Caprese Salad

Posted on: August 10th, 2011 by Emma Fogt No Comments

caprese salad

caprese salad


By Grace Dickinson, Temple University

Ever wonder why store-bought tomatoes resemble bland cardboard, while homegrown or market-purchased tomatoes have a taste fit for a Mediterranean prince? Nothing compares to the flavor that comes from a vine-ripened tomato, and there are various reasons for this.

For one, commercial growers breed tomatoes fit for durability. This means that often their goal is not to yield the tastiest tomatoes, but rather ones that scarcely bruise. Additionally, those growers aren’t waiting for the tomatoes to turn perfectly, sun-kissed red on the vine like a home grower would. Instead, they pick their tomatoes rather unripe at a point where the tomato is not nearly the cherry color you’d desire on your plate. This is done for shipping reasons, allowing time for the tomatoes to ripen during the transportation process while minimizing blemishes. However, as a result, the sweetness and intense flavor that characterize a tomato is lost, leaving you with what some would claim is an entirely different fruit.

Luckily, it’s currently tomato season, so finding a true, vine-ripened tomato shouldn’t be too difficult. Once you’ve got yourself a few of those, little else needs to be done in order to turn the fruit into a plate full of antioxidant deliciousness. Caprese salads are a classic way to plate up the red rounds, requiring just a handful of ingredients to make.

A touch of olive oil draws out the sweetness of the fruit, while basil freshens the whole dish up. Additionally, the olive oil acts to help your body more easily absorb the abundance of antioxidants naturally found in tomatoes. Studies have proven that carotenoids, the antioxidant responsible for giving tomatoes their signature color, are best absorbed when paired with a fat, such as olive oil.

Finally, mozzarella is added for a touch of richness that won’t draw away from the fresh flavor. If you have a thick balsamic reduction on hand, go ahead and drizzle it on. This, alongside the olive oil, will continue to play up the sweetness of the tomatoes.

Caprese Salad
(Serves 4)

-2 large, ripe tomatoes
-8 oz. mozzarella cheese, in ball form
-12-18 fresh basil leaves
-Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
-Fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste
-Balsamic reduction (optional)

Cut tomatoes and mozzarella into ¼-inch thick slices. Lay tomatoes on a serving platter. Drizzle with olive oil. Layer with mozzarella and add a basil leaf on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If using, lightly drizzle with balsamic reduction.

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New Study Shows 5 foods combat weight gain over time

Posted on: August 3rd, 2011 by Emma Fogt 1 Comment

by Grace Dickinson and Emma Fogt

A 20 year study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at weight gain over time in 120,877 women. Certain foods were associated with avoiding weight gain over time -those being vegetables, whole grains, fruit , nuts and yogurt (NEngJMed 2011;364:2392-404).

The best way to start off the day? How about kicking off the morning with the protein from the yogurt, plus all the vitamins and nutrients from the fruit, combine with fiber-filled granola to create a complete breakfast that is sure to satisfy your taste buds. And when you whip up your own granola, like in the recipe below, you can ensure your day isn’t off to a sugar-laden start.Layer with fresh summer berries for an added fruit serving and natural sweetness.

Make the granola ahead of time so you can whip this breakfast up in a flash, leaving plenty of time for you to get started on any other patriotic dishes/activities you might have in mind.

Homemade Granola
(Makes about 7 cups)

Dry:
-3 cups oats
-1 1/3 cup wheat germ
-2/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped
-1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
-1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
-1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
-3/4 tsp. cinnamon
-1/8 tsp. nutmeg
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1/2 cup raisins
Liquid:
-1/3 cup safflower oil or coconut oil*, plus more for greasing
-1/2 cup maple syrup
Preheat oven 300F. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients together, excluding the raisins. Stir in liquid ingredients, and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
Grease an extra large baking sheet. Spread oats mixture in thin layer across baking sheet. Bake 40-50 minutes, stirring every ten minutes.
Remove from oven. Stir in raisins. Let sit until cool. Store in a tightly covered jar.

