Feb 18 2013

Roasted Baby Red Potatoes and Green Beans

I decided to try another recipe from my Mix It Up app. This time I was going for a veggie main dish. Roasted Baby Red Potatoes and Green Beans tossed in a tangy champagne vinegar and Gorgonzola dressing – served warm. the recipe was actually for new potatoes, but I happened to pick up a bag of baby reds last grocery shopping trip, so I used those.

Foodiddy - Roasted Red Potatoes & Green Beans

I don’t want to wait to the end of this post to tell you that these were incredible… so there you go. A must make if you like crispy and crusted potatoes with a strong cheese.

Ingredients for Roasted Red Potatoes and Green Beans

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Pounds Baby Red or New Potatoes – scrubbed and quartered
  • 8 oz. Green Beans – trimmed
  • 5 Teaspoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – divided
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper – plus more if needed
  • 2 Tablespoons Champagne Vinegar or White-Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
  • 3 Tablespoons Crumbled Gorgonzola or Other Blue Cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Scallion Greens

Directions

  1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. Toss potatoes and green beans in a large bowl with 2 teaspoons oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes are tender and golden and the green beans are tender and browned in spots, 25 to 35 minutes.
  3. Whisk the remaining 3 teaspoons oil, vinegar and mustard in a large bowl. Stir in cheese and scallion greens.
  4. When the vegetables are done, toss with the dressing in the bowl. Serve warm.

Potato photo bomb

Cute puppy photo bomb… I washed and quartered my baby red potatoes. The recipe said to cut them in half, I think quartered worked really well. I ended up using 10 oz. of green beans, the package I purchased contained that amount. Yes, I cheated and bought prepared green beans and it was an awesome shortcut.

Red potatoes and green beans

My prepped potatoes, trimmed green beans, 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper went into a big bowl. I gently mixed to coat evenly.

Red Potatoes and Green Beans on Cookie Sheet

I used my rimmed non-stick baking sheet and found that the potatoes did stick a little… the green beans were fine. I’d probably coat the cookie sheet next time with cooking spray.

Grey Poupon

While the potatoes and green beans were roasting in the oven, I started on the vinaigrette. I used Katz Sparkling Wine Vinegar, Grey Poupon, extra virgin olive oil and I ended up adding a little ground pepper as well.

Gorgonzola Cheese and Green Onion

I got the dressing mixed and then measured out my Gorgonzola cheese and chopped up my scallions. The chunks of Gorgonzola in the container were a little two big, so I ended up breaking them up a bit.

Roasted Red Potatoes & Green Beans

I used all 35 minutes plus a little more for the roasting process. They could not have come out more perfect. I quickly gobbled up a plate after the photo shoot.

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I then packed up a “to go” container for a friend and I still had two containers left for other meals. The heat of the potatoes melted the Gorgonzola bits and combined with the tangy vinegar/Dijon dressing – oh my, a definite recipe keeper.

Nutrition Info. – Recipe makes 6 servings

Per serving: 151 calories; 5 g fat ( 1 g sat , 3 g mono ); 3 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 295 mg sodium; 567 mg potassium.

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My calories were higher since I made the recipe into 4 servings. 226 calories a serving. My girlfriend had them as a side dish to leftover prime rib… I think they would be excellent with roasted chicken if you were going for a side dish.

Enjoy!
foo1120

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Feb 15 2013

Banana Corn Fritters

I’m still going strong with my 8-9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. I am getting really creative with working in the different color categories. Part of the program includes recipes – both on the website and in the app. I was cruising through it the other day and stumbled upon this gem – Banana Corn Fritters.

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I started making the recipe around 10:30 a.m. – so I had two different versions in mind. One was to focus on the sweetness of the banana, the other was to focus on the savory of the corn meal and spices. I love that the recipes are sorted by color within the program, this recipe fulfilled my “yellow” requirement for the day. The recipes included in Kaiser’s Mix It Up program are provided by EatingWell.com

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Ingredients:

  • 3/4 Cup Yellow Cornmeal
  • 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/4-1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 1/4 Cups Roughly Mashed Bananas, (about 3 medium)
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 2 Tablespoons Milk, or Buttermilk
  • 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil, divided

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cayenne in a medium bowl. Mix banana, egg and milk (or buttermilk) in another medium bowl. Add the cornmeal mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just incorporated.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; using 2 tablespoons of batter for each, space 5 fritters evenly in the pan. Cook until golden brown, 30 seconds to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Cook a second batch with the remaining oil and batter, adjusting heat to prevent burning.
  4. Transfer the fritters to the oven and bake until puffed and firm to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes.

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After pre-heating the oven, I got my dry goods ready to mix in one bowl.

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The wet goods went into another bowl. I only had 2 fresh bananas and I needed 3, so I used frozen and ended up softening them in the microwave a bit.

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My dry mix went into the wet and my fritter batter was ready for the skillet. I dropped balls of batter into the hot oil and then used a spatula to spread them out into patties. A bigger skillet might fit their suggested 5, but I used a smaller skillet and did 3 larger fritters.

