 I have a love/hate relationship with the popular Ramen Noodle Cabbage Salad. I love the crunchy noodle topping and the deliciously seasoned dressing made from the flavor packet. I don't love all of the sodium and unhealthy ingredients in the Ramen package. (I won't go into details because I don't want to bad mouth the Ramen noodle companies - but you can google it for yourself.) This recipe is my attempt to recreate the famous Ramen Noodle Salad with a healthier - but equally yummy - twist. The dressing for the popular salad was not an easy thing to replicate but I really wanted to make something without using MSG. I also left off the crunchy noodle topping for my version of cabbage salad because I didn't want to add the extra carbs. Turns out - I really didn't miss them. My Napa Cabbage was actually really yummy and it's healthier!  Napa Cabbage Slaw 1/3 cup white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 teaspoons canola oil 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar 1 Tablespoon soy sauce 1 Tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 small head napa cabbage, sliced thin 2 carrots, peeled and grated 4 scallions, sliced thin 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
Add cabbage and carrots and toss to coat.
Add scallions and sesame seeds and toss to combine.    This salad is the perfect side dish for any backyard barbecue or casual dinner. It goes with just about any meat and if you added a few grilled shrimp to the top - it turns into a complete meal.
 Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin B6. It is also a very good source of manganese, dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin B1, folate and copper. Additionally, cabbage is a good source of choline, phosphorus, vitamin B2, magnesium, calcium, selenium, iron, pantothenic acid, protein and niacin. What more do I need to say? Eat your cabbage friends.
Ciao!
0 Comments
 There's something about sitting down at a Mexican restaurant with a basket full of warm tortilla chips and a bowl of fresh salsa in front of me that puts my will power to the test. Seriously - anyone else tell themselves they're only going to eat 1 chip only to realize 5 minutes later that the chip basket is empty? I have zero will power against the power of the chips and salsa. I feel exactly the same way about these Skillet Turkey Nachos. I set the hot cast iron skillet on the table and I could not step away from them. It's a good thing they're healthy-ish.  Skillet Turkey Nachos 1 teaspoon oil 3/4 cup chopped red onion 2 Tablespoons minced jalapeno 1 1/2 Tablespoons flour 2 teaspoons cumin 2 teaspoons chili powder 2/3 cup beef stock 1/2 cup cooked ground turkey 1 cup drained pinto beans 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese 1/2 cup chopped tomato 1/2 cup chopped avocado baked tortilla chips
Sprinkle Mexican cheese over pan. Broil 1 minute.
Sprinkle with remaining onion, tomato and avocado.
Serve with chips.
The original recipe for these nachos did not have any meat but I wanted to take these nachos from an appetizer to a meal so I added some ground turkey to my creation. I absolutely loved the way these turned out and setting the cast iron skillet in the middle of the table made a super fun, casual meal. We all really enjoyed these nachos and as an added bonus - the leftovers made an amazing baked potato topping. ;)
Ciao!  This summer we were lucky enough to take not one but TWO family vacations. Since Ryan interned this summer in North Carolina, I was super excited about having him (and his beautiful girlfriend) join us on vacation for a week at a time. Our trips were all about reconnecting with family, laughing til our bellys hurt, playing games til we couldn't possibly stay awake any longer and consuming lots and lots of really amazing food.  I wouldn't have changed a thing about our vacations and I have some great memories and pictures from both of them. Unfortunately, memories and pictures weren't the only things that I brought home this summer. All of those trips to the seafood restaurants by the shore, cocktails by the sea and late night trips to the ice cream store caught up with me in the form of a few extra pounds. Now that we're done traveling for the summer, it's time for me to get back on track with my healthy eating plan. Blackened halibut sandwiches to the rescue.  Blackened Halibut Sandwiches 1 teaspoon paprika 3/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 (6 ounce) Halibut filets 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 Tablespoon grainy mustard 1 Tablespoon ketchup 4 whole wheat buns 4 pickle slices 8 plum tomato slices
Top with pickle, tomato and filet.
Top with bun and enjoy!   My family absolutely gobbled up these yummy sandwiches. Even my child who really only eats fried fish - finished her entire sandwich. I bought frozen halibut filets and they were a little pricey but they were totally worth it. These sandwiches were AMAZING.
Ciao!
Last year for Christmas I got an ice cream maker. Not just an ordinary ice cream maker --- a super amazing - don't have to pre-chill anything - turns milk into ice cream in 45 minutes - just plug it in and walk away --- kind of ice cream maker. It really is one of my favorite appliances. All summer long we've been enjoying homemade ice cream with all of our favorite treats. Peach pie, blueberry cobbler, caramel apple tarts and blueberry galette.
Homemade Ice Cream 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream 1 1/2 cups whole milk 3/4 cup sugar pinch salt 1 Tablespoon vanilla vanilla bean seeds Combine all ingredients.
Pour mixture into ice cream freezer and allow to freeze until firm. 
I haven't really branched out into others flavors of ice cream beyond vanilla too much. I made one batch of strawberry that was amazing but peach, raspberry, coffee and chocolate are all on my list of flavors that I want to try.  Even with the cooler Fall weather approaching I can't honestly foresee our ice cream consumption fading away any time soon. I think I better find some healthier sherbet recipes so that I don't end up looking like I eat ridiculous amounts of ice cream every day. Will you help a girl out and send me your sherbet or sorbet recipes? I would love to have some fruit based recipes to try.
Ciao!  There are just as many definitions of "healthy" food as there are people in the world. For some, healthy is the absence of sugar or flour or butter or salt. For others, it's the presence of omega 3s. Some people define "healthy" by the numbers. Number of calories, fats, sodium, nutrients, etc. in the foods that they're eating. As for me, I define healthy by a combination of all of those things.
When I set out to create a "healthy" tea cake - I tried to keep all of those things in mind. I wanted to make a yummy little cake without white flour, sugar or butter. I wanted my cake to be low in fat so I used a combination of Greek yogurt and coconut oil to make it moist. I sweetened my cake with honey and because it's a natural, unrefined sweetener - even though it's still a form of sugar.  It took a couple of tries but the healthy little tea cakes that I ended up creating were DELICIOUS. Like - I took one bite and I could NOT stop eating them. I seriously could have eaten this entire batch of tea cakes - BY MYSELF. I loved the honey almond flavors. I'm pretty sure that no one would ever guess that these tea cakes were "healthy" unless you told them so.  Honey Almond Tea Cakes 3/4 cup almond flour/meal 1/4 cup coconut flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda a pinch of kosher salt 1/4 cup coconut oil (solid) 1/4 cup honey 1 large egg 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt 2 tablespoons almond or coconut milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Spoon into 7 greased mini bundt pans.  Bake 20 minutes at 350.
This is my new favorite gluten free treat - by a long shot. Whether you're looking for a "healthy" treat or a just a delicious treat - these honey almond tea cakes are perfect.
Ciao! |