Homemade Granola
(Makes about 7 cups)

Dry:
-3 cups oats
-1 1/3 cup wheat germ
-2/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped
-1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
-1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
-1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
-3/4 tsp. cinnamon
-1/8 tsp. nutmeg
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1/2 cup raisins

Liquid:
-1/3 cup safflower oil or coconut oil, plus more for greasing
-1/2 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven 300F. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients together, excluding the raisins. Stir in liquid ingredients, and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

Grease an extra large baking sheet. Spread oats mixture in thin layer across baking sheet. Bake 40-50 minutes, stirring every ten minutes.

Remove from oven. Stir in raisins. Let sit until cool. Store in a tightly covered jar.

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Posted in Family Nutrition Makeover, Fruit, Recipes, Uncategorized, Yogurt | 1 Comment »

National Watermelon Day

Posted on: August 3rd, 2011 by Emma Fogt No Comments

By Grace Dickinson, Temple University

To me, nothing speaks more of summer than watermelon. I still have very vivid memories of waking up as a kid, walking out into the hot summer’s heat, and devouring a huge slice of watermelon for breakfast. Juice would always be spilling down my face and drenching my hands in pure stickiness. It’s no wonder my mom sent me outside to eat my breakfast. At this age, I had not a care in the world, something my pink-stained pajama shirt usually reflected.

To this day, whenever I eat watermelon, I’m still swarmed with memories of summer mornings where I had not a thing to do but eat the fleshy fruit. Watermelon remains for me the emblem of summer. It’s the perfect refresher for anytime of day, and having a slice allows me to be a kid again.

However, as an adult, I know it’s also a smart snack. Watermelon is around 90% water, making it an obvious light choice in comparison to many other calorie-dense snacks. One cup contains just under 50 calories. Eat 200-300 calories worth of watermelon, and you’re sure to not only fill up your stomach (and bladder), but you’ll also put nearly a full day’s worth of vitamins A & C into your body.

This Wednesday, August 3rd, marks National Watermelon Day, and you’ll be sure to find me eating some. My favorite way to chow down on watermelon is straight from the rind, although tossing a few cubes into a leafy salad comes in at a close second. For a real refreshing treat, I’ll whip up some of the juice found in the recipe below. I prefer to eat my watermelon at room temperature, so this is a great way to use up any leftovers. A cold glass of watermelon juice is sure to help you fight the summer’s heat.

Watermelon Juice with a Splash of Mint
(Serves 3-4 people)

Ingredients:

-1/2 a medium sized watermelon
-1 or 2 tablespoons of honey (to taste)
-10-15 leaves of mint
-3/4 of a lime
-7 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour over ice, sip, relax.

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Mompreneurs & dadpreneurs: successfully balancing work-life

Posted on: July 19th, 2011 by Emma Fogt No Comments

Ever thought that you would like to have a family but are scared (if you look at the above video you might just be scared!) about giving up your professional job and all the perks that go with it? It is true that many new mothers decide to stop working outside of the home after giving birth or fathers decide to become stay at home dads. I am a huge advocate of combining family and work through entrepreneurship or can we say parentpreneurship. Nobody has statistics on how many mompreneurs or dadpreneurs are out there in the US today but we do know that the trend is on the rise and it is not going away.

Many women and men have discovered flexibility and balance in the world of entrepreneurship- and more and more moms and dads are deciding to work from home to be able to be the primary care takers of their children and also bring home the bacon.

Are you cut out to be a mompreneur or a dadpreneur? Some important traits to look for are determination, flexibility, passion, patience, ability to multi task and be a whiz at managing time. For example , when the babies are napping (you know exactly for that 1.5 hours) you can decide to clean the kitchen, exercise or park yourself down at that computer! There is always give and take- for example you have to give up a clean kitchen -to be able to work on a chapter. You have to know where you want to prioritize.