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Not the most appetizing photo… I then flipped them until they were browned.

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They went into the oven at 400°F for an additional 8 minutes.

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Josh and Deede gave us a 1 quart jug of Ben’s Sugar Shack Pure Maple Syrup. OMG! so amazing! So round one was Banana Corn Fritters, butter and maple syrup.

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Nice and sweet, a fun change for breakfast. I usually eat Greek yogurt and fruit.

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I then decided to switch it up for lunch. I added sour cream, black beans, shredded purple cabbage and spinach, diced tomatoes and hot sauce. Definitely the way to go… they were delicious!

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I ended up having a duplicate lunch several days in a row. Savory and sweet together made for the perfect flavor combination and I was able to hit many colors of my nutrition challenge.

Speaking of the challenge… my team has moved down into the 11th place slot. I think people are just falling behind in logging. My point total is 320.5 points, with the majority still being veggies at 223 points. I have managed to earn an additional 62 points with “Top Choice” selections. We are 19 days into the 8-week competition and we are currently in the running for best team name: Turnip the Heat. 🙂

Blender - Nutrition Challenge

The Corn Fritter day scored me 2 servings from the blue/violet category – black beans and purple cabbage and 1 yellow – bananas. I made a big salad for dinner that night that included servings of spinach, red leaf lettuce, peas, carrots and roasted corn. I needed to include all color categories to round off my day.

Here are some typical serving size examples that I’m using as a guide for the nutrition challenge:

Vegetables

  • 1/2 cup of most fresh or cooked vegetables
  • 6 ounces of vegetable juice
  • 1 cup raw leafy green vegetables
  • 1/2 cup cooked beans

Fruits

  • 1 cup fresh berries or melon
  • 1/2 cup other fruit (fresh or canned without syrup or added sugar is best)
  • 1/4 cup dried fruit
  • 1 small orange
  • 1 small apple
  • 1 small banana
  • 1 small pear

I’m still tracking calories with the My Fitness Pal app, but I’ve been doing horrible the past week. Way too many meals out and sweet treats leading up to Valentine’s Day. I have a busy weekend ahead that also includes lots of meals out. I need to be mindful of my choices and even without counting calories, I’m still getting in my veggie and fruit servings… they just might be accompanied by chow mein, sushi or a bagel the size of my head. I’m not aiming for perfection… just being mindful.  So far so good.

foo1120

 

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Feb 10 2013

Cabbage Salad with Fuji Apples and Spiced Pecans

I made this amazing Red and Napa Cabbage Salad with Fuji Apples and Spiced Pecans back in November for our family Thanksgiving lunch and have made it several times since – including this afternoon.

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This was a recipe from epicurious. I subbed Fuji apples for Braeburn and I added a little amber agave nectar at the end, otherwise I followed the recipe.

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Spiced Pecan Ingredients:

  • 2 Teaspoons Butter
  • 1 Cup Pecan Halves
  • 2 Tablespoons Golden Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/8 Teaspoon (scant) Cayenne Pepper

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 2 Tablespoons Seasoned Rice Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
  • 1/4 Cup Olive Oil

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Salad Ingredients:

  • 2 Medium Unpeeled Fuji Apples – quartered, cored, thinly sliced crosswise
  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 3 Cups Thinly Sliced Red Cabbage
  • 2 Cups Thinly Sliced Napa Cabbage
  • 3/4 Cup Dried Tart Cherries (about 5 ounces)
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Amber Light Agave Nectar

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Directions for Spiced Pecans

Melt butter in nonstick medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add pecans and stir 1 minute. Add brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne; stir until nuts are coated, about 1-3 minutes. Transfer nuts to foil sheet and cool. These have been made 20 times since my first time in November. OMG! they are absolutely amazing! I’ve honestly had to stop myself from buying pecans, it was getting a little out of control and today was again a reminder.

Directions for Dressing

Whisk both vinegars and mustard in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Epicurious says that the spiced pecans and dressing can be made 1 day ahead if you would like. Store pecans in airtight container at room temperature. Cover and chill dressing; bring to room temperature and rewhisk before using.

Directions for Salad Prep

Toss apples with lemon juice in large bowl. Add cabbages and dried cherries; mix. Add dressing and toss. Stir in pecans and season salad with salt and pepper. I probabaly could have left it as is – but I decided to add about a 1/2 tablespoon of agave to cut down on the tangy factor.

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This salad will again be making the rotation into my fruit and veggie challenge. I could eat it as a meal or pair it with grilled anything – including ham and cheese paninis like we did on Thanksgiving. No worries, we still had Turkey and all the fixings for dinner. Some other substitution ideas might be using granny smith apples and raisins instead of the tart cherries and sweeter Fuji apples. You could use just about any dried fruit – apricots would probably be wonderful. While I wouldn’t think of subbing out my beloved spiced pecans, walnuts or any other nut would work fine too.

Enjoy!
foo1121

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