Recipe Suggestions

What recipe/meal would you like to see get a healthy makeover? I would love for some suggestions of what you'd like me to demonstrate on my blog!

Vegetable and Quinoa Soup

This soup is not only vegetarian, it is also vegan and gluten-free. Surprisingly this soup packs a lot protein so you aren't left feeling hungry after you eat it. 

All you need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 1'' pieces
• 32 fl oz vegetable broth (I used Pacific Natural Foods reduced sodium)
• 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 heaping tablespoon dried basil or 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 cups cooked quinoa 
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, zucchini, yellow squash, and green beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, and basil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Stir in the cooked quinoa and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm.

I found this recipe to be fairly inexpensive and it made a ton of soup. And if you're like me and you're only cooking for one, this soup can be easily frozen and used later. Enjoy!

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/vegetable-quinoa-soup/

Nutritional information per 1 cup serving:

Total calories 120; Fat 3g; Cholesterol 0; Sodium 170mg; Carbohydrates 25g; Fiber 3g; Sugars 4g; Protein 4g

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How to Cook Quinoa

Quinoa is an extremely versatile grain. It can be cooked just like rice. It is a great addition to both soups and salads. It can also be used as breading on fish or poultry. Quinoa is also gluten free so it is a great addition to any meal for someone who is gluten intolerant. Quinoa, just like soy, is a plant-based food that contains all of the essential amino acids that your body requires. It is also an excellent source of protein.
I don't know about you, but I wasn't familiar cooking with quinoa until recently. I fix it all the time now that I learned how simple and quick quinoa is to prepare. So hopefully after reading this blog you'll go out and experiment cooking with quinoa.

All you need:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water

Directions:

1. In a fine mesh sieve lined with a paper towel, rinse the quinoa well under cold water

2. Add quinoa, 2 cups water, and a pinch of salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat
3. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed

4. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Serve with and however you want. Personally I plan on using the quinoa for a vegetable and quinoa soup which I will be sharing how to make in my next blog. Enjoy!

Nutritional information per 1/2 cup:
Total calories 110; Fat 2g; Cholesterol 0; Sodium 7mg; Carbohydrates 20g; Fiber 2.5g; Protein 4g

Garlic Edamame

Edamame has high nutritional and health benefits. It is a great source of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. If you're a vegetarian, edamame can serve as great source of protein in your diet. Here's what you can find in just 1/2 cup of shelled edamame (or 1 1/8 cup edamame in the pods):

• 120 calories
• 9 grams fiber
• 2.5 grams fat
• 1.5 grams polyunsaturated fat (0.3 grams plant omega-3 fatty acids)
• 0.5 gram monounsaturated fat
• 11 grams protein
• 13 grams carbohydrate
• 15 mg sodium
• 10% of the Daily Value for vitamin C
• 10% Daily Value for iron
• 8% Daily Value for vitamin A
• 4% Daily Value for calcium

Edamame is also a great source of antioxidants and isoflavones. Eating a diet rich in antioxidant foods can help strengthen your immune system, reduce your risk of cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Isoflavones can help reduce your risk of prostate or breast cancer, lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. After hearing all that, what isn't there to like about edamame!? Personally I love edamame and could eat it every day. So you'll probably see me post a lot of edamame recipes. But this time I though I'd start with a simple recipe that takes no time to make at all. The cooking method I use in this recipe is "sauteing" which helps really bring out the nuttiness flavor in the edamame.

All you need:

• Canola cooking spray
• 1 12oz bag of frozen shelled edamame
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Spray a skillet with cooking spray until thoroughly coated. 

2. Over medium high heat, add edamame to the skillet.

3. While the edamame begins to cook, finely mince your garlic cloves.

4. Add the garlic to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. 

5. Continue to cook for 5-10 minutes, until edamame become slightly brown around the edges. Remove  from heat. Serve immediately or refrigerate. 

The edamame can be eaten by itself as a snack or served with brown rice to make it a meal. 

Nutritional Information per 1/2 cup:

Total calories 130; Fat 5g; Sodium 5mg; Carbohydrates 10g; Fiber 5g; Sugars 2g; Protein 9g

Low Fat Pumpkin Muffins with Pepitas and Flaxseed

One of these muffins and cup of coffee is a perfect way to start off your day. They are low in fat and sugar and high in fiber. Both pepitas and flaxseed found in the muffins are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acid which helps promote a healthy heart. So you might be wondering what pepitas are. Pepita is the spanish culinary word for pumpkin seeds. Pepitas are a wonderful addition to these muffins because they offer an whole variety of nutritional benefits. Pepitas contain an abundance of nutrients such as amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, and minerals such as calcium, potassium, niacin, and phosphorous. They are also high in most of the B vitamins, and vitamins C, D, E, and K.

