While I’m doing well finding my way around the kitchen, there are still some things that ‘freak’ me out a bit.  Among those things are baking my own bread with yeast, boiling a live lobster, deep frying anything (I don’t like splatter.  TWSS!), fileting a fish, making my own cheese and cooking a very large piece of meat (whole chicken or turkey, ham, prime rib, etc.).  I’m not sure why I have these nutty fears over such silly little food-related things (maybe I’m just cray-cray?)  But a few weeks ago, I decided that I had enough of being scared and decided I was going to conquer one of my fears head-on.  And what better time to bite the bullet than on a big holiday?  Healthy Chow says there isn’t any!

That said, when my brother-in-law announced that he was going to be holding Christmas Eve dinner at his apartment, the rest of the family volunteered to pitch-in and help out with the menu for the evening.  Since my mother-in-law was bringing a lasagna, my sister-in-law was bringing an appetizer, a vegetable dish and dessert, and my brother-in-law was supplying an array of finger food, the thing that was missing was a main entrée.  Ding, ding, ding, ding!!!  Do you hear the bell?  It’s telling Healthy Chow to buck up and make the main course.  And being that it was Christmas Eve, a traditional baked ham would be the perfect idea.  Take a deep breath, Healthy Chow, the plane is at the perfect altitude and it’s time to jump…

Baked Ham with Tangy Honey Citrus Glaze
Adapted from Allrecipes.com and Cooksham.com

• 1 (10 lb.) fully-cooked, bone-in ham, spiral-cut (I used a Cook’s ham)
• 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup pineapple juice (reserved juice from the canned pineapple – I used Dole brand)
• 1/2 cup honey (I used Nature’s Promise brand)
• 1/2 medium orange, juiced and zested and 1 medium orange sliced
• 1/3 cup of orange juice
• 2 1/2 TBSP Dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)
• 1/4 TSP ground cloves (I omitted these, but I’m sure they would be delish)
• 1/4 TSP of ground ginger
• 1/4 TSP of cinnamon
• 2 TSP of cornstarch mixed in 1/4 cup of warm water(to thicken glaze)
• 3  20 oz. cans of pineapple rings, in pineapple juice (for covering ham while baking and for garnish)
• toothpicks
• 1 lb. bag of carrots (for a make-shift roasting rack)
• fresh parsley for garnish
• meat thermometer

1) Make sure to take your ham out of the fridge to let it sit at room temperature two hours prior to cooking.  This will help to ensure even cooking.

2) Take the wrapping off of the ham and discard the glaze (you’re going to be making your own!).  Give it a quick rinse and gently pat dry with paper towels.

3) Preheat oven to 275.  Since I don’t own a large roasting pan or roasting rack, I used a disposable aluminum pan and lined the bottom of the pan with carrots.  The carrots acted as a mechanism to lift the ham from the bottom of the pan.

Mighty carrots!

4) Place the ham in the roasting pan, face down on the carrots.  Cover the ham with pineapple rings by inserting the toothpick into the ham and then letting the pineapple ring suspend from the toothpick.  Cover as much of the ham with the pineapple rings as possible.

A big hunk o’ meat!

Ain’t she festive?

5) Cover the pineapple-covered ham loosely, but not entirely, with an aluminum foil tent without letting the foil touch the ham.  I poked a hole in the foil with a toothpick to prevent this from happening.

The ham in playing peek-a-boo with me!

6)  In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, pineapple juice, honey, freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, orange juice, Dijon mustard, ground ginger and ground cinnamon.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

Not sure why my Dijon wouldn’t dissolve?

7) Bake ham in preheated oven for 2 hours.  Remove ham from oven, and brush with glaze (after 1 hour and 15 minutes of cooking).  Bake for an additional 45 minutes, brushing ham with glaze every 10 minutes.  When glazing, make sure to cover the entire ham; don’t be afraid to get into the crevices of the pineapple rings and ham.  You want the glaze coating everything!

Gettin’ all glaze-y!

Healthy Chow in action!

8 ) When it’s done (thermometer says 140 degrees), take the ham out and let sit on counter for a few minutes.  Baste one more time with glaze and cover with foil until serving.

All done!

9) Heat the remaining glaze on medium heat and stir in the cornstarch mixture.  Keep stirring until the glaze begins to thicken.  Once thickened to your liking, remove from heat.

10) When you are ready to serve your ham, remove the pineapple and toothpicks (I discarded the pineapple).  Garnish your platter with the orange slices and parsley.

The garnish is ready…!

11) Since this ham is pre-sliced, it’s easy to cut and ready to eat!  Drizzle the glaze over the ham and serve with pineapple rings.

Technically, this isn’t actually ‘baking’ a ham.  Since this ham is already pre-cooked, it’s more like ‘reheating’.  Thus, you don’t have to be afraid of the ham being undercooked.  It still will take about two hours to reheat the ham thoroughly (for a 10 lb. fully cooked, bone-in ham) and there is preparation for the glaze.  Therefore, in my opinion, this IS cooking.  I know hams often times come with their own glaze, but I wanted to make mine from scratch.  This glaze recipe had just the right amount of citrus, tang and sweetness.  I also liked the flavor the Dijon mustard added to the glaze – it gave it a unique kick.  It was a delicious glaze to use on the ham while baking and it was just as good as a gravy.  Trust me, it may seem like a ton of glaze, but you will want to have more than enough on hand for leftovers.  The tenting method of the aluminum foil helped to cause a steaming effect while the ham baked.  It wasn’t dry at all and in fact, was really moist.  The pineapple rings covered in the glaze helped to nicely caramelize the ham.  The saltiness of the ham combined with the sweetness from the glaze and pineapple created the ultimate sweet and savory combination.  It was a definite hit!

