Category: Healthy Food Makeover

Adaptable Recipes, Dinner, Healthy Food Makeover

Makeover Monday Meal- Out of the Deep Blue Sea Edition

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Makeover Monday Meals- Air Fryer Crab Cakes

 

As the signs of summer begin to appear, many people are moving their weekend meal game to the grill. However, taking out the grill after a long day at work or school, might not be in the cards.  However, when the temperatures begin to rise, it’s not a great time to turn the oven on. The air fryer has changed that for many families who are looking for a quick and healthy way to enjoy family favorites.

When it comes to seafood, fish can be polarizing. Some people aren’t crazy about the texture. However, a lot more people are likely to love shellfish. If you are from the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast, you probably enjoy crab and crab cakes. Crab cakes highlight the subtle sweetness of crab combined with a little breadcrumb, scallions or chives, red bell pepper, and seafood seasoning. These little treasures are then pan-fried in a little oil and butter to make them even more irresistible

Nevertheless, what most of us don’t want to indulge in is the extra calories and this recipe from the Food Network for air fryer crab cakes allows us to enjoy all the flavor we love, without all the extra fat.

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Never fear for those of you who are vegan or perhaps are allergic to shellfish, we’ve found a recipe from the Power Hungry blog for vegan crab cakes made with hearts of palm. So, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Best of all, both recipes come together in less than an hour, which is perfect for a busy weekday night.

Air Fryer Crabcakes by Food Network adapted by Still A Chick Lit

Crab Cakes:

1 large egg (3 tablespoons Aquafaba or ¼ cup silken tofu pureed with 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, vegan egg replacer, or liquid vegan egg replacer = 1 egg)

1/3 cup mayonnaise (light mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise)

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper (about 1 small bell pepper)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

A 1-pound fresh lump or jumbo lump crabmeat picked over for shells and cartilage

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten-free panko breadcrumbs)

Nonstick cooking spray, for the air-fryer basket and crab cakes

 

 

For the crab cakes: Whisk together the egg, mayonnaise, bell pepper, chives, parsley, lemon zest and juice, mustard, seafood seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper in a large bowl. With a rubber spatula or large spoon, very gently fold the crab and panko into the mixture. Try to avoid breaking up lumps of crab as much as possible. Cover the crab mixture with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. This will allow the panko to absorb more liquid and help bind the crab cakes together.

 

Just before cooking, divide the crab-cake mixture into 4 portions. Lightly compact each portion to form a patty (about 3 1/2 inches in diameter) with your hands to ensure they hold their shape while cooking and place it onto a large plate.

Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F and spray the basket with cooking spray. Place the crab cakes into the basket and spray the tops with cooking spray. Cook until deep golden brown and crisp, flipping halfway through and spraying again with cooking spray, about 16 minutes. Serve warm

 

Vegan Crab Cakes by Power Hungry

Ingredients

1 can (14 to 15 ounces) hearts of palm, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Old Bay or another seafood seasoning

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped green onions

1 cup gluten-free panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided

Garnish with, optional

Lemon wedges

Chopped fresh parsley

Serve with, optional

Cocktail sauce

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F and spray the basket with cooking spray.

Cut the hearts of palm lengthwise; cut slices crosswise into 3/4-inch lengths. Transfer to a medium bowl and, using fingers, gently press and break apart into shreds.

In another medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper until well blended. Stir in hearts of palm and green onions until well combined (I like to get my hands in, to further break up hearts of palm).

Sprinkle half the panko over the hearts of palm mixture and mix in thoroughly (do not mash). Form into fourteen 1.2-inch-thick patties (I used a #40 cookie scoop to portion).

Spread the remaining panko in a small dish. Dredge patties in panko, pressing gently to adhere. As they are dredged, place patties into the basket and spray the tops with cooking spray. Cook until deep golden brown and crisp, flipping halfway through and spraying again with cooking spray, about 12-14 minutes.

Serve warm

 

Breakfast, Healthy Food Makeover, Makeover Monday Meals

Makeover Monday Meal- Breakfast and Snack Edition Edition

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Blueberries are little berries that pack a big punch. Not only are they delicious, but they are also good for you.

 

Blueberries are nature’s candy. Whether you eat them by the handful, in a salad, or in a pie, blueberries are nature’s candy. Not only are they delicious, but they’re also good for you.

Here are seven science-backed health benefits of blueberries:

  • Blueberries are an incredible source of nutrients.
  • Are high in antioxidants.
  • Improve cholesterol levels.
  • Lower blood pressure.
  • Improve insulin sensitivity.
  • Boost cognitive functioning.
  • Contain prebiotics.

July 12th is National Blueberry Muffin Day, which is fitting since blueberries are at their best in terms of flavor in the summer.