Clear advantages to mom and dadpreneurship are flexibility to create your own schedule, added income and the satisfaction in working while knowing that the kids are in your care.

Frustrations include when work and family collide, mainly by not getting support (kid coverage!) to be able to work during your designated work times. Having to miss either a work or a family priority on occasion is par for the course.

Unfortunately there is no one magic formula to balance lifestyle- as families are different so are the systems entrepreneurs as parents set up to be able accomplish their goals and support their values.There is no wrong or right way but what suits you and your family. Personally, I have never regretted being there for my family while also having the luxury of being a working professional. Despite some rare days I would not want to ever repeat- I can tell you from the bottom of my heart-I wouldn’t change a thing.

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Diet Soda Linked to Weight Gain

Posted on: July 14th, 2011 by Emma Fogt 1 Comment

Aisles of Diet Soda

Aisles of Diet Soda


By Grace Dickinson, Temple University

Pepsi or Pepsi One? Coca-Cola or Coca-Cola zero? Dr. Pepper or Diet Dr. Pepper? If you tend to reach for the latter option hoping to save a few calories, you might want to rethink your choice. A new study recently presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting by the school of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio suggests that diet soda might promote weight gain. The study showed a correlation between larger waistlines and diet soda.

Researchers found a 70 percent greater increase of weight circumference in diet drinkers compared to non-soda drinkers. The more soda the study volunteers drank, the higher the percentage appeared to climb. Those who gulped down diet soda most frequently, meaning two or more cans a day, showed a waist circumference increase of 500 percent greater than the non-soda drinkers.

However, as Richard Mattes, a nutrition scientist at Purdue University, tells the L.A. Times, “heavy people simply might choose to consume diet drinks more.” While the study points out a link between diet soda and weight gain, definitive questions as to whether artificial sweeteners are the culprit still remain unanswered. Mattes believes that diet drinkers might simply compensate for the calories they think they are saving by eating more at other times in the day.

However, another recently published study has linked aspartame, a common artificial sweetener in diet drinks, to increased blood sugar levels in mice predisposed to diabetes. Researchers fed diabetes-prone mice a diet that included asparatame for a period of three months. Those mice that were fed aspartame showed higher blood glucose levels than mice whose diet didn’t include the aspartame.

Whether it’s regular or diet, it’s probably best to avoid soda all together, or at least keep consumption to limited levels. Instead, for a refreshing summer drink, reach for unsweetened iced tea (see recipe a few posts back) or seltzer mixed with 100% fruit juice.

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Posted in Beverages, Family, Parent Nutrition, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Quinoa: Portable Party Food for Summertime Entertaining

Posted on: July 5th, 2011 by Emma Fogt No Comments

Red Quinoa Summer Salad

Red Quinoa Summer Salad

Headed to a picnic or outdoor grill? Here is an easy and portable recipe which is not only nutritious and colorful but gets rave reviews. Red Quinoa Summer Salad is a blend of crunchy fresh vegetables and chewy quinoa. Add fresh and zesty lime dressing and jalapenos for a slight kick in flavor. Red quinoa contains a high amount of protein and all 22 essential amino acids and this power house grain is now available in most supermarkets. If you cannot find red quinoa- no big deal look for white which may be easier to find and just as nutritious.

Quinoa is so easy to make as it can be made a day ahead and takes no time at all. For six servings place 3 cups of quinoa into a pan with 6 cups of water . Bring the water and quinoa to a boil. Once the quinoa boils turn down the heat to let it simmer for 10 more minutes. After this, turn off the stove and let the quinoa absorb all it’s water for another 5 minutes . Once cooked the quinoa should be chewy- not mushy and you can fluff it with a fork , cool and mix in the additions.