Image Credit – happierhomes.com

Adding the garnish of the orange slices and parsley definitely probably wasn’t necessary, but in my mind, presentation is key.  I like garnishing dishes with an ingredient that’s in the dish.  Thus, the orange slices fulfilled that goal and added a nice punch of color, along with the fresh parsley, to the platter.  Don’t forget, we do tend to eat with our eyes!  And while our eyes were happy seeing the ham, our stomachs were even happier with this dish in them.  I made more than enough ham (and glaze) for our Christmas Eve dinner, but having leftovers certainly wasn’t a problem.  We made ham and cheese sandwiches, ham and spinach omelets and of course, cold ham straight out of the fridge was a popular choice.  It was another gift that kept on giving!

If you can’t already tell, I was more than pleased with my baked (reheated) ham.  My fear of cooking a big piece of meat was one that was conquered and one that is now just a fleeting memory.  I can’t believe I was so intimidated?  But when you do your research, are prepared and realize that this is only as hard as you make it, it’s not so bad.  Actually, it was pretty damn great, if I do say so myself.  That said and my new found cooking confidence in me, you just might see some of my other cooking fears being conquered on this blog.  Now, who’s in the mood for some deep-fried Oreos with a loaf of homemade sourdough?  Hmmm….

Do you like to research and review recipes (I’m a fan of reading the readers’ comments) before making something or do you just like to wing it?

Namasté,
Nicole

When I started reading healthy/lifestyle blogs, I noticed there were some foods that these bloggers could not stop raving about and could not stop eating.  Among these foods were oatmeal, kale, spinach, pumpkin, beans and nuts.  Nuts were put on just about anything and everything.  I saw them on oatmeal, yogurt, salads, in sandwiches, baked goods, soups, paninis, and stuffed in gourds.  Back then, I liked nuts.  But, I was always afraid of their high calorie content and the fact that I could inhale a pound of them in one sitting.  Now, I’ve grown to fully enjoy all kinds of nuts and have learned to consume them without abusing them.  I’ve become quite fond of raw almonds, walnuts, cashews and even the occasional peanut.  However, pecans didn’t play a role on my grocery shopping list.  I’m not sure why?  I think I just stuck with what I liked and never moved beyond that (remember, I am a creature of habit).  A few weeks ago, that all changed.

Marta from The Pecan Store (a division of The Green Valley Pecan Company) had emailed me asking if I would be interested in sampling some of their prized pecans.  At first, I wasn’t quite sure what to say.  After all, I wasn’t much of a pecan eater.  But once I had the chance to look at their website and learn all the facts about this powerful little nut, I was sold!  Within a few short days, my package arrived from Marta and inside was a half pound of pecan halves.  Wow!  I was shocked!  It was quite a hefty bag to sample, but I certainly wasn’t complaining.  Now, I just had to figure out what I was going to do with all these pecans…

Before I ripped open the bag to sample my little goodies, I took a peek at the informational brochure that came along with my package.  Honestly, I don’t know where I’ve been because I had no idea pecans were this amazing! Check it out:

The latest research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirms pecans are one of the highest antioxidant-rich tree nuts and are ranked in the top category of all foods for antioxidants.

Pecans are a good source of fiber, providing 10% of the Daily Value for fiber in a single serving.

Scientific research at Loma Linda University shows the addition of pecans to the American Heart Association’s Step 1 diet lowered LDL (bad cholesterol) levels more than twice as much as the AHA Step 1 diet alone.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has acknowledged this and related research and approved the following qualified health claim: “Scientific evidence suggests, but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as pecans, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.”

After reading all those benefits, I was even more excited to try my pecans.  I can’t believe I’ve been missing out.  Thank you, Marta, for sending me these amazing nuts to sample.  And while I’m grateful for the half pound of pecans, your other products don’t look so bad either (hint, hint).  In fact, they look almost too good to be true: Butter Toffee Pecans, Dark Chocolate Pecan Bark, Arizona Pecan Brittle, Oliver Pecan Amaretto Pecan Honey Butter, San Saba Blackberry Pecan Preserves, Milk Chocolate Pecan Fudge and Oil Kinloch Plantation Pecan Oil.

The pecans were delicious!  They were softer in texture than an almond or walnut but still had a nice, subtle crunch.  They’re rich and buttery in taste and complement both sweet and savory dishes.  In fact, these pecans were so tasty that it didn’t take me too long to get through the entire bag.  Aside from the few handfuls I would grab out of the bag to munch on as a snack, I made some great creations.  Take a look…

Buzzy Spiced Banana Pumpkin Muffins

Sweet Sweet Potato with Cottage Cheese, Raisins, Honey and Pecans

Pumpkin Pie Cake with Dried Cranberries, Pecans and Agave Nectar (inspired by KathEats.com)

Thanksgiving Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese, Dried Cranberries, Chickpeas and Pecans

Sweet Potato Brownies with Coconut, Flaxseeds, Pecans and Walnuts (Say what?  Yup, you heard right.  Stay tuned for the recipe…)

After reviewing and consuming these pecans, I’ve decided that The Pecan Store sells a good nut and that pecans must now become a staple in my kitchen.  Like all nuts, the pecan is versatile.  You can put them on and in just about anything, and whatever you’re eating will taste that much better.  Plus, it’s a great way to get some more protein and healthy fat into your diet.  Pecans have always reminded me of the more decadent desserts such as German chocolate cake, butter pecan ice cream (one of my Dad’s faves), pecan pie, pecan turtle clusters and cinnamon pecan rolls.  Perhaps that’s the reason why they’ve been void from my nut repertoire? But now that I know I can add pecans to foods and still have them be healthy, I guess I was the nut for not trying them sooner!

