Citrus Sangria

This light and refreshing drink is always a hit during the summer and it's not only red wine that has heart healthy benefits when consumed in moderation! This pairs perfectly with Homemade Guacamole. If you are serving this at a get-together, put out a separate container with ice and allow guests to serve themselves. This will prevent the sangria from getting watered down. I also recommend a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio for this sangria because it compliments the citrus fruit nicely.

2 bottles white wine
1 cup brandy
4 tablespoons unbleached sugar or honey
1 large navel orange - or 2 small
1 lemon
1 lime

In a large pitcher, combine the white wine, brandy and sugar/sweetener and stir to dissolve the sugar.

Slice the orange in half first and then slice into half moons. Do the same with the lemon and the lime. Add the fruit slices to the sangria, squeezing lightly as you add them to release some of the juice.

Refrigerate for 1-4 hours before serving. Pour sangria over ice and garnish each glass with a piece of fruit from the pitcher.

Homemade Guacamole

I will use any excuse to eat avocado but Cinco de Mayo definitely called for some guacamole and salty corn chips washed down with a light and refreshing Citrus Sangria. This is very easy to put together and gets better if you let it sit for 30 minutes or so to allow the flavors to come together.

2 ripe avocados, peeled
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
juice of one lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Using a fork, mash the peeled avocado in a medium sized bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy!

Chicken and Bok Choy Salad with Miso Dressing

I am clearly on an Asian inspired salad kick. This salad is beautiful and hearty and also makes great leftovers. We had such beautiful weather over the weekend and we barbecued all weekend. I was trying to come up with a way to use the leftover grilled chicken breasts and this was the amazing result!

Normally, I try to measure things as I create new recipes that I plan to post so they can be easily recreated. BUT, this was one of those quick weeknight meals that I threw together and had no intention of posting. That said, it was SO good that I had to guesstimate my recipe to share with you all. Play around with it to your taste. Both miso and tamari/soy are pretty salty so go easy on the tamari and taste the dressing as you go to make sure it suits your taste.


Salad
2 heads baby bok choy, sliced
1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped snap peas
1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

Dressing
1/4 cup miso paste
1 tablespoon sesame oil
juice of one lime
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Wash and prepare the vegetables and place in a large serving bowl along with the chicken. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Toss to coat well.

Rainbow Sesame Noodle Salad

This beautifully bright dish is full of a variety of fresh vegetables and makes a great pot-luck or barbecue dish. It tastes even better the next day and can be served warm or cold. I made this with chicken but it would be equally delicious by using tofu or edamame for the protein instead.

Serves 8

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons sesame oil

juice of one lime

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons minced ginger

Salad:

1 18 ounce pack of whole wheat spaghetti, cooked and drained according to package directions

2 cups shredded carrots

2 cups chopped or shredded purple cabbage

2 cups snow peas, sliced into bite-sized pieces

3-4 cups fresh baby spinach

1 cup chopped green onions

1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned

1 cup chopped cilantro

3 cups chopped cooked chicken - about two large chicken breast halves (optional)

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Whisk dressing ingredients together and set aside while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Cook spaghetti according to the package directions. While that is boiling, chop the vegetables and chicken and place in a large serving bowl.

Place sesame seeds in a dry skillet over low heat and toast until golden brown - watching carefully to avoid burning.

Add the hot, drained noodles to the vegetable mixture and add the dressing and sesame seeds. Toss to thoroughly coat the salad with the dressing. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature.

Asparagus, Black Forest Ham and Gruyere Frittata

This makes a perfect brunch dish that is incredibly easy but looks much fancier than it actually is. It also reheats well so you can make this on the weekend and re-heat a slice for breakfast during the week.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

10 asparagus spears, trimmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces

1/4 pound nitrate free black forest ham, chopped

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I like quartered cherry tomatoes)

6 eggs

3 tablespoons milk or cream

4 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded

2 ounces parmesan cheese, shredded

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, salt and pepper and sauté for about five minutes, or until they are beginning to soften and translucent. Add the asparagus, ham and tomatoes and sauté for 3-4 minutes more.