Additions can be seasonal and fresh from the farmers market. I used 4 ears of fresh corn, 1 red pepper, 8 radishes, 2 halapinos (from a jar), a small bunch of flat leaf parsley,1 small red onion, 3 stalks of celery and 1.5C of edamame (defrosted from freezer). Additions are endless by the way..tomato, cilantro, feta, snap peas, peas, olives…anything goes.

We all know that getting the ingredients is one thing but actually prepping them is a whole other story. What made this recipe go quickly was the addition of The Vegetable Chop and Measure. Without sounding like an info-mercial- this veggie chopper made getting the onion, pepper, jalapeno’s, and radishes into perfectly chopped little cubes effortless- and so professional looking. Pop- close the lid on those veggies and voila- what would have taken 20 minutes to chop let alone get into perfectly cubed pieces took less than 5 minutes.

Williams- Sonoma has an instructional video on The Vegetable Chop and Measure- a new groovy gadget must have.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/vegetable-chop-and-measure/?pkey=cmandolines-slicers

Chopping Veggies is so easy

Chopping veggies is so easy


* Featured Groovin Gadget: The Vegetable Chop & Measure ($18.99 at Williams-Sonoma)

RECIPE:
Super Powerful Red Quinoa Summer Salad:
Serves 6-8 people. Hot, warm or cold.

Lightly Toss to Combine the following Ingredients
3 cups red or white quinoa, cooked according to package directions
4 cooked corn kernels cut from the cobb (about 2 cups).
* 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and- chopped
* 1 small red onion- chopped
1 small bunch of parsley- finely chopped with a knife ( approx. 1/2C)
1C edamame (defrosted)
* 2 jalapeno peppers (jarred optional)- chopped
3 stalks of celery sliced
* 6 red radishes- chopped

Tossed Red Quinoa Summer Salad with Lime Dressing

Tossed Red Quinoa Summer Salad with Lime Dressing

And Add the Zesty Lime Dressing…
Whisk together:
1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cloves minced fresh garlic
3 Tbsp Lime Juice
Salt and Pepper to taste.

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Posted in cooking, Food, Gluten Free, Picnic, Picnics, Quinoa, Recipes | No Comments »

COOL DRINKS for a HOT SUMMER’S DAY

Posted on: June 15th, 2011 by Emma Fogt No Comments

-By Grace Dickinson, Temple University

Mint Tea

Refreshing Mint Tea

June is National Iced Tea Month, and for good reason too. While we’ve already experienced a handful of hot 90-degree days here on the east coast, you can be sure there’s more to come as the current month proceeds.

There’s nothing more refreshing on one of those scorchers than a tall glass of iced tea. However, rather than reaching for one of those sugar-laden store bought teas to cool yourself down and celebrate National Iced Tea month, why not make a superior version of your own.

The following recipe utilizes just two ingredients: Mint and water. The results are surprisingly delicious and incredibly refreshing. No sweetener is needed, but if you’re accustomed to a little sugar in your tea, feel free to add in some honey.

The tea is naturally caffeine free, so it’s suitable for the whole family. However, you may steep the leaves in green tea for a bit of a zing, if desired, but the strong minty flavor can certainly stand on its own, just don’t skimp on the mint.

Simply Mint Tea

-40-50 12-inch mint sprigs, about 2 cups of leaves, tightly packed

-Water, 7 cups


Strip mint leaves off stems. Wash leaves. In a 2 quart kettle, add 6 cups of water.

Place kettle on high heat and bring water to boil. Turn off heat and add mint leaves, using a spoon to submerge leaves. (Add honey to taste, if using.)

Place lid back on kettle, and let steep at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
Pour tea through a strainer into a pitcher. Serve in a glass over ice. Relax and enjoy.

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SIX TIPS T0 RE-ORGANIZE YOUR PANTRY:

Posted on: June 13th, 2011 by Emma Fogt No Comments

Pantry Makeover

Pantry Makeover


Spring is here and it’s time to clear out those winter pantry cobwebs. Your pantry is a place where dried goods and essential liquids are stored. Cleaning out the pantry takes time and energy and some organizational skills.