All you need:

• 1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used the leftover homemade applesauce I had from my last blog)
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp pepitas 
• 1 tbsp flaxseeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a standard muffin pan with baking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside. 
3. In a large bowl mix oil, egg whites, pumpkin puree, unsweetened applesauce and vanilla; beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
4. Fold in flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Be careful not to over mix
5. Fill muffin wells 3/4 full. Top with pepitas and flaxseed. 

6.Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Nutritional information per muffin:

Total calories 110; Fat 2.8; Cholesterol 0mg; Carbohydrates 19g; Fiber 3g; Sugars 9g; Protein 3g; Sodium 280mg; Vitamin A 69.2%; Iron 3.5%

Simply Homemade Applesauce

Fall is the perfect time to make homemade applesauce. There are all sorts of wonderful apples in season right now, honeycrisp, pink lady, fuji, gala, golden delicious, and granny smith. Personally honeycrisp apples are my favorite, they also tend to hold up a little bit better when making applesauce (I like mine more on the chunky side) but if you like a more smooth applesauce I would recommend using either gala or golden delicious apples.

All you need:

• 5-6 large apples of choice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp organic sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp of cornstarch (if needed)

Directions:

1. Peel, core and quarter the apples. 

2. Chop each quarter into bite size pieces.

3. Put the chopped apples into a saucepan and add the water. 

4. Over medium-high heat bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low. 

5. Sprinkle the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and sugar over the apples. Continue to cook until the apples become translucent, about 20-30 minutes.

6. Stir in vanilla extract. Stir and mash apples until desired consistency is reached. I like mine super chunky so I only slightly stir the apples.

7. Optional: if your applesauce is a little on the watery side, mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and add to your applesauce. It should immediately begin to thicken. 

And there you have it simply homemade applesauce. It tastes just like apple pie filling but without all the added sugar!

It goes great served over non-fat greek yogurt or non-fat cottage cheese. Even sprinkle some pumpkin granola on top for a sweet treat! Or simply enjoy by itself.

Nutritional Information per 1/2 cup:

Total calories 65; Fat 0; Dietary Fiber 5g; Sugar 12g; Carbohydrates 16g

Healthy Pumpkin Granola

I don't know about you but I absolutely LOVE everything pumpkin so when I came across this recipe I could hardly wait to try it out. Granola tends to be high in fat, sugar and calories. This recipe could be far from your typical granola. It is slightly sweet and uses wholesome ingredients such as quinoa, flax seed, and honey. Now some of you might wonder what exactly is Quinoa. It's not something you find in your everyday granola. It is packed with proteins and offers all 8 essential amino acids making it a complete protein. With all that said are you ready to make the best granola you'll ever have?!

All you need is:

• 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well 

• 1 1/2 cups rolled old fashioned oats

• 1/4 ground flaxseeds

• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (or other seeds such as sunflower seeds)

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries 

• 1/3 cup honey

• 1/4 canned pumpkin

• 1 tsp oil (canola or vegetable)

• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• pinch of sea salt

• 1tsp vanilla extract

Now I know what you're thinking, that these ingredients are super expensive and you don't want all the leftovers. Most of these ingredients should be offered in bulk at your local grocery store. I was able to buy all the ingredients not including the spices for under $10. 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325F 

1. Spread oats and quinoa out on a parchment line baking pan. Toast in over for 10 minutes, stirring once after 5 minutes have passed.

2. Remove the oats from the oven, pour the toasted oats into a medium bowl and add the ground flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, pecans and dried cranberries.

3. Reduce oven to 300F

4. In a second medium bowl, combine honey, pumpkin puree, oil, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Pour over oats and stir together with a spatula. Spreadback onto a baking sheet and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until golden

Granola is a great snack to eat alone but it is also is delicious paired with creamy non-fat greek yogurt. It can also be eaten with a splash of almond milk and fresh fruit. I hope you enjoy!

Nutritional Information per 1/3 cup:

Total calories 130; Fat 4.5g; Carbohydrates 22g; Fiber 3g; Protein 3g; Sugar 14.5g; Sodium 10mg

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/09/easy-pumpkin-spiced-granola.html