I BELIEVE IN BROCCOLI AND BROWNIES
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 Now is the time to grab a juicy orange or grapefruit for a refreshing snack or meal side. Many citrus fruits are the sweetest and juiciest in the winter months. That means you can choose from a variety of oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, or tangerines at your local grocer or online. Selecting and Storing Citrus When shopping for citrus, look for a fruit free of brown marks and bruises. Select a fruit that is heavy for its size and gives slightly when squeezed– that means it is juicy. Citrus will stay fresh and juicy at room temperature for a few days. If you want to extend the shelf life go ahead and put the fruit in the produce drawer of your fridge where it will last for a few weeks. Nutrition Citrus fruits are packed with vitamin C. An average orange can provide up to 90% of your daily vitamin C need. What’s so great about vitamin C? Well, vitamin C is a powerful health promoting antioxidant that is used in immune functions and prevention of some chronic diseases. Vitamin C is needed for collagen production which is important in wound healing and keeping skin elastic. And vitamin C helps your body absorb the mineral iron – used in the body’s oxygen transport system. But wait…citrus fruits have more nutrition benefits than just vitamin C. Oranges are a good source of folate which is important during pregnancy to promote cell division. Deeper colored fruits such as grapefruit and blood oranges add a good dose of vitamin A. And citrus fruits contain fiber which promotes a healthy gut and heart. Recipe Ideas  Citrus is a great grab and go food, throw an orange in your work bag for a quick snack or take a sack of clementines to your kid’s soccer game for a post workout treat. The versatile flavor profiles means citrus can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Make a lemon and garlic marinade for beef, chicken or pork. Add orange segments and toasted cashews to tossed greens and top with poppyseed dressing for a quick salad. Or top a soft sugar cookie with a grapefruit glaze.
One of my favorite citrus recipes is really no recipe at all. I love to make a winter citrus salad. All you do is segment your favorite citrus – I like navel oranges, grapefruit, and blood oranges, then toss in some shredded sweetened coconut. Let the salad sit for about 30 minutes until the juices from the oranges and grapefruit mix with the coconut to make the most delicious, sweet, citrus, syrup.
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 Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we all look forward to the food traditions we have created for this special day. The following ideas will help you make your favorite Thanksgiving foods even more nutritious while you enjoy the foods you love.
Turkey. Lower the sodium content of your turkey by selecting a plain bird in place of a self-basting bird. If you are worried about dry turkey, roast your turkey with the skin on and don’t overcook the bird. Grab a thermometer and cook the turkey 165° F. Gravy. Reduce the fat in gravy by using a fat-skimmer or place the turkey drippings in a shallow pan and place in the freezer for a few minutes. The fat will start to harden and you can simply scrape the fat off. Dressing or Stuffing (whatever you call it). Pump up the nutrition by adding a ton of veggies -- onions, celery, apples, and cranberries are all delicious Candied yams/Sweet potatoes. Leave out the butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows. Sweeten with apple or orange juice and spice them up with ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Mashed potatoes. Whip up cooked potatoes with a little skim evaporated milk for a creamy texture. Add some garlic powder, chives, and black pepper to bump up the flavor. Rolls & Breads. Try using half whole-grain flour and half all-purpose flour to increase the fiber content. The whole-grain flour adds a nutty flavor and chewy texture. Vegetables. Roast vegetables in a little olive oil. The flavor will pop, and you can bypass any high fat, high sodium sauces. Pies. Use only single crust pies and remember pumpkin pie is packed with vitamin A. Some last thoughts
References: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/safe-minimum-internal-temperature-chart/ct_index  Green, red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers are packed with nutrients and low in calories. Despite their different colors, the nutrient content of peppers varies little from color to color. Peppers are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. Green peppers are really just unripened red peppers (or maybe even a yellow or orange pepper). A green pepper is more bitter than a red pepper. As the pepper ripens natural sugars develop giving a red pepper a sweeter taste. Roasting peppers can enhance the sweetness. The best way to store peppers is in the produce drawer of the refrigerate. Whole peppers will keep 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator. Once the peppers are cut, they only keep for 2-3 days. My simple recipe for roasted peppers and feta only enhances the sweetness of a red pepper. Start by slicing up some red peppers and placing them in a bowl. Add a few cherry tomatoes.  Cube up a brick of feta cheese. Be sure to buy the feta in a brick, not crumbled.  Now add some Kalamata olives. Black olives work as well.  Drizzle the mixture with some olive oil and add some freshy cracker black pepper.  Toss everything on to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 425° F oven.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until vegetables are tender and cheese is browned and just starting to bubble. You can’t believe how delicious that browned feta cheese is – YUM!  These red peppers go great with my Black Bean Burgers [link]. You can also serve them as an appetizer with toasted pita chips. Or try it as a part of a grain bowl with quinoa, chopped kale, chickpeas, avocado, and a tahini style dressing.  Roasted Red Peppers and Feta 2 medium Red Peppers, seeded and sliced
