Elvis-Style Buckwheat Pancake Sandwich

This morning as hubs and I sat eating our breakfast, we flipped on The Early Show just in time to see three fun, quick and EASY healthy breakfast ideas! And, the last of the three ideas was an innovative way to have a breakfast sandwich without the wheat or flour.

My ears perked up because a good friend told me just the other day that she has been diagnosed with a wheat/gluten allergy. If you've ever tried to go gluten free, you know (while much more doable these days) is not an easy task. Plus, these cakes are a GREAT option for my new "grains-as-a-condiment" practice. Double win.

Whether you need to eat gluten free or not, this looks like a fabulous recipe...make up a bunch of these cakes on the weekend, pop a couple in the toaster during the week and you have one quickie healthy breakfast to kick start your morning!

Ingredients
2 c buckwheat (this is a plant, NOT a grain)
2 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2 1/2 c low fat milk
1 egg PLUS 1 egg white
1 T flaxseed

Directions

1. Mix all dry ingredients together.
2. Whisk milk with eggs and stir into dry mixture until just combined.
3. Pour 1/3 cup batter onto a preheated griddle and cook about 2-3 minutes on each side.
4. Spread almond butter onto a pancake.
5. Top with sliced banana and another pancake. (I would add a bit of cinnamon too!)
6. And, eat a healthy breakfast, even on the go.

Bon appetit!

Cheryl

Recipe adapted from The Early Show.

Wheat Berry Goodness

Have you ever seen a picture of food, like on a restaurant menu or in a cookbook, that has you salivating and almost catching a whiff of the heavenly aroma....but, somehow when its on your plate it just does not, umm, compare? {Raising my hand quickly and emphatically.}

Well, that is NOT the case with THIS picture! {Photo from Tosca Reno's Clean Eating Cookbook.}

Wheat Berry & Cauliflower Salad 

with Sesame Dressing

I made this salad yesterday, my very first experience with wheat berries. Wow, these little, delectable, terrific packages of nature not only taste yummy but they pack a giant nutritional punch too!

A wheat berry is comprised of all three parts of the grain; the germ (or seed), the bran, and the endosperm.
The process of milling removes the germ and bran layers, and leaves behind the endosperm. Although there are still trace amounts of vitamins and minerals found in the endosperm, it's the least nutritious part of the grain.

Consuming wheat berries in their original state provides our bodies with higher concentrations of vitamins A, E, B1, B2, B3, magnesium, phosphorous, selenium, zinc, and iron. WOW! When consumed whole, wheat berries are an excellent source of dietary fiber. Even bigger WOW!

And, since they are just so tiny, its easy to incorporate them as a condiment in my meals...my new way of treating grains! That means a scant 1/8 cup either added to a mixed veggie salad or just by themselves, how easy is that?

Here's the recipe for the salad, adapted from Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook. While a healthy serving of this salad would not constitute a "condiment" quantity, for special occasions you can't beat the nutrient value. It's also a FABULOUS vegetarian/vegan meal~so much yumminess and a complete protein to boot.

Salad
1 head cauliflower, trimmed and broken into florets
1 1/2 c wheat berries, soaked for 90 minutes
1 cup green onions, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
Sesame Dressing (see below)
3 T black sesame seeds

1. Steam cauliflower until just tender.
2. Remove cauliflower, saving cooking water, to a colander and rinse with cold water.
3. Bring reserved cooking water from the cauliflower (adding more water if necessary to equal 3 cups) to a boil and add drained wheat berries.
4. Cook wheat berries for one hour or until berries are chewy-tender.
5. While wheat berries are cooking, chop the green onions and red bell pepper and prepare the sesame dressing (see below).
6. When wheat berries are done, remove from heat, drain and cool by running under cold water in a fine mesh colander.
7. Combine cauliflower and wheat berries. Add chopped green onions and red bell pepper. Toss with Sesame Dressing and chill for one hour.
8. Transfer salad to decorative serving bowl and top with black sesame seeds.
9. Get your taste buds ready for a delightful, delightful experience!