Whisk together eggs, milk and gruyere cheese. Pour egg mixture into the pan and stir to combine with the asparagus mixture. Using a spatula, gently scrape up the bottom of the eggs until they begin to set. Sprinkle the parmesan on the top and broil in the oven for 3-4 minutes until top is golden brown and the eggs are cooked and slightly puffed.

Raspberry Cobbler

2- 10 ounce packages frozen raspberries

1/2 cup unbleached sugar, divided

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, divided

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

6 tablespoons chilled butter, diced

Preheat 375 degrees F.

In a greased 8" square baking dish, place the frozen berries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour and lemon juice. Use a fork to toss the berries to coat.

In a medium bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup flour with the remaining ingredients. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have small clumps. OR you can place the remaining ingredients (except the oats) in a food processor and pulse until mixture looks damp and crumbly. Then add oats and pulse once or twice to mix but not chop the oats.

Spread mixture evenly over the prepared raspberries.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until berries are bubbling and top is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Stuffed Whole Wheat Crepes

I am in LOVE with Pinterest. I have been finding such great inspiration for food, crafts and home decor! This recipe is barely adapted from a Crepe recipe I saw there and it is delish! The beauty of crepes is that you can enjoy them with butter, syrup, jam, nutella, peanut butter or even savory presentations like the pesto ham and cheese version pictured here. The possibilities are endless.

2 large eggs

3/4 cups milk

1/2 cup water

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons sucanat or sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

butter for pan

Place eggs, milk, water, flour, melted butter, sugar and salt in a blender and pulse until just combined. Put in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight. This allows the batter to expand and helps to prevent the crepes from breaking when flipping.

Heat a small pan over medium-low heat and butter to coat. Gently stir the batter if any separation has occurred but do not pulse any more. Pour about two tablespoons batter into preheated pan and tilt the pan to thinly coat the skillet with the batter. Cook for about 30 seconds or until set and lightly golden brown and flip. Cook for another 10-20 seconds and remove from heat.

I like to stack the cooked crepes on a plate in a warm (170 degrees F) oven with a barely damp towel on the top. Add crepes to the stack under the towel as you cook the crepes.

Savory Variations:

1. Pesto, Ham and Cheese:

Spread a teaspoon of pesto over each cooked crepe, top with a tablespoon each of chopped ham green onions and shredded swiss cheese. Roll and enjoy!

2. Spinach and Mushroom

Saute 1/2 sweet onion in one teaspoon olive oil with a little salt and pepper. Add 8 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms and 2 cups baby spinach. Saute until mushrooms are cooked and spinach is wilted. Place a little topping on each crepe and top with shredded cheese of your choice. Roll and enjoy!

Sweet Variations:

1. Fresh Lemon:

Squeeze a wedge of lemon over each crepe and sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar. Roll and enjoy!

2. Butter and Jam:

Spread each warm crepe with butter and your favorite jam. Roll and enjoy!

3. Lemon Curd and Cream

Spread each crepe with lemon curd and creme fraiche or whipped cream. Roll and enjoy!

In short, add whatever sounds good, roll and enjoy!

Whole Wheat Cranberry Cardamom Oatmeal Cookies

These are chewy and full of warming cardamom which is my favorite spice. It evokes memories of my Swedish Mormor's Cardamom Bullar; flaky rolls with just a hint of sweetness and speckled throughout with black flecks of freshly ground cardamom. I can still taste the crunch of the few grains of pearl sugar she would sprinkle on the top before baking. While these are far from the flaky, buttery rolls my Mormor made, the cardamom never fails to hit the spot for me!

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted and cooled

2/3 cup sucanat or brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (not quick cooking or steel cut)

3/4 cup dried cranberries

Whisk butter, sugar, egg and almond extract together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, salt and oats. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir cranberries into mixture until evenly distributed.

Roll heaping tablespoons into balls and place two inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Press down to flatten slightly (but still thick) and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cookies are done when they are lightly browned around the edges and look the slightest bit undercooked on top.

Makes about 18 cookies.

