Healthy Eating Series: Chocolate Angel Food Cake w/ Fruit & Maple Yogurt

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 egg whites (or 1 1/2 cups prepackaged egg whites

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups fresh strawberries

4 cups fresh raspberries

1/4 cup peach nectar

1 tablespoon honey

1 cup plain lowfat yogurt

2 tablespoons maple syrup

PREPARATION

Transfer the oven rack to the lowest level. Preheat oven to 325°F. Sift 1 cup sugar with flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer set at medium-high speed, whip egg whites, lemon juice, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl until peaks form. Set mixer to high speed and whip in remaining 1/2 cup sugar until semistiff peaks form (do not overbeat). With a plastic spatula, slowly fold in the remaining dry ingredients, 1/4 cup at a time, until flour mix disappears. Scoop batter into a 10" ungreased tube pan and spread evenly. Bake until cake springs back when touched, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven, invert cake pan, and place upside down on a cooling rack. Thoroughly wash and dry berries. Combine berries, nectar, and honey in a small bowl. Mix slowly, being careful not to crush the berries. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt and syrup until blended. Remove cake gently from pan and cut into 8 slices. Serve each slice with fruit and a dollop of maple yogurt.

                                                            {Courtesy of Epicurious}                                                              

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Healthy Eating Series: Garden-Style Lasagna

Vegetable lasagna is a crowd-pleaser and a classic make-ahead dish.

INGREDIENTS

Cooking spray

2 cups chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 cups chopped zucchini (about 8 ounces)

2 cups chopped yellow squash (about 8 ounces)

2 cups thinly sliced carrot (about 8 ounces)

2 cups chopped broccoli (about 6 ounces)

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)

3 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk

1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dash of nutmeg

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat cottage cheese

2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

12 precooked lasagna noodles, divided

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Spoon onion mixture into a large bowl.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and yellow squash; sauté 4 minutes or until tender and just beginning to brown. Add to onion mixture.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced carrot; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add chopped broccoli; sauté 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add to onion mixture. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss well to combine.

Place flour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg; stir until smooth. Stir in spinach.

Combine cottage cheese and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella; stir well. Spread 1/2 cup spinach mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodles over spinach mixture in dish; top with half of cottage cheese mixture (about 1 1/2 cups), half of vegetable mixture (about 2 1/2 cups), and about 1 cup spinach mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining spinach mixture over noodles; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Cover and bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving

Healthy Eating: Roasted Garlic & Herb Shrimp with Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic , crushed

3 cups Prego® Roasted Garlic & Herb Italian Sauce

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 lb. fresh or thawed frozen medium shrimp , peeled and deveined

1 pkg. (10 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Garlic Bread

16 oz. spaghetti , cooked and drained

3 tbsp. minced fresh Italian parsley

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. for the bread.
• Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until it's golden.
• Stir the sauce and red pepper in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes or until it's cooked through.
• Meanwhile, bake the bread according to the package directions.
• Toss the spaghetti with the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with the parsley. Cut the bread into 2-inch diagonal slices. Serve the bread with the spaghetti mixture.

Healthy Eating: Tuna-Spinach Wrap

INGREDIENTS

 4 3-ounce cans chunk light tuna packed in water

4 ounces 2% shredded cheddar cheese

 Chopped onions, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes

 12 cups raw spinach (washed and dried)

  ¾ cup fat-free Italian dressing

 4 light whole-grain flat bread wraps (90 to 100 calories each)

 DIRECTIONS

Place the raw spinach in a bowl. Drain the tuna and flake it with a fork while adding to the spinach. Add chopped vegetables and shredded cheese. Mix with dressing. Spread the mixture on the wrap and roll it up.