Sesame Dressing
3 T rice bran oil
3 T rice vinegar
1 T tamari
2 t sesame oil
Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
1 garlic clove, grated or pressed
1 T tahini

Place all ingredients in a small jar, secure lid and shake well.

Bon appetit!

Cheryl

Sultry Shrimp Stir-Fry

I have never been (and at one time would have sworn that I never would be) much of a fish girl. I lived a boat ride away from Seattle Pike's Place Market for 12 years and never learned to like fish ~ I'd say that was my best opportunity. But, I think I may just be turning over another new leaf in this here plan to get healthy.

Hubs and I had this Sultry Shrimp Stir-Fry* recipe for dinner a couple of nights ago, and have to say I devoured it. As a friend of mine would say, "you tore it up, girl!" I did, it was very very tastey. This would make a fabulous Sunday evening meal because it's light and healthy.

What You Need:

• 2 T vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)
• 1# frozen, uncooked medium shrimp, thawed & peeled
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 t red pepper flakes
• 1/2 c water chestnuts
• 1/2 c snow peas
• 1 c soybean sprouts
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 packets Truvia (or stevia)
• 2 t toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 c soy sauce (I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos-MUCH less sodium)
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c green onion, sliced
• 1/3 c cashews, raw
• 2 c. cooked brown rice

What You Do:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp, garlic, and red pepper flakes and stir fry for 1 minute.
2. Add the water chestnuts and snow peas, and stir-fry for 6-8 minutes.
3. Add the sprouts and bell pepper and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.
4. Stir together the Truvia, sesame seed oil, soy sauce and vinegar and pour into pan and cook until the shrimp is opaque and the vegetables are done to your liking.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions and cashews, reserving some of each for garnish.
6. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Makes 4 servings

Bon appetit,
Cheryl

*Recipe adapted from The Belly Fat Cure by Jorge Cruise

Food That Helps You Win In Arm Wrestling

Happy Monday to everyone, hope you all had a relaxing and fun-packed weekend! Hubs and I tried a new recipe on Sunday that I just have to share with you. But, first a little background.

We all, especially when we’re dieting, hear about the importance of eating enough protein. Now, I love, or have loved getting my protein via cheese. Cheese and me are pretty tight. I think just about anything can be made delicious or MORE delicious by the simple addition of cheese. I guess some people use ketchup that way. I would venture to say that nary a day goes by that I don’t have at least a little cheese.

And, the feeling must be pretty universal because what do they ask you to say when taking your picture? “Say, ‘cheeeese’.” It makes you smile, doesn't it? ;)

But, alas, cheese packs a big fat punch along with its protein count, so I’ve had to go to cheese counseling to make our relationship a healthier one.  And, that means finding other sources of protein that won’t be so high in fat and cholesterol.

If we don’t eat enough protein, then as the fat melts away, so does some of our muscle tissue. And, that makes it harder to both lose and maintain weight. Plus we just feel lousy when we don’t have much muscle which leads to losing at arm wrestling every time which leads to more eating because we’re depressed. So, EAT YOUR PROTEIN!

Easier said than done.

In a discussion I had with a nutrition specialist, I was told I should be consuming over 150 grams of protein a day! That’s crazy! I wanted to ask her if she really thought I would lose weight if I eat that much protein in steak, hamburgers and cheese? I didn’t say any of that but I thought about it.

Then, I talked to my chiropractor who is somewhat of a nutrition guru, and he said around 100 grams of protein would be ideal for me, otherwise the liver has to do an awful lot of work processing all that protein. So much information out there, isn’t there?

