Canned Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a staple in my house in all varieties. They are very versatile and can be used for several different recipes - pasta sauce, pizza sauce, soups, stews, etc. For a simple stew recipe using canned tomatoes, see my previous post.
Tomatoes are very good for you and although technically are a fruit, the body digests them like a vegetable and they are considered to be in the vegetable group.  


The past few weeks at the market, salad tomatoes have been on sale for 4 lbs / $1 - which is a great deal. Although I wish I could buy enough to have fresh tomatoes all year, they would of course spoil. So, the next best thing is to have canned tomatoes that can be enjoyed all year. 

Canning tomatoes is a new endeavor for me, but it does not seem that complicated. For those of you who are avid canners, I am sure you have some tips of advice to offer.

I did discover a wonderful tutorial on YouTube that is done by Ball Canning. Click here for the video -
Canning Tomatoes by Ball Canning. You can also visit their website - Fresh Preserving for recipes and additional information.

Fall Food

It's been a while since my last post - life has just been happening.
It is coming on Fall and everywhere else but here the leaves are starting to change colors and the weather is starting to get cool.
With cooler weather it's a great time to cook chili, soups and stews. There are many great recipes and it's a great way to make an easy, healthy, affordable meal for your family. 
One of my favorite recipes is a tex-mex stew that is simple and mostly with canned pantry items. This is a great way to use canned tomatoes or beans from food storage as well.

Taco Stew

1# ground beef
1/2 yellow or white onion, diced
1 (4oz) can green chilies
1 (14.5oz) can black beans
1 (14.5oz) canned corn
1 (14.5oz) canned tomatoes, whole or diced
1 (1.25oz) package taco seasoning

Optional toppings:
tortilla chips
sour cream
cheddar cheese, shredded
limes, quartered
cilantro

1. Cook onion, jalapeno/chilies and ground beef in large pot on the stove at medium heat until cooked through.
2. Add beans, corn, tomatoes to pot.
3. Cook until boiling and turn to low.
4. Simmer 15 minutes or until heated through
5. Top with favorite toppings - see suggested list above

•  Experiment with different beans such as chili beans, ranch-style beans, navy bean, kidney beans, etc.
• Try jalapenos instead of green chilies if you like it hot or need some added kick.
• If watching your sodium, use low sodium or no added salt canned beans, corn, tomatoes and taco seasoning.

 

Confessions of a Dietitian

Dietitians are nutrition experts, but we are not perfect. I work in an office full of them and we like our chocolate, cookies, and other sweet treat and empty calorie foods just like everyone else. The trick is to control the amount you are eating and have moderation in all things. 

As the summer heat rears it's ugly head near 100 degrees on a daily basis, many of us like to cool off with a nice cold beverage. I personally love cherry icee's. They are sweet, taste like cherry, remind  me of my college days, and most importantly...COLD! So while we are enjoying our refreshing beverage, here's a tip to save you extra calories in your day and some money in your wallet. 

Be A Kid!

Yep, that's right, choose the kids size beverage (unless it's good old H20). It will help limit the amount of extra calories and sugar being consumed, but still provide the satisfaction of a sweet, cold beverage to cool off in the persistent Arizona heat. They may even be less expensive, which is always a good thing.

Quinoa (keen-wah)

Quinoa is fast becoming more popular in kitchens everywhere. It is very versatile and looks similar to couscous, but has more protein and is a good source of fiber, folate, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. 

This is a great item to incorporate into recipes and especially beneficial for those following a vegetarian diet. It has a mildly nutty flavor, slightly crunchy and fluffy texture which allows it to easily be used as a substitute for dishes that call for rice or other grains. One cup provides approximately 222 calories, 8 grams protein and 5 grams fiber (20% recommended amount for women and 13% for men).

I just  made a great summer salad with quinoa and vegetables I'm taking it to a friend's graduation party. Here's the recipe and picture - it turned out great! Be creative and experiment with some of your favorite seasonal vegetables or fruits!

Quinoa and Vegetable Salad

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup quinoa, uncooked 

2  medium red bell peppers, raw

1/2 cup green beans, raw

1 cup yellow pear tomatoes

1 scallion (green onion)

Dressing

3 tsp Olive oil

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp soy sauce, light

2 tsp lime juice

1 clove garlic, minced

salt/pepper to taste 

Directions

1. Add quinoa to 1 1/2 cups boiling water in a medium pan. Cook covered on low for 15 minutes.
2. While quinoa is cooking, cut peppers in half and grill (I used a George Foreman grill on my kitchen counter top). Once peppers are cooked, sweat by placing in plastic bag and let cool. This will allow you to peel the skin off easily. 
3. Cook the green beans on the grill or steam. 
4. Once quinoa is cooked, fluff with fork and place in shallow bowl to cool.
5. Peel the skins off the cooled peppers and cut in julienne pieces. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and chop the onion. Add all to the cooled quinoa in the bowl.
6. In a separate small bowl mix the oil, cumin, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and add to the rest of the ingredients.