1. First clean out your pantry until it is empty. You can place all foods and storage containers on the kitchen table or counters.

2. Clean and sanitize your empty pantry.

3. With all the items out of your pantry. Sort them into like categories. For example some like groups can be:
Baking products: coconut, chocolate morsels, dried fruit, nuts and seeds, baking powders and flavorings
Flour and Sugar
Canned goods: fruit , soups and vegetables
Condiments: vinegars, unopened dressings, olive oils, oils, unopened mustards, vinegars
Beverages: Teas, coffee, beverages
Dry Goods: dry good boxes such as crackers, cereals, potato flakes, pancake mixes and rice mixes
Grains: Looses Rice and whole grains such as barley ,couscous and dried beans
Canned and Jarred Goods: Beans and savory tins and jars such as olives , roasted pepper and artichokes

4. Containerize any loose products such as flours, pasta, rice, sugar & dried goods.

5. Label shelves and bins for even more organization.

6. Keep your pantry up to date by using the open and older foods first- place these foods at the front of the shelves. Review and organize your pantry regularly to keep your foods fresh.

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The Food Guide Pyramid Rounds Out

Posted on: May 31st, 2011 by Emma Fogt No Comments

Dietitian's often draw a plate for their clients

Drawing the Plate

This week is an exciting week for the Registered Dietitian: The Obama administration is unveiling the latest food guide logo. Gone will be that multicolored triangle with the person walking up it’s side via steps. That triangle which has been plastered on posters and food boxes for the last 5 years. That infamous and yes complicated “Food Guide System” will be replaced by a…circle. A simple plate.

I thought, finally the government is taking the advice of what dietitians have been saying not to mention teaching for years. I know I have personally drawn hundreds (literally hundreds) of plates on paper for my patients. Drawing a line halfway through the circle and mentioning- “You know how about having half your plate be fruit and veggies” and then drawing another line through the one half of that plate “…and ¼ of your plate should be whole grains and another ¼ protein.”

The new logo also promises another small circle to sit near the plate to represent dairy. The new Food Guide logo will support the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines which came out in January.

I can’t wait to see this new logo on Thursday and I am also curious to see that now our advice is main stream – how we can help families and kids practice it.

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Brown Bread with Radishes

Posted on: May 26th, 2011 by Emma Fogt No Comments

written by Grace Dickinson- Temple University

Easy to make Brown Bread

A few posts back when speaking about spring veggies, we mentioned the idea of layering thinly sliced radishes atop brown bread. Here, you’ll find an easy recipe to create this idea entirely from scratch.

Brown bread falls under the category of no-yeast, quick-breads, making it one of the few loaves that can be on your plate in less than two hours. Just ten quick kneading actions, and that’s all it takes to bring this loaf together. There are absolutely no hours spent waiting for the dough to rise required.

Plus, this particular loaf is filled primarily with a combination of whole wheat and rye flour, both of which are packed with fiber and nutrients.

Top it off with crisp, potassium-filled radishes for a light and refreshing, spring-inspired snack. The colorfully crafted presentation makes for the perfect picnic/party item too!

Brown Bread
(Makes one loaf)

-2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
-1 cup white flour

-1/2 cup rye flour

-1 tsp. baking soda

-1/2 tsp. nutmeg

-1/2 tsp. salt

-Zest of 2 lemons

-2 cups of buttermilk

Preheat oven 350F. Combine dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. Add the buttermilk and lemon zest. Mix just until dough is combined.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 10 times.

Grease an 8 x 4 inch. loaf pan. Place dough in pan, and bake 40-45 minutes, or until skewer inserted in center comes out entirely clean. Cool on wire wrack.

Top with thinly butter/extra virgin olive oil and thinly sliced radishes. Sprinkle with coarse ground salt and pepp

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Posted in Food, Nutrition, Recipes, Uncategorized, wellness | No Comments »