So, my newest challenge with food is to find ways to get my protein count up while keeping the fat grams down, and I’m shooting for 125 grams of protein each day. Middle of the road. The average. And, here’s how I’m doing it:

1. I found a handy dandy article on About.com that lists high protein foods and their protein count. Did you know that 6 oz. of tuna has a whopping 40 grams of protein, a chicken breast, 30 grams, ½ cup of cottage cheese, 15, and tofu comes in at 20 grams for a half cup? Take a look (later please) at the site to see more options for yourself … but not yet, don’t go yet, you don’t have the recipe I promised yet!

2. Secondly, I'm incorporating one protein drink a day – take your pick, some say soy protein is better and others swear by whey protein drinks. They each have distinct flavors, so maybe don’t buy a ginormous container until you’ve tasted it. I also add to it some freshly ground flax seed which boosts the protein count even farther. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a meal replacement…it might even be good to have it right after a really hard workout to help with your recovery.

3. And, thirdly, I’m purposely looking for recipes that pack a big protein punch. Here’s what you've been patiently waiting for... the recipe I’ve been promising…and I can guarantee you it is GOOD. We had this Sunday morning and may make this a weekly ritual.

Protein Pancakes!!!

Who doesn’t love the pancake? Seriously. Pancakes just warm you up, fill you up, make you smile, maybe even laugh right out loud because they are just so darn good. And, this recipe DOES NOT disappoint, I like to say we’re getting our day off in a proteinalicious kind of way.


Here’s the recipe and it’s so simple, you’ll love it:
Ingredients:
1 cup of old fashioned oats
1 cup of 1% cottage cheese
1 cup of egg whites (takes approx 6 eggs)
1-2 scoops of protein powder

How simple is that?

Put it all in your blender or food processor and let it spin until it’s a batter consistency. (We used a chocolate flavored protein powder, so ours had an additional yummy flavor.) Cook the pancake about 3-4 minutes or until the surface is almost dry. Then flip and cook til done, about another couple of minutes…same as other pancakes.

Serve with fruit and a squirt of whip cream! We topped our pancakes with thinly sliced banana, a dash of cinnamon and a couple tablespoons of syrup.

We weren’t talking at all while we ate…was just too good for words. And get this…we got 5 pancakes out of one batch, so each one had about 15 grams of protein! In a pancake! Very filling, too. You really only need one. We had enough for Monday morning's breakfast, too.

Next time we’ll double the recipe and keep them in the fridge for a quick, gourmet-delicious, super healthy breakfast all week long.

Anyone have other ideas as to how we can get more lean, mean protein?

Bon appétit,
Cheryl

Two Bean Pasta e Fagioli

Nothing better than a bowl of hot & healthy soup on a cold winter day! And, did you know that one of the ways that french women stay so slim is that they have soup as one of their courses?  Fills the tummy with so much yumminess and makes you feel full.

This recipe is adapted from none other than Rachel Ray, one of my favorite TV chefs.  Guy Fieri is another.  I just love it when I can watch two cooking shows on a Sunday morning and have my menu made for the first part of the week.  So, thank YOU Guy and Rachel!

It has become rare that I don't end up tweaking a recipe, even from famous chefs like Guy or Rachel. We all have different tastes, and, sometimes I don't have everything that the recipe calls for, so I improvise.  And, this week's recipe, an Italian bean & pasta fagioli, did get the ol' c-swee treatment.  You can find Rachel's original recipe here if you're interested.  I'm sure hers is good too . . . just a guess! ;)

Ingredients:

2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3-4 ribs celery from the heart, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 stems of rosemary, stripped and chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1/4 t sea salt and ground pepper to taste
1 15oz can cannellini, navy or great northern beans
1 15oz can chick peas
1 6oz can tomato paste w/basil, garlic & oregano
4 cups chicken stock (I used Emeril's All Natural)
2 cups water
1 cup mini brown rice penne, uncooked
1 lemon zested and juiced
Handful of fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium to medium-high heat.
2. Chop the carrot, celery, onions, garlic, and rosemary, dumping them in as you go. Add bay leaf, salt and pepper, and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 7-8 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the stock and water, then cover and bring to a boil.
5. Add the pasta and let simmer in the soup for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
6. Turn off the heat, and add the lemon zest, lemon juice and the parsley.