You can substitute the vegetables in the recipe with your own favorites - try a different variety and see what great creations you discover in your kitchen!

Summer Sweet Strawberries

Although it is still bitterly cold in several places, Arizona has been gearing up for the harsh hot summer heat and already had days near 100 degrees. 

Summer is a time of surviving the Arizona sun, careless days for kids, several pool parties and lots of sweet, juicy, fresh fruit. Strawberries and melons are my favorite and a perfect low calorie option to satisfy a sweet tooth in the hot summer months ahead. 

Last week strawberries were on sale at the market - 2 (16oz) containers for $1.00.

It was a great price, so I bought 4 containers. As it was, my daughter was hungry and started eating them out of the container. By the time we got home she and I had eaten a 1/2 lb of strawberries.

Strawberries provide a good source of vitamin C and just under 50 calories per 1 cup serving - half the daily fruit servings for a 2000 calorie diet.  

They freeze well and are a healthy alternative to Popsicles or ice cream on a hot summer day. 

Frozen strawberries make great smoothies with few simple ingredients. 

Strawberry Smoothie

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup milk

1/2 banana 

1/4 cup pineapple or apple juice (optional)

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Favorite Chicken Dish

I love recipes that have 5 ingredients or less and take minimal time. Especially those long days when you're tempted just to hit the closest drive through on the way home and kids are screaming, tired and unhappy.

One item that is easy to cook with is boneless, skinless, chicken breasts - great source of protein with minimal fat content and goes so well in many dishes.  

Here is my new favorite chicken recipe - Parmesan Crusted Chicken by Best Foods (www.bestfoods.com). This recipe calls for 4 items - mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, chicken breasts and bread crumbs. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 lbs.)
• 4 tsp. Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise with cheese in medium bowl. Arrange chicken on baking sheet. Evenly top with mayonnaise mixture, then sprinkle with bread crumbs.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

• Cost per recipe*: $7.16      Cost per serving*: $1.79  
•  *Based on average retail prices at national supermarkets.  

Lower-fat options - 

• For mayonnaise try light, low-fat or reduced fat mayonnaise or try lo-fat sour cream
• For bread crumbsTry whole wheat bread, toasted, and smashed with a rolling pin or meat pounder

Serve with a fruit, non-starchy vegetable and starch - 

• Slice seasonal fruit such as strawberries, mango, honeydew, oranges, pineapple or any other
• Add some color to your plate with non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, green beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, spinach, etc. 
• Cooked rice or pasta - try brown rice or quinoa for a healthier option

Spend Now, Save Later - Zucchini

This morning I bought zucchini at the market for 4lbs / dollar. 

That's a pretty great price and I love being able to spend a little more when items are on sale and build a food storage to have for later. 

As much as I love fresh fruits and vegetables, they spoil unlike canned/packaged food. You can stock up on fruits and vegetables when they are in season and store them by canning or freezing them. The National center for Home Food Preservation recommends blanching before freezing. See http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/squash_summer.html for additional details. 

Squash and zucchini are summer vegetables and can be very inexpensive in season. They are only around 20 calories and 1.4gm fiber per 1 cup and are high in calcium.  

I am going to use some fresh zucchini this week in my dinner meals and then freeze the rest for later.
Here are some meal ideas to use fresh or frozen zucchini:

• If you cook foods like macaroni & cheese - toss chopped zucchini in the last 2-3 min of cook time for the noodles and prepare the rest according to package directions
• Make zucchini muffins or bread using shredded/grated zucchini fresh or frozen (if frozen, may want to pull from freezer an hour or so in advance from using)
• Toss chopped zucchini into soups or stews
• Pull chopped zucchini from the freezer, then cook in the microwave 2-3 minutes. Add to blender or food processor and toss in spaghetti sauce or other sauces
• Add fresh zucchini to pasta or green salads 
• Slice zucchini in long pieces and toss with cooking spray or 1 tsp olive oil, then add salt/pepper (or other spices) and throw on the grill or saute in a pan 
• Grill without 1 tsp olive oil and then drizzle with some good balsamic vinegar when cooked (this is my personal favorite)
• Make zucchini pancakes by adding grated zucchini to pancake or waffle batter
• Build your own shish kabobs with zucchini chunks, onions, peppers, tomatoes or your choose your own favorite vegetables (use wooden skewers and let the kids help - they often eat foods better they helped to prepare)

Hope this gives you some great ideas to add one more (serving of fruits and vegetables)!