What’s your favorite nut?  Do you like receiving food as gifts (ex: fruit baskets, Harry & David Gift Towers)?

Namasté,
Nicole

Yup.  It’s really official now.  We’re on the downward spiral.  I know as a Bostonian, I should revel in the fact that the blustering cold will be here soon and the ice and snow will only be a hop, skip and a jump behind.  But, I don’t.  I don’t like winter and I really don’t like winter-esque weather.  This past weekend, we set the clocks back an hour and that means it will be dark at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.  OK, that’s a lie.  But that’s what it’s going to feel like!  Can you tell Healthy Chow isn’t really a fan of winter?

That said, in order to keep my heart and soul warm and my mind sane, I have to do things that remind me of the days of summer and that trick me into thinking it’s really not close to freezing outside.  Hot yoga is one way to keep warm but what else can I do?  I guess I could be a snowbird and fly south, but I can’t run away until April.  I could fake and bake and surround myself with heat lamps, but that’s really not my style.  And then I realized something.  I realized that as a healthy food blogger, it is my job to find ways to keep my body and mind well, in addition to finding ways for food to assist me in that mission.  Since I love food and I love the joy it brings me when I can make something healthy and delicious and then eat it, why not put these passions into warding off my disdain for the cold weather?

With that notion in mind, I began flipping through my bookmarked recipes (thanks Lauren!) and did a little searchin’ online.  Finally, I came up with an idea for a dinner that would not only warm my taste buds, but would also help me find that tropical island in the midst of a nor’easter.

Getting Tropical Coconut Chicken & Pineapple Orange Couscous
Inspired by SayWhatYouNeedToSayBlog.com and Cooks.com
Serves 4

For the coconut chicken:

• 1/3 cup of orange juice
• 1 TSP of salt
• 1/3 cup of egg whites
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 6 oz. each)
• 1 cup of whole wheat panko crumbs (I used Ian’s Whole Wheat Panko Breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup of organic shredded coconut (I used Woodstock Farms brand)
• 1 TSP of curry powder
• 1 TBSP of Smart Balance Light, melted
• few dashes dried thyme
• few dashes of crushed red pepper
• few dashes of paprika
• few dashes of salt

Egg wash/marinade for the chicken

The makings for something tropical…

1) In a large bowl or pan, mix the orange juice, salt and egg whites.  Add your chicken breasts and let it marinate for about 15-30 minutes in the fridge.

Soakin’ it up…

2) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Once your chicken is done soaking up all the goodness, remove the chicken (place onto a plate) but reserve the marinade.

3) Mix the panko breadcrumbs, coconut, dried thyme, crushed red pepper, paprika and curry together in a shallow dish.

Look at all those colors!

All mixed up!

4) Take each piece of chicken and dredge it into the breadcrumb mixture, being sure to press the breadcrumbs mixture into each piece of chicken.

5) Place the breadcrumb coated chicken onto a foil-lined baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Ready for the oven!

6) Mix your melted butter with your reserved marinade and then pour this entire mixture over your chicken.

7) Cover the chicken with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Then, uncover the chicken and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes.

For the dipping sauces:

• a few TBSP of Trader Joe’s Peanut Satay Sauce mixed with a little water (enough to loosen it up)
• a few TBSP of dijon mustard mixed with honey (to taste)

Dippity, dippity, do!

For the pineapple orange couscous:

• 1 cup of whole wheat couscous, dry (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• 1/2 cup of pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple)
• 1/2 cup of water
• 2 TSP of Smart Balance Light
• 1/3 cup of orange juice (plus another few splashes, if needed)
• 4 pineapple rings, chopped (8 oz. can)
• 1 TSP of cumin
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro, just the leaves
• juice of half of a lime
• s&p

1) Combine the water with the pineapple juice in a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil.

2) When water/pineapple mixture comes to a boil, pour in the couscous.  Stir the couscous and drop a lid on the pot.  Remove the pot from the heat.  Let the couscous sit covered for 5 minutes.

3) Once the couscous is cooked, add the Smart Balance.  Give the couscous a stir to melt the Smart Balance and then add the orange juice to loosen. Give the couscous another stir.

4) Add the pineapple, cumin and cilantro.  Keep stirring until well-blended and add more orange juice if still dry.

5) Add the lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.

If you look real close, you can see the pineapple chunks! I swear!

There you have it!  While the wind chill factor outside is dropping faster than the pounds on The Biggest Loser, you can have the taste of the tropics in your home.  Because the chicken has been baked in panko breadcrumbs and dried coconut, it tastes as if it’s been deep fried.  There’s just enough crispiness from the breading to add a nice texture to the chicken without making it taste too heavy.  I was quite impressed with Ian’s breadcrumbs.  It was the first time I had ever tried (and bought) one of their products and I was pleased with the results.  The ingredient list in the breadcrumbs is pretty short and recognizable.  Another plus!  The reserved marinade along with the melted Smart Balance helped to keep the chicken moist and lock in the citrus flavor.  And combining the citrus with the coconut really emphasized the ‘island-y’ feel to this dish.  I kinda wished I made myself a fruity umbrella drink to accompany this meal!

Nothing crumby about these!