Nutrition Information: Sources You Can Trust

It seems like everyone these days (myself included, I suppose...) has their own website. The great thing about that is there is a tremendous amount of information available at your fingertips that previous generations didn't have. The problem with it however, is the same; there is a tremendous amount of information at your fingertips...

Anyone can post ANYTHING on the internet and I regularly see people publishing nutrition "data" on the internet that has been misinterpreted or is just downright false. And let me tell you, these people can be very convincing. Sometimes, this is harmless but sometimes it can be dangerous. Food, supplements and herbs can be just as potent as medicine and I can't tell you the number of times I have seen someone make recommendations (typically on message boards or fad diet websites) that could put someone in danger (i.e. drug interactions, pregnancy contraindications, dangerous weight loss practices, etc.).

So, with that, how do you know where to find credible nutrition information? You have to be able to rely on the sources you use but how do you ensure it isn't just some random person making wild claims.

There are a few websites that I refer to regularly because I know their information is based upon sound science and not anecdotal claims made by unqualified individuals.

THE WORLD'S HEALTHIEST FOODS

The first one, and probably the most user-friendly of the bunch, is The World's Healthiest Foods. This website has a TREMENDOUS amount of information about pretty much every kind of food you can think of. I like it because it is categorized by ingredient and not only includes the nutritional profile of the food, but also presents the recent scientific findings about its health benefits. It even includes tips on the optimal way to prepare a food in order to maximize its nutritional benefits. I have the book too and highly recommend it however, it may be geared more towards nutrition geeks such as myself (it gets so detailed that it even includes the amino acid profile of foods!). The contributors to this website are Registered Dietitians, Certified Nutritionists, PhD's and Naturopathic Doctors. I was also fortunate enough to have one of the contributors, Buck Levin, PhD, RD as a professor last year and all I can hope is that someday I will know half as much as he does about food and nutrition (and biochemistry and ecology and the list goes on and on...).

THE LINUS PAULING INSTITUTE

The Linus Pauling Institute (LPI) is a micronutrient research center out of Oregon State University. Dr. Pauling, a chemist and humanitarian co-founded the LPI; a nonprofit biomedical research facility focusing on research of how nutrition can act to both prevent and cure disease. In short, food as medicine. Dr. Pauling is considered by the scientific community as one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century and is the only person to ever be awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes; one for Chemistry (1954) and one for Peace (1962).

The LPI has an extensive database with detailed information on micronutrients (vitamins and minerals found in food), phytochemicals (chemicals produced by plants that can affect health) and other nutrients (i.e. essential fatty acids). It includes detailed information on the most up-to-date research about the activity of these compounds in the human body. This database is organized by the nutrient and disorder type opposed to by food type but it also includes information on which foods are good sources of the compounds in question. There may be a LOT of information in here that is far more complex than the Average Joe cares to read but if you want to find credible, science-based information about nutrition, this is the place to go.

Center for Science in the Public Interest

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a non-profit organization whose goals include educating the public about nutrition and food safety and working to advocate government policies that ensure our food is safe and sustainable. Normally, I would hesitate to publicly endorse a political organization but CSPI's role as a consumer advocate is based upon sound scientific research.

One of my favorite parts of the CSPI website is their Chemical Cuisine page. It is a comprehensive database of food additives. It includes recommendations on which are safe, which should be limited and which should be avoided all together. The best part is that they include the research-based information as to why they made their recommendations. Some people may be surprised to learn that many of the food additives and food colorings allowed in the United States are illegal for use in food in many other countries. It is unfortunate, but, we cannot assume that additives allowed in our food are safe - and CSPI provides easily understood information to consumers so they can made educated decisions.

I know there are a lot of other credible sources out there but I highly recommend these if you are looking to find a source you can trust. Happy reading!

P.S. What other food and nutrition sources do you trust enough to recommend to your friends and family?

Image Credit: http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/911-uncertainty

Perfect Eggs Over Easy

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon water

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil over medium to medium-low heat in a skillet with a lid.

Once oil is hot, crack eggs into pan and cook until whites are just barely set (the top of the whites may still be a bit runny).

Add water to the pan and cover with a tight fitting lid.

Remove from heat and let sit covered for 1-2 minutes or until whites are completely set and yolks are thick but runny.