Vitamin, I "C" You!

Hello! Long time, no type. My first semester of summer classes in nutrition are complete and I have learned a lot! Fall semester has already started, but with the Democratic National Convention in town, I have had a bit of a breather. And therefore, time to blog again! Yay! I have some great recipes to share.

First of which is this recipe for Greek Stuffed Peppers out my favorite cookbook. Such a wonderful meal-in-one that you can add to a delicious side of fruit salad or a glass of wine. Plus, I like to use ground buffalo to up the flavor and reduce the fat.

So what is so great about this recipe? The Vitamin C! Red peppers are chock full of the immune boosting vitamin. One red pepper gives you 100% of your daily value. It is also an anti-oxidant, improves iron absorption, and lowers your cancer risk. There is no reason not to snap one of these beautiful orbs into your mouth. Skip the orange juice when you are skip - grab a red bell pepper!




Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers
(adapted from Ellie Krieger's "The Food You Crave")
1 pound lean ground beef (I use ground buffalo)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)
1 small onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup bulghur
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, cores and ribs removed (Ellie's recipe only calls for 3, but I find that 4 works better)
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium stewed tomatoes, finely chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine the beef, spinach, zucchini, onion, bulghur, egg, oregano, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Arrange the pepper halves cut side up in a 9 by 13-inch and a square baking dish and fill each pepper half with the meat mixture. Pour the tomatoes over the peppers and sprinkle with the feta cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the meat mixture is completely cooked and the peppers are tender, about 25 minutes longer.

Yield
8 Servings (1 pepper)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 210
FAT 6g (Sat. 2.5g)
SODIUM 400 mg
CARBOHYDRATES 19g
FIBER 6g
PROTEIN 21g

Have gotten a little behind.

Since the end of spring semester and the start of my nutrition courses, I have gotten behind in posting. Bad blogger!
And I have a TON of recipes to share when I do post again. So many good things for you to cook!

I shall return...

Tofu, don't I know you?

Aaaah, hummus. The dip with the grainy mouthfeel and somewhat odd taste that is great with carrots, celery, pita chips, and many more vegetables. Usually made with chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) and tahini, hummus is a traditional dish in the Middle East. I have another version of hummus that I usually make that is much spicier and contains the traditional ingredients, but found this recipe in my favorite cookbook The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger and just had to try it.

I wanted to make this because I had leftover tofu from the Peanut Sesame Noodles that I made the other night and I love edamame. But not as much as Dooce does, apparently. Tofu is not a regular staple in my household, as most recipes that I make must contain some sort of meat - or so demands my carnivorous hubby. However, I have also found that he will most likely eat what I make, even if he doesn't like it a lot. And even if he has to add more salt. Which is quite often.

I digress. Uuuuhhhh ... tofu! I was talking about tofu. Tofu is loaded with tryptophan, which does not make you sleepy by itself and is an essential amino acid. Tofu is also very high in protein and iron, both of which are very good for your blood. Tofu usually comes in soft or firm and can be fried, sauteed, baked or eaten raw. The beauty of tofu is that it usually takes on the flavor of the sauce it is served in or the food it is served with. I dare you to try this inexpensive vegetarian staple!

Edamame Hummus (from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger)
2 cups shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions
1 cup silken tofu, briefly drained of excess liquid
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice, plus more, to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, plus more, for garnish

Set 1 tablespoon of edamame aside for a garnish. Place the rest of the edamame, tofu, salt, garlic, oil, lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin in the bowl of a food processor and process until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, plus more lemon juice, if desired. Remove to a serving bowl and garnish with reserved edamame, and some cumin.

Yield
12 Servings (1/4 cup each)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 90
FAT 6g (Sat. 0.7g, Poly 0.8g, Mono 3.5g)
CHOLESTEROL 0mg
SODIUM 110 mg
CARBOHYDRATES 5g
FIBER 2g
PROTEIN 4g

Sesame for me

When I first saw this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen blog, I thought, mmmm, looks good, but it's probably too difficult. Then I read further and realized how easy and good it sounded.
It was easy and quick!!! And oh, so so good. Hubby and I both loved it and we barely like tofu. However, I must warn you, this is NOT a light recipe. It does have lots of nutrients, but this is definitely one of those recipes that fits in the "once in a long while" category of your moderate diet. ; )

On that note ... what is good about this recipe is the sesame! Both the sesame oil in the dressing and the toasted sesame seeds offer lots of unsaturated fats and are a very good source of copper. Sesame also contains fibrous groups called lingans that have been shown to lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure. Sesame seeds, although mostly known as being white, also come in yellow, red and black.

I also have to say that I loved how many vegetables were in this. And the soba noodles (buckwheat) cooked really quickly and were exceptionally tasty. I can't wait to make this again... in oh, 4 months. ; )

Peanut Sesame Noodles

(as seen in Smitten Kitchen blog [Adapted from Gourmet, June 2002])

Servings: Makes 6 side-dish or 4 vegetarian main-course servings.