The ingredients…

And what more can I say about couscous? Couscous takes about a hot minute to cook and soaks up the flavor of whatever you cook it in so well.  I love it’s versatility and the convenience of it.  While I boiled the dry couscous in pineapple juice, the pineapple taste wasn’t overwhelming when cooked.  Plus, the pineapple chunks and orange juice gave the recipe a subtly sweet flavor.  And having fresh cilantro in the couscous was a definite plus. Since cilantro is often used in dishes originating from warmer climate countries, it accentuated the ‘anywhere-but-the-Northeastern-US’ feel. The cumin complemented the cilantro by bringing some much needed warmth to the couscous.  It’s like having heat in a bottle!

So perhaps cooking this dish in the dead of winter or at the very end of fall won’t make the snow on your doorstep or the frost on the windshield of your car disappear, but it certainly will bring a little sunshine to your stomach and mind.  And just maybe for a few moments while you’re eating this meal, you’ll be able to feel the sand between your toes, versus your thick wool socks.  Now the only thing missing is a cabana boy…

Getting Tropical Coconut chicken

Pineapple Orange Couscous

Side of steamed broccoli

All together now…

What do you think of my plate?

Now there’s some Chow!

How do you cope with the winter blues?  Or, do you love the ‘colder’ months?

Namasté,
Nicole

I’m a sucker for a sale.  And this is especially the case if that sale is happening at the grocery store.  It’s like the stores know I am coming and know what to advertise or promote in order for me to buy (it’s not like it’s that difficult).  I walk in and immediately, I’m tempted by their ‘buy one, get one free’ or their ‘10 for $10′. I try to hide my eyes, but I just can’t deny it.  I want in on that sale!

A couple of weeks ago, because it was a day that ended in the letter ‘Y’, I was at the grocery store.  As I was breezing through the produce aisle (I was actually in a rush that afternoon and had only a few minutes to grab a few items), I saw one of my favorite snack foods, baby carrots.  And of course, those crunchy little orange delights had to be on sale and naturally, I had a 85% full bag just sitting in my fridge.  Immediately, I was caught in a big conundrum.  Should I buy the carrots?  If I buy one bag, I obviously have to get another since it’s free.  But then again, I know I won’t be able to eat that many baby carrots before they start getting all slimy slimerson (you know what I mean) and smelling less than good.  But then again, it’s such a good buy, how could I pass it up?  Then all of the sudden, a light bulb went off (it doesn’t happen too often, kiddies, but when it does, look out!).  I realized I could buy the carrots and keep them both in the freezer until I needed them.  I could get my great bargain and I could escape the slime factor.  Problem solved.

Image Credits – WiseGeek.com

Not so fast.  When I finally finished the 85% full bag of baby carrots that was sitting in my fridge, I dove into the freezer to find my frozen babies and then quickly tossed them into the fridge to defrost.  I’m not quite sure what I thought the carrots would be like once they thawed.  I guess I assumed (you know what that means) that they would be like the snappy mini veggies I normally bought and dipped into hummus.  To my disbelief, the usual crisp and hard baby carrots had now been reduced to a limp and lifeless mess (I’m not even going to say it…).  What was I going to do? Not only did I have one bag of orange mush, but I had two.  Not good.

Then, another light bulb went off.  Can you believe it? If I wasn’t going to eat the thawed baby carrots in their mushy state, then why not enjoy them in a ‘mushy-er’ state?  Why not mash them up so much that they no longer resemble carrots and no longer remind me of the silly goof-up I made?  That said, I salvaged my purchase and turned it into what I consider a stroke of luck.

Carrot Ginger Potato Soup
Adapted from AndreasRecipes.com
Serves 6

• 1 1/2 TBSP Smart Balance Light (feel free to use butter or your choice of buttery substitute)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup peeled grated fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I used a heaping tablespoon of minced jarred garlic)
• 4 cups chicken stock (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Low Sodium Chicken Stock – you could use vegetable stock)
• 1/2 chicken bouillon cube (I only had one carton of TJ’s chicken stock on hand, I probably needed 2 more cups)
• 1 cup cooking wine (I used Goya Dry White Cooking Wine)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (mine were mushy, but feel free to use non-mushy)
• 3 small white potatoes, cubed
• 1 TSP cornstarch
• 2 TBSP of honey
• dashes of curry powder
• dashes of cinnamon
• dashes of nutmeg
• dashes of dried parsley
• juice of half a lemon juice
• s&p
• chopped chives for garnish (optional)
• Greek yogurt for garnish (optional, but highly recommended)

1) In a large pot, melt the Smart Balance Light on medium heat.  Once warmed, add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook until the onion starts getting translucent and your kitchen smells unbelievable (about 5 minutes).

2) Then add the chicken stock, wine, carrots and potatoes to the pot.  Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Stir.  Add the bouillon cube.  Stir again.

3) Reduce the heat back down to medium and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender and can be easily broken up with a spoon.

4) If you are lucky enough to have an immersion blender (I am not), this is the time to purée the mixture in your pot.  If you are using a regular blender, be sure to let the mixture cool down a bit first before dumping the mixture in batches into the blender (you don’t want to overfill your blender).  Blending hot items can be dangerous; take precaution! I blended my cooled down mixture in three different batches.

5) Once all of the mixture has been puréed, add it back to the pot.  Turn the heat back on to medium/medium-high and let the mixture get hot.  In a small cup, mix the corn starch in a tablespoon of warm water until well dissolved.  Add the corn starch mixture to the pot.  Stir the mixture.

6) Add the curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper to the pot and season to taste.  Give it a good stir.  Then add your honey and lemon juice and give your soup a thorough stirring as it heats up.

7) Once hot, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish (if you wish) with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of dried parsley or chives.   Voilà!  Soup’s on!