If you’d like to enjoy the bounty of blueberries now, this recipe for a blueberry corn muffin is a tasty way to begin your Monday morning and it only takes fifteen minutes from mixing it to putting the muffins in the oven.

 

This recipe is based on Martha Stewart’s Blue-Barb Corn Muffins in the May 2022 issue of Living

 

Blueberry Corn Muffins by Still A Chick Lit

Active Time 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Makes: 12 muffins or 6 jumbo muffins

1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (gluten-free all-purpose flour, 1 to 1 gluten-free baking blend, white rice, brown rice, millet, or sorghum flour. If the flour doesn’t contain a binder add ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum)

¼ cup fine yellow cornmeal

¾ cup granulated sugar (Swerve sweetener, Splenda granulated, monk fruit sweetener granulated, golden sugar, coconut, raw cane, or turbinado sugar, pulsed finely)

2 large eggs at room temperature (2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Aquafaba, ½ cup silken tofu pureed with ¼ teaspoon baking soda, vegan egg replacer, or liquid vegan egg replacer= 2 eggs)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

 

8 ounces or 2 scant cups of fresh or frozen blueberries

¾ cup whole or 2% milk (non-dairy unsweetened almond milk, rice, soy, or light coconut milk)

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (unsalted vegan butter)

2 teaspoons vanilla

 

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Line a standard 12-muffin tin with baking cups. In a medium-size bowl whisk together, flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Reserve 6 tablespoons of blueberries and set them aside. Stir into the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the mixture; add eggs and whisk. Then whisk in the melted butter, milk, and vanilla.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups, about 1/3 cup ( they will be very full) Press a few pieces of the reserved fruit into the tops of each muffin., then sprinkle with sugar. Bake until tops spring back when lightly touched, about 24 to 30 minutes. Let the muffins cool for five minutes in the muffin tin. Remove the muffing and transfer it to a wire rack. Let cool completely for about 30 minutes.

 

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Adaptable Recipes, Dinner, Food Glorious Food, Healthy Food Makeover, Healthy Lifestyle Choices, Midweek Bonus Adaptable Recipes

Midweek Bonus Recipe- New England Clam Chowder & a vegan Clam-less Chowder

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A Midweek meal to warm your soul

New York is the home of great cheesecake, bagels, and pizza. Baltimore’s seafood and crabcakes are worth writing home about. While Chicago is home to great steak, distinctive hotdogs, and deep-dish pizza. New England is known for lobster, lobster rolls, calamari, and chowder.

As a New Yorker, I do love Manhattan-style clam chowder with its tomato base, but I do enjoy a creamy bowl of chowdah. It’s just the right mix of brothiness from the clams, with a hint of smoke from the bacon, soft pillowy potatoes, and cream. It’s delicious.

This recipe comes from a small newspaper out of Maine. I’ve had it for some time now, and the newspaper’s title has faded. I wanted to share this recipe with a few substitutions to fit different dietary needs.

We’ve included the recipe for clam-less chowder, which is a vegan version that uses mushrooms in place of clams. The use of the liquid from soaking dried mushrooms gives the soup an umami punch. We tried to make sure there is something for everyone to enjoy, especially on a cold day with oyster crackers.

New England Clam Chowder

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Hands-On Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 strips thick-cut bacon (low sodium bacon or hickory-smoked turkey bacon)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 1 rib celery, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 medium-size white potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (for gluten-sensitivities use gluten-free all-purpose flour, white or brown rice flour)
  • 4 cups bottled clam juice, divided
  • 1 pound chopped fresh clam meat, with juices
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 3 cups light cream (2 1/2 cups 2% milk plus 1/2 cup half-and-half, or 1 3/4 cups fat-free milk plus 1 1/4 cups half-and-half) (non-dairy: light coconut, soy, or rice milk) **
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper

Instructions

Set a 4- to 6-quart pot over medium-low heat. Add the bacon and cook, turning occasionally, until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the bacon, leaving the fat in the pot, and crumble into small pieces; set aside.

Add the butter, onion, celery, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Cook, stirring often, until onions are tender and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.

Return the bacon to the pot and stir. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the potatoes.

In a 2- to 3-quart pot on high heat, boil the diced potatoes in salted water until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Turning back to the onion/bacon mixture, increase the heat to medium-low.

Add the flour gradually, stirring continuously, until thick paste forms. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium and slowly add the bottled clam juice, 1 cup at a time, incorporating it into the mixture before adding more.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the potatoes and clam meat with its juices. Keep stirring for 5 minutes, until the clams are tender.

Add the cream slowly; then stir in the white pepper.

Discard the bay leaves before serving. Serve hot.