{Recipe and picture courtesy of iVillage}

Healthy Eating: Grilled Tomato-Bell Pepper Gazpacho

INGREDIENTS

 3 1/4 TO 3 1/2 pounds firm but ripe medium tomatoes

1 (8- to 9-ounce) red bell pepper

1 (8- to 10-ounce) red onion, unpeeled, quartered lengthwise

8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

3 (5 x 3 x 1/2-inch) slices country-style bread

3 garlic cloves, divided

1 (10- to 11-ounce) cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into small cubes, divided

3 tablespoons (or more) Sherry wine vinegar

2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram

3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 cup (about) cold water (optional)

3 green onions, cut into thin strips

DIRECTIONS

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place first 3 ingredients on baking sheet. Brush with 3 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush both sides of bread with 2 tablespoons oil. Grill vegetables until skins are charred, turning frequently, about 8 minutes for tomatoes, 10 minutes for onion, and 15 minutes for pepper. Return to baking sheet. Grill bread until toasted, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Cut 1 garlic clove in half; rub over toasted sides of bread. Cut bread into small cubes; reserve croutons.

Remove charred skins and cores from tomatoes. Peel, seed, and core pepper; coarsely chop. Remove charred papery peel and core from onion. Set aside half of chopped cucumber for garnish. Working in 2 batches, add half each of tomatoes, pepper, onion, and remaining cucumber to processor and blend until coarse puree forms. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Repeat with remaining tomatoes, pepper, and onion.

Using garlic press, squeeze in remaining 2 garlic cloves. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons vinegar, marjoram, smoked paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Thin soup, if desired, with cold water by 1/4 cupfuls. Season with salt and pepper. Chill at least 2 hours.

Note:  Gazpacho and croutons can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover gazpacho and chopped cucumber garnish separately and refrigerate. Cover and store croutons at room temperature.
{Recipe and picture courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine} 

Have Some Hope

Philosophy hope in a jar is renown for working with all skin types.It gently exfoliates skin to reveal smoother, healthier looking skin. Results can be seen and felt within days, leaving a healthy, rosy glow to the skin that doesn't require makeup or cover up. Best buy at Sephora!

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Eating Healthy: Roasted Vegetable Hoagie

I love a good hoagie just like anyone else! The Roasted Vegetable Hoagie is a great addition to our Healthy Eating series. We hope you will enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS

1 10-inch, loaf of French or Italian bread

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 eggplant, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

1/2 yellow squash, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2 lettuce leaves

Fresh mozzarella, sliced

1 tomato

Balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice bread and put aside. In large bowl combine eggplant, zucchini, squash, olive oil, salt, pepper, basil and garlic. Place vegetables on a baking sheet covered with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Place lettuce on bread and top with roasted vegetables. Add mozzarella and tomato. Drizzle vinegar over sandwich. Serve.

Eating Healthy Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa Verde

{Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine}

INGREDIENTS

Salsa:

1/2 cup chopped peeled mango

1/2 cup chopped green tomato

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

4 teaspoons chopped fresh cilanto

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

Tacos:

2 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets

Cooking spray

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

4 (8-inch) whole-wheat flour tortillas

1 cup mixed salad greens

PREPARATION

To prepare salsa, combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl; toss well.

To prepare tacos, preheat broiler.

Place fish on broiler pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle fish evenly with seasoning. Broil 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

Heat a medium nonstck skillett over medium-high heat. Lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Add the tortillas to the pan, 1 at a time; cook 1 minute on each side or until lightly toasted. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each taco with 1/4 cup greens and 1/4 salsa. Serve immediately

Yield: 2 servings

Eating Healthy: Waldorf Chicken Salad Recipe

Waldorf Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 cup seedless red grapes, halved

1 large Gala apple, diced

1 cup diced celery

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup honey mustard

Salt and pepper to taste  

PREPARATION

 Preheat oven to 350°. Bake walnuts in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

Stir together chicken, next 5 ingredients, and walnuts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 6 servings

{Courtesy of Southern Living Magazine}

Eating Healthy: Bellwether Farms Yogurt

Bellwether Farms naturally homogenized whole sheep milk yogurt (plain and with whole fruit on the bottom) has a thick, creamy texture with a clean, refreshing aftertaste. Sheeps milk is higher in nutrients, protein and other solids. It's also good for those who are lactose intolerant. Available in flavors  Blackberry, Strawberry, Blueberry, Vanilla and Plain.