Not only did my kitchen smell heavenly with the scent of warmed onion, ginger and garlic, but my belly was pretty much on cloud nine, too.  Not only is this quite the hefty soup (it’s actually more like babyfood consistency), but the curry, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon warmed me from the inside out.  And while a cup of a regular broth-like soup would not normally fill up Healthy Chow, this one kept me from raiding the kitchen cupboards for at least three hours.  The Greek yogurt may have also helped to fill the usual insatiable hole that is my stomach.  I also like being able to swirl the yogurt into my soup.  The color of the stark white Greekness against the vibrant orange of the carrot was like having art in my bowl.  And the sprinkling of the green parsley just made me want to take pictures (hey wait, I always take pictures of my food ).

I was so pleased with this recipe.  It was easy to make, I pretty much had all the ingredients on hand and I managed to save my carrots on clearance from going into the trash.  Ahhh, what’s there to complain about?  When life hands you lemons, you need to make lemonade.  And when your weakness for produce bargains hands you mushy carrots, make carrot soup!

Are you a sucker like me for bargains?  What’s your favorite thing to stockpile?

Namasté,
Nicole

***Awesome Giveaway Alert! – Shannon at Tri to Cook is celebrating her blogiversary by giving away a Cuisinart ice cream maker!  If you’re interested, go to Shannon’s blog for further details…***

***It’s week two of Project Feed Me!  Please go to Natalie’s blog to see what to buy for this week.  And if you haven’t signed-up yet, you can still do so by going here.  And if you want to see how photogenic canned chili can be, please go here.***

No, not that kind of getting baked, silly!  I’m talking about apples! Remember how I said that I was slacking in the apple recipe making/baking department in comparison to some of my fellow food bloggers?  Well, slow and steady wins the race and I’m making a go at the apple recipe cooking finish line (if there is such a thing?).  Because I used only one apple in my previous recipe and still have a million (not a lie) left in my crisper, I wanted to find a dish that would call for the usage of multiple apples.  Hence, I scoured the internet and did hours of research (total lie) until I found this gem…

Getting Baked Apples
Adapted from SimplyRecipes.com
Serves 4

• 4 large good baking apples (I bucked the trend and used McIntosh apples, which is not recommended for baking)
• 1/4 cup of rolled oats
• 1 TBSP of evaporated cane juice (I used Florida Crystals, feel free to use dry sweetener of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• sprinkle of nutmeg
• 14 raw almonds, chopped (you could use pecans, walnuts or no nuts)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped (dried apricots, raisins, dried figs would be good here, too)
• 1 TBSP of peanut butter (I used Trader Joe’s Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds)
• 3/4 cup boiling water

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Wash and dry your apples.  Using an apple corer or paring knife, remove the cores to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples.  Be careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom (I confess, I did this once)!  Then, use a paring knife to widen the cavity and a spoon to scoop out the seeds.  It’s a tad tricky at first, but you’ll get the hang of it.  Make the cavity about 3/4 inch to an inch wide.

2) In a small bowl, combine the oats, evaporated cane juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, almonds and dried cranberries.

3) Place the apples in an 8 x 8 baking dish.  Fill each apple with the mixture and then dot the top of each apple with 1/4 of the TBSP of peanut butter.

4) Pour the boiling water into the baking dish.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the apples can be easily pierced with a knife, but not mushy.  While the apples are baking, be sure to baste the apples with the dish juices (I repeated this three different times).

5) Serve hot!

These baked apples were like whoa! I couldn’t believe how good they tasted for something that was so simple to make.  I really liked the fact that even though the apples were stuffed with goodies like cinnamon, nutmeg and dried cranberries, the natural sweetness of my personally picked produce still shined through.  And, the McIntosh apples stood up quite well in the oven.  They came out tender and did not fall apart.  So take that, you online apple experts (whoever the heck you are)!  This is one of the best DPAABs (dessert-parading-around-as-breakfast) I’ve had in a long time.  While it’s quite similar in taste to the healthified fruit crisp I made a few weeks ago, the sheer fact that I was eating a whole piece of baked fruit made this dish stand out from anything else I have ever made.  Plus, having to eat this dessert/breakfast with a fork and knife made me feel as if I was having an entire meal, versus just a snack.

And because this is a healthy food blog and I like to give recipes my own little twist, I decided to substitute the brown sugar for evaporated cane juice and reduce the amount.  And to make the dish even heartier, I decided to add one of my favorite foods, oatmeal! Instead of dabbing the tops of the apples with butter, I used a natural peanut butter.  It’s less greasy and adds more flavor to the recipe.  The original recipe called for serving this dish with vanilla ice cream, which is a tremendous call.  However, I didn’t have any on hand (just cookies and cream ) and figured a dollop of thick greek yogurt would be the next best thing.  You could also drizzle some honey or agave nectar over the entire apple for some additional sweetness, but my apples didn’t require it.  Plus, I had some of the oatmeal mixture leftover, so I sprinkled some over the greek yogurt.  I’m not gonna lie, it was a stroke of genius on my behalf…just sayin’.

Who says eating food can’t get you high?

Random question: Is there a recipe or dish that you are intimidated to make?  Or, what is the one recipe you’ve been dying to make but just haven’t had the chance to do so?

Namasté,
Nicole

In my not-so-lengthy tenure of being a healthy lifestyle/food blogger, I’ve made many observations and I’ve learned quite a few things.  But the one major thing I’ve noticed is that everyone seems to have the best looking darn breakfasts EVER!  See here, here and here for examples.  That said, I’ve decided to step up my efforts in making my breakfasts a bit more interesting to my stomach and to my eyes.  A girl (sorry, woman) can’t live on a plain bowl of oatmeal forever, can she?