** If you’re using non-dairy milk, use three additional tablespoons of flour

** If you are lactose intolerant, you can use lactose-free milk

New England Clam-less Chowder

  • 1 ½ tablespoon vegetable or Canola oil
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted vegan butter
  • 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 1 rib celery, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 medium-size white potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
  • 16 ounces of dried Porcini mushrooms, chopped (cover with hot water and let soak for 30 minutes, reserve the liquid)
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (for gluten sensitivity use gluten-free all-purpose flour, white or brown rice flour)
  • 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • ¾ pounds of sliced mushrooms (shitake, oyster, or portobello mushrooms are great choices)
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 3 cups light coconut, soy, or rice milk
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • ½ teaspoon liquid hickory smoke (optional)

Instructions

In a 2- to 3-quart pot on high heat, boil the diced potatoes in salted water until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Set a 4- to 6-quart pot over low heat. Add the vegetable oil and butter.
Add onion, celery, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Cook, stirring often, until onions are tender and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-low. Add the flour gradually, stirring continuously, until thick paste forms. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium and slowly add the reserved mushroom liquid,  followed by the vegetable broth 1 cup at a time, incorporating it into the mixture before adding more.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the potatoes, sliced mushrooms, and liquid smoke, if using. Keep stirring for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft.

Add the coconut milk in slowly; then stir in the white pepper.

Discard the bay leaves before serving. Serve hot.

 

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Dinner, Easy Preparation Meals, Food Glorious Food, Healthy Food Makeover, Living Your Best Life North of Forty and Fifty Plus, Makeover Monday Meals

Makeover Monday Meal- Soup’s On Edition

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Most of the country has been enjoying a longer Indian summer than usual. However, fall is beginning to make its presence known with temperatures beginning to dip all across the country. Although many are sorry to see the warmer temps go, I enjoy the cooler temperatures. Sleeping weather is also a perfect time to enjoy a nice bowl of soup.

Squash is available year-round everywhere, but there are seasons when certain varieties are more plentiful. I love the hearty gourds like acorn and butternut squash.  Both are versatile and can be used in many recipes. This Makeover Monday puts the spotlight on butternut squash soup.

This soup has been on my fall and Thanksgiving table for many years. The recipe is very simple, and you can adjust the ingredients according to your flavor palate. It’s a wonderful combination of roasted butternut squash, sweet onions, and ginger.  To make it even easier, you can buy butternut squash that’s already prepped. It’s a time saver.

This recipe is vegan/vegetarian, low-carb, and gluten-free.

Total Time: Approximately 1 hour 

Active time: 15 minutes Estimate

Inactive time: 45 minutes

Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup

2 large butternut squash (Cut in halves and seeded) (or 2 packages of pre-cut butternut squash)

4 medium sweet onions, rough chopped

1 small fresh ginger root (peeled and minced)

3 tablespoons Canola oil

Virgin Olive Oil

4 ½ – 5  cups Unsalted Vegetable Stock

Preheat oven to 375-degrees.

Split the butternut squash in half and take the seeds out. Line a large sheet pan with foil. Place the squash on the pan, skin down, and drizzle olive oil until the squash is coated. Place it in the preheated oven and roast it for 45 minutes to an hour. When you can easily pierce the squash with a fork, take it out and let it cool to room temperature.  Once it’s cool enough to handle scoop the softened squash into a bowl.

In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onions. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the onions are soft, then add the minced ginger, and cook until the onions are translucent.

Add 1 cup of the vegetable stock and the squash. Using an immersion blender, blend the onions, ginger, and butternut squash. Add the remaining vegetable stock, one cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Cover, and let simmer on low heat for ten minutes. How thick or thin the soup is up to you. If you like a thinner soup, add more stock, if a thicker soup is to your liking, add less.

Tips

  • You can save money buying fresh butternut squash and cubing it yourself. Split the squash in half, and then into quarters. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin, then cut into medium-sized chunks.
  • You can use unsalted or low salt vegetable broth
  • You can also use unsalted chicken stock or broth to add a little more depth to the soup
  • How much ginger you use is up to you. Remember, you can add more ginger, but you can’t take it out. If you use a bit more than intended and it has a little too much bite, you can a little applesauce to add a bit of sweetness and tamps the spiciness down.
  • If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a blender. Be careful to do it in small batches, and make sure the mixture isn’t too hot to avoid making a mess.
  • You can store the soup in the fridge for up to 11 days
  • This soup freezes beautifully in an airtight container for up to three months.

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Food Glorious Food, Healthy Food Makeover, Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Taking a Healthy and Positive Approach to Eating North of Forty and Fifty-plus

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Although life north of forty and fifty plus has changed in a more positive way for us as women, many of us still struggle with the changes our bodies go through in the three stages of menopause. According to Johnson Memorial Health, the three stages are:

  1. Perimenopause– The earliest stage of menopause usually happens 3 to 5 years before full menopause occurs. During this time, estrogen, and progesterone levels drop.
  2. Menopause– The technical definition of menopause is not having your period for 12 months or more without having other health issues like illness, surgery, or pregnancy. At this time, the ovaries cease to make estrogen and progesterone.
  3. Post-menopause– When a full year has passed after your last period, you are officially in post-menopause. Over a period of years, your shifting hormones will settle into a more stable balance. Hot flashes and other menopause symptoms will likely reduce significantly.

