at the cute apple strips above. You don’t even have to core the apple before using the spiral slicer. Just cut off the top of the apple, place it on the spiral slicer and push it through the blade. In seconds, you have cool little rings for fruit salads, oatmeal, pastries, or snacks.  Honestly, I could sit a bowl of apples on the end of the counter and my bunch will walk right past them 100 times a day. But if I put a dish with spirals or strips out… BAM! They disappear.

Zucchini Pasta Salad Lunch

I’ll be using the spiral slicer regularly and can’t wait to find exciting and cool new ways to get the most out of it. See Paderno World Cuisine A4982799 Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer (Amazon link) for more information. I highly, highly recommend this slicer.

Kale Chips: Simple Recipe for a Healthy Snack You’ll Love

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Kale

Kale, Waiting for the Chips to Drop

I’m a HUGE fan of kale – in smoothies, salads, pasta dishes, soups.. basically anywhere and everywhere I can sneak it in. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the tasty, inexpensive, and nutritious vegetable is Kale Chips. Even though I love kale madly, when I first heard about the concept of Kale Chips, I can’t say I was overly enthusiastic (or hopeful).

Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised and have made Kale Chips countless times since.

You’ll love the simplicity of the recipe and… I promise.. the flavor.

What you’ll need for the Kale Chips:

  • Start with a beautiful bunch of curly kale (like the one pictured above). Wash the leaves and pat them dry.
  • 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons Rachael Ray’s pink Himalayan Salt (or Kosher salt, table salt, sea salt… the pink Himalayan’s simply my own personal favorite)

Pre-Heat the oven to 350 degrees. After the kale has been washed and dried, cut the leaves into pieces. The size is up to you, but I generally aim for “Dorito” size or a little smaller.

VERY IMPORTANT: Cut around the thick spine that runs down the length of the leaves. I’ve yet to find any use for these spines. I throw them out in the yard for rabbits, racoons, and possums. They’re a hit with the critter crowd.

Put the prepared kale in a large bowl and add the tablespoon of EVOO.  When you see the impressive amount of kale and the comparatively small amount of EVOO, you’ll probably think, “She’s nuts, it’s going to take a lot more than this!” – but once you add the oil and (using your hands), coat the leaves, you’ll find that the tablespoon is sufficient.

Lay the pieces of kale on a large baking sheet, in a single layer – make sure no one’s riding piggy back on anyone! Evenly salt each piece.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to keep a close eye on them – they’ll burn without a moment’s notice.

These delicious kale chips will amaze you. They’re so good! The crispiness, the hint of saltiness, and the unexpectedness of them will make them popular with everyone, even kids.

Fun Ways to Enjoy Kale Chips:

  • I like to keep healthy snacks at the end of the kitchen bar – someplace everyone can enjoy a quick and tasty snack. Kale chips are ideal.
  • When watching tv, we all get the munchies, don’t we?! Kale chips are tasty and fun to eat.
  • Take them along on car trips to keep French fries from tempting you on the road.
  • They’re a delicious, healthier option to traditional salad or baked potato toppings.

As with everything you make in the kitchen, be sure to experiment with different flavors and additions. Along with the salt, you could also add white sesame seeds, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper (I love black pepper on kale chips), garlic, or even Parmesan cheese. The possibilities are endless.  When getting creative, though, I’d highly recommend just doing a few at a time the first time through.

Kale Chips

Kale Chips: Not the prettiest girl at the dance, but what a personality!

You can find quite a few Kale Cookbooks (Amazon link) on Amazon. This superfood is a lot more versatile than most people think!