I’ve been seeing various recipes for oatmeal, grits, pancakes and waffles and while I want to try all of them, the one thing I had a hankering for the other day was french toast (or ‘fr-INCH’ toast, as my husband from Western Massachusetts would call it).  Perhaps it has something to do with the sudden change in temperature around here?  Maybe it’s because I recently had all that French food?  Or, maybe it has something to do with this post I happened to stumble upon the other day.  Whichever the case may be, I decided to forego my ‘yoush’ of having a bowl of hot, plain oats and made Banana Stuffed Peanut Butter French Toast.

The Usual Suspects...

To make this little breakfast diddy, you will need the following:

• 2 slices of Trader Joe’s Sprouted Flourless Whole Wheat Berry bread
• 1 1/2 TBSP of Better n’ Peanut Butter – low sodium (of course you can substitute with any other kind of nut or soy butter)
• half of a small banana, sliced into 1/4 inch segments
• 1/3 cup of egg whites
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• few dashes of cinnamon
• few dashes of nutmeg (BTW, did you know that consuming large quantities of nutmeg can possibly make you ‘loopy‘? )
• pinch of brown sugar (or evaporated cane juice or any other dry sweetener of your choice)
• drizzle of agave nectar, Trader Joe’s brand (honey or maple syrup would also be good here)

1) Spread your peanut butter on both sides of your bread.  I went a bit on the lite side with the peanut butter but feel free to glob it on, if that’s how you like to roll…

2) Take your banana slices and layer them onto your bread.  Unfortunately, I only had frozen bananas in my house.  I just can’t seem to use the fresh ones fast enough before they start turning into a brown mess and my house becomes a fruit fly farm.  I would suggest using fresh banana slices.  My frozen ones started to get mushy once they defrosted.

For all those green monster smoothies...

Like baby food...

3) Sandwich the two slices of peanut buttered, banana laden bread together.  Set aside.

4) Add your egg whites, almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar together in a shallow bowl.  Whisk lightly with a fork.

Can't you just smell the cinnamon-y goodness?

5) Drop your sandwich into the milk mixture carefully.  You don’t want any bananas to fall out (hehe, Healthy Chow has a twisted mind).  Let the sandwich absorb some of the milk mixture.

Like taking a bath in milk

6) While your sandwich is soaking it all in, coat a small skillet with cooking spray and set your stove to medium.

7) Once your skillet has heated up, gingerly pick up your sandwich and place it onto your skillet.  Let it sit for about 3 or so minutes untouched.  You want the eggs to cook up a bit and give your sandwich a light crust.  You may also want to turn up the heat a bit here to medium-high.  Resist the urge to peek or flip

Check out the oozing banana, it's trying to say 'hi' to you

8 ) Then, with a spatula, flip your sandwich over.  Let the second side cook for another 2-3 minutes.  If your sandwich appears to be browning too much, turn down your heat back to medium.

Flip that french toast!

9) It’s done when both sides of the bread are lightly crunchy/toasted and have that beautiful french toast color.  Place it on your plate and then drizzle it with agave nectar.  Dig in!

Breakfast bliss...

I don't know how I waited that long before taking a bite...

YUM-MAY!

This french toast was absolutely scrumptious! It’s so basic, yet so out-of-this-world.  Why did I not make this sooner?  It literally took me ten minutes to prepare this from start to finish.  I always think that making a delicious breakfast is going to involve a lot of time and a lot of clean-up.  This proved me wrong.  There are no excuses now for not making a breakfast that is healthy, hearty and heavenly.  It’s stated that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  This could not be more true.  If one can start the day with a nutritious and tasty meal, it sets the tone for the rest of the day.  You start off feeling full of energy, feeling as if you did something to take care of your body and feeling like you can take on the world because you gave your body (and mind) the nourishment it needs and deserves.

Not only did I enjoy eating my finished product, but I also had quite a bit of fun concocting this combination.  And just think of all the other possibilities…you could use nutella as the spread, stuff the french toast with thinly sliced and softened apples, peaches, pineapple or pears and even add chopped nuts, unsweetened dried coconut, dried fruit, dark chocolate shavings, ground flax seeds or fruit preserves as a topping.  Or, you could use different kinds breads such as a cinnamon raisin, oatmeal or even brioche (maybe not as healthy, but definitely divine).  The combinations are endless!

So the next time you’re rushing around in the morning looking for something to eat for breakfast, and you consider reaching for a pop tart, I hope you’ll remember this recipe.  You can decide whether you want to stuff your face with something overly processed and filled with sugar or just simply stuff your french toast.

What’s your favorite way to start your day (a breakfast food, a hot beverage, exercise, a stretch, meditation, prayer, etc.)?

Namasté,
Nicole

Last week when I said, “I love food,” I really meant it.  I love trying new foods, eating food people cook for me, savoring comfort foods, looking forward to my favorites, enjoying a healthy, fresh salad, dining out at restaurants – five star or complete dive – and most recently, cooking my own food for myself and others to try and hopefully, like.  I’ll admit, while I enjoy the actual preparation or cooking of the food, I think I like finding out whether it’s a ‘hit or miss’ the best.  I get so anxious waiting for my dish as it finishes cooking in the oven or as it’s setting in the fridge.  I guess I just can’t wait to find out if all my hardwork has paid off.  Or, maybe I just can’t wait to finally eat!