Besides hot flashes, many women find themselves battling weight issues. For some women, hormone fluctuations make it harder to lose weight, and it can feel like you’ve lost control over your weight regardless of what you eat. There is always something shiny and new when it comes to the world of dieting and diet fads. At one time the grapefruit diet and cabbage diet were the rages. Then there was the Scarsdale diet that focused on protein and the villainization of carbohydrates, which resulted in weight loss but raised cholesterol levels and caused gout in some people.  Here in the US, we have the proliferation of diet plans from Nutrisystem and Jennie Craig, diets where you buy the food you eat, and then there’s WW formerly known as Weight Watchers. WW uses a system of points for each food. Servings of food are assigned points based on four criteria: calories, saturated fat, sugar, and protein. Every Weight Watchers member gets assigned a daily and weekly point goal based on their height, weight, age, and gender. One of the latest entries for weight loss is Noom, which uses psychology to design a program to change eating habits. Members are coached virtually by psychologists whose goal is to help unlearn bad habits to form a healthy relationship with food. Dieting in America is a multi-billion dollar industry. Where it doesn’t seem to be a billion-dollar industry is in Europe.

People in countries like France, Italy, and Spain consume a lot of butter, pasta, cheese, and more, but they also have lower cases of heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension, just to name a few issues that are very common in the US. What is their secret?  Well, there really is no secret. Europeans eat an abundance of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, potatoes, whole grains, bread, herbs, spices, fish, seafood, extra virgin olive oil, poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt. They also eat beef, lamb, game, and pork. What is most notable is the smaller portion sizes, and if they do snack, they don’t go for a bag of chips, choosing fresh bread, cheese, fruit, or nuts.

Since there’s so much going on in our lives, one of that the best ways to address this issue is to make a change gradually. Our bodies have been evolving since we were in utero, if we embrace this as something that happens incrementally, it can help with our health goals.  We’ll share recipes that touch on facets of the Mediterranean diet (Italy, Spain, Greece), and the French diet full-fat cheese and yogurt, butter, bread, fresh fruits, and vegetables (often grilled or sautéed), small portions of meat (fish or chicken than red meat), wine, and dark chocolate.

Naturally, before beginning any lifestyle diet change, check with your doctor so the two of you can work together for a healthier you.

We begin with Baba Ganoush which is usually served as an appetizer. It’s a spread made chiefly of eggplant, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and lemon. There are a lot of variations of this eggplant spread. This recipe comes from the Mediterranean Dish Blog by Suzy, who has a number of wonderful recipes to try. The link to her site and social media platforms is below the recipe.

Baba Ganoush by Mediterranean Dish 

2 pounds Italian eggplants (about 2 small-to-medium eggplants*)

2 medium cloves of garlic, pressed or minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice, more if necessary

¼ cup tahini

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the eggplant and garnish

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish

¾ teaspoon salt, to taste

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch of smoked paprika, for garnish

Serving suggestions: warmed or toasted pita wedges, carrot sticks, bell pepper strips, cucumber slices, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan. Halve the eggplants lengthwise and brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil. Place them in the prepared pan with the halved sides down.

Roast the eggplant until the interior is very tender throughout and the skin is collapsing, about 35 to 40 minutes (this might take longer if you are using 1 large eggplant). Set the eggplant aside to cool for a few minutes. Flip the eggplants over and scoop out the flesh with a large spoon, leaving the skin behind.

Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl, then transfer the flesh to the strainer and discard the skins. Pick out any stray bits of eggplant skin and discard them. You want to remove as much moisture from the eggplant here as possible, so let the eggplant rest for a few minutes and shake/stir the eggplant to release some more moisture.

Discard all of the eggplant drippings, drain and wipe out the bowl, and dump the eggplant into the bowl. Add the garlic and lemon juice to the eggplant and stir vigorously with a fork until the eggplant breaks down. Add the tahini to the bowl and stir until it’s incorporated. While stirring, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue stirring until the mixture is pale and creamy, and use your fork to break up any particularly long strings of eggplant.

Stir in the parsley, salt, and cumin. Season to taste with more salt (I usually add another ¼ teaspoon) and more lemon juice, if you’d like a more tart flavor.

Transfer the baba ganoush to a serving bowl and lightly drizzle olive oil on top. Lastly, sprinkle parsley and smoked paprika on top. Serve.

 

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You can find more about Suzy here

https://www.themediterraneandish.com

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