To serve, ladle the soup into shallow bowls and garnish with cheese.

(NOTE: The photo above and to the right is day 2 - you can see that it is more like a stew than soup because the pasta absorbed lots of the broth. To avoid this, cook the pasta in a separate pot and add as needed. If you like it thick, Rachel says you can fry up the thick stew in a skillet for a completely different kind of meal, too!)

Bon appetit!

Cheryl

Veggie Lasagna

I made this masterpiece of a dish yesterday, crossing my chubby fingers that I would like it since we'd be eating it regardless for two nights in a row.  Soon my hopes would be answered ~ the savory aroma wafting to my office after being in the oven for less than 30 minutes was tantalizing, producing much mouthwatering and grins, and convincing me that I had found a winner of a recipe.

Still, I wanted to actually taste it before I gave you all my review and recommendation.  And, since lasagna happens to be hubs favorite dinner dish (besides me of course), I wanted to be able to include a non-dieter's perspective and recommendation.

Review:  First off, we BOTH loved this dish.  It had all the wonderful basil/oregano/tomato italian flavors and despite the cheeses being low fat, they were so very tasty.  The recipe called for shredded carrots, and I chopped mine instead simply because all I had were those mini carrots and didn't want to add blood from my knuckles into the recipe.  But, shredded would have been better because the carrots were still a little crunchy.  And, so was the cauliflower.  However, I quickly add that if you like crunch, chopping the carrots is a good move, adding some interesting texture to the dish.

Instead of semolina noodles, I used brown rice lasagna noodles because of their superior flavor and healthy properties, and because the package said there was no need to precook them...just lay them in the dish right out of the box. I was skeptical, but followed the instructions anyway.  The top and botton noodles were just a little chewy, so if you don't precook your noodles, make sure you add extra tomato sauce on the bottom and reserve plenty for the top...having them enveloped in moisture would've probably produced better results.  Still, not bad at all.

Do NOT skip the fire-roasted tomatoes on the top.  This was my own little adjustment to the recipe, and it added so much extra flavor.  The cheese mixture with the spinach was spectacular, absolutely perfect.

Recommendation:  Both Hubs and I HIGHLY recommend this dish whether you are dieting or not.  It is delicious, healthy and filling.  I plan to make it again for guests very soon and for sure for my two step daughters who are both into vegetarian meals.  Here's the recipe:

Vegetable Lasagna
9-12 lasagna strips (brown rice preferred)
4-6 cups mixed fresh vegetables chopped (cauliflower, shredded carrots, bell pepper, whatever you have)
1 30-32 oz. can meatless tomato sauce
1 15 ox. can fire roasted tomatoes
12 oz. low-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
12 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 eggs
8 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
Italian dried herb mix to taste
2-3 cups chopped fresh spinach

1.  Boil lasagna strips to al dente (unless you are using brown rice noodles in which case just skip this step).  Drain and set aside to cool.

2.  Combine cheeses, eggs, chopped spinach, garlic and italian herb mix (1-2 tablespoons) in large bowl.

3.  In 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish, spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom.  Sprinkle with italian herb mix.  Put 3 strips of lasagna noodles on top.  Then layer as follows:  1/3 cheese mixture, 1/2 of the mixed vegetables, sauce and italian herbs.  Repeat.  End with lasagna noodles, fire roasted tomatoes and cheese on top.

4.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours or until top browns.

Can be made ahead, covered with foil and left in warm oven for several hours before serving.

Bon appetit!
Cheryl 

P.S.  This post is a part of the Fight Back Fridays where there's always some yummy reading.  Check it out.

Recipe adapted from Recipes for Life by Beth M. Ley