The other day, my anxiousness was eating up (lame pun intended) at me so badly, I wanted to scream.  Instead of waiting the usually hour or so for my dish to bake in the oven, I had to wait a whole night and then some.  Le horror! I’ve been seeing the breakfast cookie everywhere on the food blogosphere (thanks Brandi and Gina!) and I figured I should give it a try.  But, Healthy Chow is always up for a challenge, so she decided to give the breakfast cookie her own little twist.  This is where the anxiety comes in.  Because I had no idea what a breakfast cookie even tasted like, let alone what it was going to be like in this ‘twisted’ version, I was dreaming about the result of this recipe in my sleep.  And, I’m happy to report that it was a success.  Alas, Healthy Chow can rest!

So without further ado, this is what was making Healthy Chow sleepless in Seattle (or Boston):

Easy No-Bake Fruit Tart

For the no-bake crust:

• 1 1/2 cup of oatmeal (I used the quick cooking oats, not instant)
• 2 TBSP of smooth Barney Butter ( I used the samples from my HLS swag bag – you can use any nut butter you see fit)
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened, natural applesauce
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze
• 2 TSP of ground flaxseeds (I used Trader Joe’s whole golden roasted flaxseeds that I ground)
• few shakes of cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt

For the filling (I like to call it, Lemony Coconut Ricotta Cream):

• 1 cup of nonfat ricotta cheese
• 2 TSP of organic golden honey (I used Nature’s Promise brand)
• 1 TBSP of organic shredded coconut ( I used Woodstock Farms brand)
• 1 TBSP of lemon juice
• dark chocolate shavings (I used Lindt Excellence 70% cocoa bar)
• 16 oz. of organic strawberries, hulled and sliced thin (Trader Joe’s – again!)

1) In a mixing bowl, mix your oatmeal, barney butter and applesauce.  Once that gets well blended, add in your almond milk (Almond Breeze).  You might need to add in a splash more, to loosen the mixture.  Mix again.  Then, add your shakes of cinnamon and pinch of sea salt.

2) Once your oatmeal mixture is well blended, spread onto a pie plate with the back of a spoon.  Make sure to spread the mixture evenly, and get the sides as well.  Then, add a few dashes of cinnamon to top it off.

3) Now here comes the waiting part…Place your tart ‘crust’ in the fridge overnight (I actually left mine in there for close to 24 hours).  You want to give your tart crust time to set.  The moisture from the almond milk and applesauce will soften the oatmeal, so don’t worry about having dry oats.  However, as the always helpful and ever so clever, Brandi, mentioned to me, the oatmeal is going to be ‘thick and chewy’ and not hard and crunchy.  I actually love the chewiness of the crust.  It reminded me of a cross between an oatmeal cookie and a granola bar.  Hello?…YUM!

4) Now, it’s time to make your filling.  My good friend, Laura, gave me the idea of puréeing the ricotta in a food processor (I used a blender) to give the ricotta a creamier texture.  Thanks Laura!  So, in a blender or food processor, add your ricotta cheese, coconut, honey and lemon juice.  Purée until you get a nice and creamy texture (it won’t take much).  You might need to scrape down the sides and stir a little between each blend in the blender/food processor.  Another tip here, my sister, Michelle (hi Michelle!), said an immersion blender would have been best in this sitch.  (Thanks Michelle – Christmas is coming up – hint, hint)

5) Set your ricotta cream aside.  Take out your tart crust from the fridge and start layering your fruit.  I used strawberries, but feel free to use any fresh fruit you’d like.  A combination of fresh fruit would have been great here – I’m thinking kiwi and blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, peaches and strawberries…you catch my drift…

6) Once your fruit has been layered ever so carefully on your crust, it’s time to start spreadin’ the new…. Just kidding!  Start spreading your ricotta cream over your fruit layer.  I left the outer edge of my strawberry layer uncovered to make it a bit more aesthetically pleasing…me thinks it worked!

7) Using a veggie peeler, start shaving some chocolate onto your tart.  I only used a light dusting of chocolate – but feel free to make the chocolate shavings as thick as you’d like.  Some dark chocolate chips would be fun here, too!  Or, instead of the chocolate, you could sprinkle some more of the coconut.

8 ) I’m sorry to have to say this, but you’ll want to place your tart back in the fridge for another 30 minutes or so or long enough until everything is well chilled again.  Once your tart has been chilled, cut and serve!

Serves 6

I really liked how this tart came out.  The fresh strawberries (which were sweet enough on their own) were a great complement to the lemony and coconutty taste of the ricotta.  The texture of the chewy oatmeal crust was a pleasant twist and gave the tart an interesting depth.  While this recipe got its start from the breakfast cookie, I can easily see this being eaten for dessert, a snack or perhaps even dinner (if that’s the way you like to roll).  The crust is hearty and filling while the ricotta gives the recipe a kick of protein.  Plus, each slice of this tart was less than 200 calories.  Not bad!  With this breakfast, dessert, snack or whichever you want to call it (seems like this is starting to become a trend – hi Lauren!), you can be good and healthy even if it feels like you’re being a little tart…

What’s your favorite way to incorporate fruit into your dessert/breakfast?

Namasté,
Nicole

While I love me some salty, savory foods like hot off the grill chicken, crispy french fries, Thanksgiving Day turkey, any kind of potato chips and succulent chicken parm (OK, time to stop because I’m starting to drool), I do have a sweet tooth, too.  Sometimes, when I have my dessert after a meal, I’ll even go back and eat something savory to counter balance the sweetness.  Why?  Because that’s how Healthy Chow rolls… (oh, I like any kind of hot doughy roll, too).

