HealthiFood: 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2012

HealthiFood Cooking Tip: Top Rack Baking

I have a strong aversion to overcooking the bottom of my baked goods, so cooking on the top rack of my oven has become standard procedure in my kitchen. It usually takes a little longer cooking time, but the security of soft-bottomed results is worth it!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

HealthiFood Whole Wheat Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Yum, oh, yum. There isn't much more to say about this healthified classics! Pumpkin adds flavor, fiber, and vitamins to these delicious cookies--just in time for autumn. My mother is the one who taught me that you don't have to buy cream of tarter just for this recipe; 2 tsp cream of tarter + 1 tsp baking soda = 1 T baking powder. Brilliant! If you wanted, you could double the pumpkin to replace the egg, in case of egg allergy. Also, these cookies are possibly even better the day after baked.

HealthiFood Whole Wheat Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Cream together:
3/4 c softened butter
1 1/2 c white sugar
1/4 c ground flax seed meal

Add:
1 egg
1/2 c canned pumpkin purree

Sift together, then add to previous ingredients:
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Combine in a separate bowl:
2 T + 3/4 tsp white sugar
2 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Roll balls of dough in cinnamon sugar. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until just barely starting to brown on the edges. Let sit on cookie sheet at least until the cookies start to flatten but before they cool all the way.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

HealthiFood Chicken Cabbage Salad

I think I want to start living off this salad. It's crunchy. It's yummy. It's got a lot of black pepper (which I love). And it's totally healthy. If that doesn't sell you, here's a fun fact: My husband will actually eat this for dinner as long as I serve some bread on the side. One quick warning: The dressing tastes pretty bad on its own, so keep your fingers out. This is because it's really strong, but when lightly coated over cabbage, it's delicious.

HealthiFood Chicken Cabbage Salad

Toss together in a large bowl:

1/2 head of green cabbage, diced (about 5-6 cups)
2 c chopped fresh baby spinach
1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 T sesame seeds

Boil:
1 c water

Open:
1 - 3 oz package chicken ramen noodle soup

Break up the noodles into bite-sized pieces and pour into a colander. Pour the boiling water over the noodles to slightly soften them. Then toss the noodles into the bowl of cabbage and spinach and mix.

In a separate bowl, whisk together:
1 T olive oil
1 T vinegar
2 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic
the flavor package from the ramen noodles

Drizzle the dressing over the cabbage mixture. Toss/mix to coat evenly. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Makes about 6 cups.

HealthiFood Mashed Potatoes

The cauliflower added to this recipe gives you added vitamins without added calories. These are extremely low fat as well--you only add 1 Tablespoon!

HealthiFood Mashed Potatoes

Boil until soft:
2 c peeled and diced raw potato

Drain and return to pot. Mash and add:
1 T margarine or butter
1/4 c cauliflower puree
1/4 c nonfat milk
1/4 tsp salt

Makes a little over 2 cups.

The HealthiFood Program: One to Four

1. Lower Fat
Most recipes can be adapted to cut the fat in half through substitution (of things like ground flax seed meal, applesauce, etc.) or elimination. Another easy way to lower fat is to cook with lower fat options, like low or nonfat milk products. Usually you can't tell the difference when it's cooked in, and you can save A LOT of calories and fat grams.

2. Better Fat Choices
We all know that nonfat isn't usually that good. Instead of eliminating all the fat and richness from recipes, the HealthiFood Program aims to replaces bad fats with better fats. HealthiFood uses olive oil, canola oil, ground flax seed meal, and naturally-occurring fats as much as possible to reduce hydrogenated and saturated fat content as much as possible.

3. High Fiber and Protein
Fiber is essential to good health, especially in the long run. The HealthiFood Program increases whole grains and fiber content by using whole wheat flour, oat flour, yellow corn meal, and ground flax seed meal. These substitutions also add protein.

4. More Vegetables
Using vegetable puree addition techniques of the Sneaky Chef and Jessica Seinfeld, the HealthiFood Program enriches recipes with vitamins and more fiber while lowering the calorie content per serving.

No Gimmicks

Sometimes the Nutrition Facts I provide may surprise you. This is because I usually post how much of a dish I actually eat. If you wanted tone-downed, unrealistic serving sizes to make all recipes look diet, this isn't the place. However, usually the serving size given will be for your whole meal, such as 1/9th of a 9x9 lasagna or 1/4th of a round of Rosemary bread. If you aren't in a habit of understanding serving sizes, start here and now, and definitely apply it to the packaged foods you eat.