Quinoa Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup cooked quinoa (any type)

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries or other fruit, like sliced bananas, strawberries or raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.

2. In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the buttermilk and whisk together, then whisk in the vanilla extract and the oil.

3. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and quickly whisk together. Do not overbeat; a few lumps are fine. Fold in the quinoa.

4. Heat a griddle over medium-hot heat. If necessary, brush with butter or oil. Drop 3 to 4 tablespoons onto the hot griddle. Place six to eight blueberries (or several slices of banana or strawberries) on each pancake. Cook until bubbles begin to break through, two to three minutes. Turn and cook on the other side for about a minute or until nicely browned. Remove from the heat, and continue cooking until all of the batter is used up.

5. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.

Yield: 15 pancakes (five servings).

Advance preparation: These pancakes freeze well and can be made a day ahead, refrigerated and reheated.

Nutritional information per pancake: 105 calories; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 26 milligrams cholesterol; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 192 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein

Recipe retrieved from New York Times Recipes for Health website.

 

Tip #12: Eat Breakfast

Sometimes it can be difficult to find time in the morning to eat as you are trying to rush out the door, but a eating a healthy breakfast is a great way to jumpstart your metabolism. Also, it is a good idea to trade your three large meals per day for several small meals. This keeps your metabolism going and your energy at an optimal level.

 

Creamy Gazpacho

Ingredients:

2 pounds ripe red tomatoes, peeled

4 ounces stale French baguette, crusts removed and diced or torn into pieces (about 2 1/2 cups diced or torn up bread)

2 garlic cloves, halved, green shoots removed, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (more to taste), plus additional for drizzling

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (to taste)

Salt to taste

For garnish: diced green pepper or, for a spicy twist, diced poblano pepper

Instructions:

1. Place the bread in a bowl, and cover with cold water. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then drain and squeeze the water from the bread. Return the bread to the bowl, and place a strainer over the bowl.

2. Cut the peeled tomatoes in half across the equator, and squeeze out the seeds over the strainer. Rub the seed pods against the strainer to extract as much juice as you can. Discard the seeds. Chop the tomatoes coarsely, and add to the bowl with the bread and tomato juice. Add the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and salt to taste. Toss together and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

3. Transfer to a blender, and blend at high speed until homogenized (you will probably have to do this in two batches). While the blender is running, drizzle in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Pour into the bowl, taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt if desired. Cover and chill for at least two hours.

4. Serve, garnishing each bowl with diced green or poblano pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Variation: Serve the salmorejo as a sauce with grilled fish or as a dip with crudités. For thicker salmorejo, add another ounce of bread.

Yield: Four servings.

Advance preparation: This will keep for two days in the refrigerator. But don’t add the garlic until a few hours before serving. Blend a cupful of the soup with the garlic, then whisk back into the rest of the soup.

 

Retrieved from The New York Times Recipes for Health website.

 

Tip #11: Don’t Eat in Front of the TV

Eating in front of the television or a computer most often leads to mindless overeating. If you do this, you are likely paying more attention to what’s on the screen instead of what is on your plate and if your body is telling you it’s full. This can also be a problem because it can turn into an unhealthy habit. Every time you turn on the television, you may start to feel the urge to sit down with something to eat, even if you aren’t really hungry.

 

Spinach and Red Pepper Frittata

Spinach and red peppers bring vitamin A and vitamin C to this beautiful frittata. Spinach is also an excellent source of a long list of other nutrients, including vitamin K, manganese, folateand magnesium. And it’s packed with protective phytonutrients, including the newly discovered glycoglycerolipids, which some researchers believe may help protect the digestive tract from inflammation.

Ingredients:

1 6-ounce bag baby spinach, or 1 bunch spinach, washed and stemmed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut in small dice

1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced

10 fresh marjoram leaves, chopped

Salt

8 eggs

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons low-fat milk

1. Steam the spinach above an inch boiling water until just wilted, about two minutes; or wilt in a large frying pan with the water left on the leaves after washing. Remove from the heat, rinse with cold water and squeeze out excess water. Chop fine, and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy 10-inch nonstick skillet. Add the bell peppers. Cook, stirring often, until tender, five to eight minutes. Add the garlic and salt to taste, stir for about half a minute, and stir in the chopped spinach and the marjoram. Stir together for a few seconds, then remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the salt (about 1/2 teaspoon), pepper, milk, spinach and red peppers. Clean and dry the pan, and return to the burner, set on medium-high. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet. Drop a bit of egg into the pan; if it sizzles and cooks at once, the pan is ready. Pour in the egg mixture. Tilt the pan to distribute the eggs and filling evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up the edges of the frittata with a spatula in your other hand, to let the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking.

4. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook 10 minutes, shaking the pan gently every once in a while. From time to time, remove the lid, tilt the pan, and loosen the bottom of the frittata with a wooden spatula so that it doesn’t burn. The bottom should turn a golden color. The eggs should be just about set; cook a few minutes longer if they’re not.

5. Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Uncover the pan and place under the broiler, not too close to the heat, for one to three minutes, watching very carefully to make sure the top doesn’t burn (at most, it should brown very slightly and puff under the broiler). Remove from the heat, shake the pan to make sure the frittata isn’t sticking, and allow it to cool for at least five minutes and for as long as 15 minutes. Loosen the edges with a wooden or plastic spatula. Carefully slide from the pan onto a large round platter. Cut into wedges or into smaller bite-size diamonds. Serve hot, warm, at room temperature or cold.

Yield: Six servings.

Note: For four servings, use the same recipe but reduce the number of eggs to six.

Advance preparation: In Mediterranean countries, flat omelets are served at room temperature, which makes them perfect do-ahead dishes. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for a few days, and they make terrific lunchbox fare. They do not reheat well.

Nutritional information per serving: 157 calories; 3 grams saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 248 milligrams cholesterol; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 121 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 10 grams protein

Retrieved from The New York Times Recipes for Health website.

 

Diet Tip #10: Spice Up Your Food!

Adding spices or chiles to your food helps add flavor and can help you feel satisfied. Foods that have a lot of flavor will stimulate your taste buds, leaving you feeling satisfied and helping you eat less. If you want something sweet, try a fireball candy- it lasts for a long time, is packed with flavor, and only has a few calories.