I have such fond memories of going to Cabot’s in Newton as a kid with my mother and sister for dessert and/or a snack.  We’d all usually order ice cream and then when we’d be about halfway done with battling our sweet tooths (teeth?), we’d put in an order of french fries.  We all knew we’d have that salt craving as soon as we were done with our last spoonfuls, so we ordered halfway through knowing they’d be ready when we were.  Such clever girls the Chow ladies are, huh? I’ve been known to dip a french fry in my melted pool of ice cream and it’s divine!

So now when my sweet tooth cries (and sometimes, it’s ear-piercing!), instead of reaching for the rich and sugary ice cream and then the requisite salt, I try to opt for a healthier dessert selection.  My thinking is that if I start with a treat that is not as ’sweet’, then I won’t have that gnawing sensation afterward to satiate it with a salty carb.

On that note, the other day when I was in the mood for sweets, I decided to get creative versus easy (ok, that’s a softball right there).  I opened my fridge and with a little digging and rummaging, I came up with…wait for it…Ricotta Have Me Some Mango.

Here is what you need:

• a fresh mango (more on the ripe side would be better), cut up into little cubes
• 1/4 cup of nonfat ricotta cheese (or if you’d like part skim or whole milk, that would work, too)
• TSP of honey (agave nectar would be nice here)
• a sprinkle of cocoa powder

First you need to cut up the mango.  It’s a tad tricky and I’m not gonna lie, I wish I had me an Oxo Good Grips Mango Splitter.I don’t know if my mango was overripe or if it was just acting up, but this was no easy task.  Once your mango is cut up into little cubes, dump it into a bowl.  Then, add your ricotta cheese and drizzle in your honey.  Sprinkle with cocoa powder and voilà!

Serves 1

Exotic fruits...how refreshing!

A close-up

Messy but so worth it...

The end product is incredible.  While the mango is smooth, juicy and invigorating, the creamy ricotta adds a subtle richness and a slight granular texture which provides for a great contrast.  The sticky honey is a welcome complement to the sweet fruit, while the cocoa powder balances it all out with a gentle bitterness.

It had me bowled over! HA!

Get a good look...

Even closer...

All mixed up...

The perfect bite...

There you have it.  A splendid, refreshing dessert that will satisfy your sweet tooth and is still quite healthy.  Plus, when I ate it, it didn’t leave me yearning for fries…I just couldn’t get this outta my head!

What’s your favorite ‘healthy’ dessert?  Are there any new kitchen gadgets out there that you need to have?

Namasté,
Nicole

HAHA!  I just cracked myself up with that blog post title (I know, why don’t you just go give yourself a pat on the back?!).

Anyways, I keep reading about ‘broccoli slaw’ all over the food blogosphere in places such as here and here.  I’ll have to admit, I was a bit hesitant at first.  While I’m certainly NOT a picky eater and will pretty much eat everything anything that is put in front of me, I’m not a fan of coleslaw.  It’s odd to me.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that it’s usually drowned in mayo (and not the good kind like the Hellman’s Mom used to buy but the not-so-miraculous Miracle Whip)?  Maybe it’s because it always came all warm and soggy on my plate?  Or maybe it’s because someone told me once that restaurants made it out of the rancid lettuce and cabbage leftover from the day before’s meals?  Whatever the case was, I never liked it.

However, broccoli slaw is not the same thing as coleslaw and if everyone else is raving about it, maybe I was the one missing out?  I mean, it is just broccoli, carrots and red cabbage.  These are all things that I like and things that are good for me.  So what was I waiting for?  After all, I was always told as a child to try everything once.  So, a week or so ago when I was at the grocery store, I picked up a bag of this:

I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with my new purchase.  I guess I could mix it in with one of my humungo salads?  Or perhaps shove some in a pita pocket for some added crunch to a sandwich?  Then, a light bulb went off.  I decided I would face my distaste for coleslaw head on.  I decided to make my own ‘lighter’ version of coleslaw.  Here is what I came up with:

-1/3 of the bag  or 3 oz. of broccoli slaw
-2 heaping TBSP of nonfat yogurt (I used Trader Joe’s European Style Nonfat Plain)
-1 TSP of dijon mustard
-a glug of red wine vinegar
-1 TSP of honey
-black pepper

Get yourself a small bowl and mix all of the ingredients except for the broccoli slaw and black pepper.  Mix until everything is well blended.  Taste and adjust ingredients accordingly.  Then, mix in your broccoli slaw and turn to coat.  Sprinkle with pepper.  All done.

Because the yogurt is more liquid-y than thick, my broccoli slaw served as a dressing for the rest of my salad.  Alongside the slaw, I had romaine lettuce, baby spinach, chopped plum tomatoes and cucumber slices.  I also had a yam that was about to bite the dust, so I peeled it and steamed it for an accompaniment to my salad.  I then melted some Smart Balance Omega-3 Light and drizzled that over my yam.

Wow, my salads are gettin’ all fancy on me…

The yam didn’t want to get left out of the ‘fancy pants party’…

All together now…

Paired with a frosty glass of seltzer water…

The verdict?  It was pretty good!  Nothing at all like the coleslaw that came in those clear dixie cups that I used to turn my nose at.  Plus, it was a much healthier version sans the greasy mayonnaise.  Because the dressing was so light and subtle, I could still taste the flavors of the vegetables.  The crunch was still there, too.  It was a nice added texture to my sometimes ‘boring’ salads.  I would definitely buy this again.  It’s an easy and healthy way to bulk up my salads and/or sandwiches and might even be good steamed a bit and eaten as a hot side (ok, why does Justin Timberlake now come to mind?).

Are there any foods that make you cringe?  Do you still dislike them or have you given them another shot?

Namasté,
Nicole