For peanut dressing
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium to control the salt)
1/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Asian toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes or a splash of the hot sauce or chili paste of your choice

For noodles
3/4 lb dried soba nooodles (dried linguine fini or spaghetti will work in a pinch)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
Half a seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup firm or extra-firm tofu, cubed
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Purée dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.

Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until tender. Drain in a colander, then rinse well under cold water.

Add pasta, scallions, bell peppers, cucumber and tofu to dressing, tossing to combine. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information
(for one main serving)
CALORIES 740
FAT 31g (Sat. 5.5g)
CHOLESTEROL 0mg
SODIUM 1,524 mg
POTASSIUM 965mg
CARBOHYDRATES 94g
FIBER 6.6g
PROTEIN 35g

Short and Easy Week

This week is pretty short since we are heading to Kansas on Friday to see my little, er, younger, brother graduate from college! So excited that not only do we get to see him don his cap and gown, but my older brother and sister-in-law will be there as well and we will be staying with my grandparents. Hooray! So, here's the menu for this week. Short and sweet!

Monday: Class/OYO

Tuesday: Peanut Sesame Noodles ala Smitten Kitchen

Wednesday: Stir-Fry with Chicken

Thursday: Baked Potatoes with Pick-Your-Own Toppings (spiced ground beef, cheese, butter, sour cream, salsa, etc.)

Friday - Sunday: In Sterling, KS for bro's graduation!

See the rest of the MPM bloggers' menus here.


Have a great week everyone!!

Nuts for Nutrition

Finally, an answer to what I just know you all have been thinking - just what is this blog all about anyways? ; ) When thinking about a starting a cooking blog, I really wanted to write one that not only had the nutritional information for good recipes, but also highlighted key elements that are good for the body.

Why "Nuts for Nutrition"? Well, the title has many meanings. 1) I am nuts for nutrition - as a dietetics student and avid good food eater, I am always advocating foods with high nutrient value. I thought it was about time that I share those good (and sometimes bad) recipes with others. 2) Nuts are excellent for nutrition! As I will outline below, nuts have numerous nutrients and are often undervalued in our diets. 3) My nickname is Nutmegs - so the Nut part only fit better! ; )

So how about them nuts? First of all, there are many, many different kinds of nuts. There are soy nuts and peanuts, almonds and cashews, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios and chestnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans and coconuts. I feel like Bubba Gump. ; ) I decided to highlight a few of the most used for your enjoyment - oh and of course a recipe - granola!!

Pecans: Good source of protein and Vitamin E, lots of unsaturated fats (60% mono, 30% poly - good to break down the LDL in blood), 1 ounce provides 10% of daily value (DV) of fiber.

Walnuts: Excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids (1/4 c. provides 90% of DV), very good source of manganese, contains an antioxidant called ellagic acid that supports the immune system and has anti-cancer properties

Almonds: Very good source of manganese and Vitamin E, high amount of monounsaturated fats, may help you lose weight

Side Note: What is manganese? Manganese is a cofactor for your enzymes that aids in disarming free radicals in a cell's cytoplasm. In other words, it helps prevent cancer.

I like to serve this granola with yogurt or milk poured over it. Yummy!

Nutty Granola (from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger)

Cooking Spray
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped raw, unsalted walnuts
1/2 cup chopped unsalted almonds
1/2 cup chopped unsalted pecans
1/2 cup maple syrup (regular may work, but trust me, it tastes better with the real stuff)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins, optional (I like to do a combination of dried cranberries and raisins)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl combine the oats, nuts, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and the raisins, if using. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Yield
9 (1/2 cup) Servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 280
FAT 15g (Sat. 1.5g)
CHOLESTEROL 0mg
SODIUM 67 mg
CARBOHYDRATES 34g
FIBER 4.5g
PROTEIN 7g

Monday, Monday, Monday!

It's that time again! This week is fairly plan free as I needed a small break. One of my favorite meals is on Thursday, though!!

Monday: On Your Own/Class
Tuesday: Chopped Nicoise Salad (leftover from last week, didn't make)
Wednesday: Spaghetti or Stir-Fry with Chicken
Thursday: Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers
Friday: Veggie Pizza
Saturday: Spaghetti or Stir-Fry with Chicken

To see the roundup of menus from other bloggers, click here.

Hubby and I went snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday and it was GORGEOUS!! There wasn't a soul on the trail with us and it was so quiet, minus the creaking of the trees as they bowed in the wind. Here are just a few pictures from our 4 mile hike through the fresh powder.




This sign was buried in about 4 feet of snow!! We also sat on a "bench" that is normally the horse-tie before the meadows. Only in Colorado. ; )