1/2 to 3/4 cherry tomatoes 1/4 cup Kalamata or black olives 8 oz feta cheese, cut into cubes 3-4 Tbs Olive Oil Freshly ground Black Pepper Heat oven to 425° F. Toss vegetables, cheese, oil, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Spread onto a baking sheet. Roast 12-15 minutes.  Legumes, such as black beans, are a nutrient powerhouse. A half cup of black beans supplies 8 g of protein, 305 mg potassium, 8 g of fiber, and 114 calories. That means adults can get one-fourth to one-third of their daily fiber needs just by consuming a few beans. With their high fiber and potassium content, beans can promote heart health. Regular consumption of beans – about 1 to 2 cups cooked weekly has been shown to has been shown to reduce lipid levels (cholesterol) in people with heart disease. Antioxidant and phytochemicals along with the fiber in beans may also reduce the risk for colon cancer. If the health benefits don’t convince you to add beans to your diet, the price might. An easy way to stretch your food budget is to cook with dried beans. Dried beans cost only about 15 cents per serving and canned beans cost just 30-45 cents per serving. That is a deal! If you are looking for convenience try canned beans if you have more time cook dried beans on your own. Beans can be eaten at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Try a breakfast burrito with pinto beans, scrambled eggs, and salsa wrapped in a warm tortilla. Make a super salad for lunch by adding garbanzo beans to mixed greens, chopped tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers. For dinner check out this flavorful black bean burger.   Black Bean Burgers 15 oz can black beans, drained 3/4 cup cooked quinoa or couscous 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 1/2 cup minced vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, celery 1 tsp minced garlic 1-1/2 tsp ground cumin A few shakes of hot sauce 1 Egg 3-4 Tbsp olive oil In a medium bowl roughly mash the bean with a potato masher or fork into a paste mixture. Leave a few of the bean part or mostly whole. Add the quinoa/couscous, breadcrumbs, vegetable, garlic, cumin, and hot sauce to the beans. In a small dish beat the egg. Mix the egg and all ingredients together. You can use a spoon or your hands. Divide the mixture into 4-6 equal parts. Using your hands form 4-6 patties. Heat half the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook half the patties in hot oil until browned and heated through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat for second half. These patties are delicious served with a tzatziki sauce or fry sauce. References:
https://beaninstitute.com/ Cooking My Way Through Neighborhood Cookbooks  My mom made this recipe every year with the leftover Thanksgiving turkey, so it was a no brainer to try this neighborhood cookbook recipe for Poppy Seed Chicken (or Turkey). One thing I have noticed about neighborhood cookbooks is the instructions can be a little sparce. I must admit if I had not have seen my mom make this before, I would be a little lost. Start by cutting up some leftover chicken or turkey. I cooked up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the Instapot, because I did not have any leftover meat. Even though the recipe says to cut up the chicken I decide to shred it. I had recently heard you can shred chicken quickly with a stand or hand mixture, so I decide to try it out. Wow! That is a game changer – so easy. The first instructions in the recipe said “Stir ½ crumb mixture into chicken or turkey mixture.” My thought was what is the crumb mixture? and what is the turkey mixture? Luckily I’d seen this made before and knew the crumb mixture was a blend of Ritz crackers, poppy seeds, butter, and dehydrated onion.  After mixing up the crumb mixture place half the crumb mixture, the chicken (or turkey), some sour cream, and cream of chicken soup in a large bowl.
Mix everything together  Put chicken mixture into a casserole dish. The recipe did not indicate the size of the dish, but a 2 quart seems about right.  Top the chicken mixture with the remaining crumb mixture.  Top it with some dried parsley and paprika. (I got a little heavy handed with the paprika in the left bottom corner -- oops.)  Bake at 350 °F for 30 minutes. You can freeze this casserole (before baking) and reheat later. Make a double bath of the recipe, prepare the second casserole in a freezer safe dish, but do not bake. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil, write heating instructions on the top, and freeze.  Nutrition Updates As a dietitian I like to bump up the nutrient density of recipes. This casserole is high in fat, but a few simple changes can bump up the nutrient density. First eliminate the butter when making the crumb mixture, next use fat free sour cream, and lastly choose low-fat cream of chicken soup.   Poppy Seed Chicken or Turkey (Updated Recipe) 2-3 cups cubed or shredded cooked turkey or chicken 1 can low-fat cream of chicken soup 1-1/2 C fat-free sour cream 8 oz crushed Ritz crackers 1 tsp dehydrated onion 1 Tbs Poppy Seeds 2 Tbs butter, melted Paprika (optional) Dried Parsley (optional) Stir soup and sour cream together, gentle fold in chicken. Mix crackers, onion, and poppy seeds in a medium bowl. Stir half the cracker mixture into the chicken mixture. Place mixture into a 2-quart casserole. Melt butter and stir into remaining cracker mixture. Top casserole with remaining butter crumb mixture. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika if desired. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 4-5. Poppy Seed Chicken or Turkey (Original Recipe) 2-3 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup 1-1/2 C sour cream 1 tsp dehydrated onion 8 oz crushed Ritz crackers 1 cube melted margarine 1 Tbs Poppy Seeds Mix well Stir ½ crumb mixture into chicken or turkey mixture. Put in casserole dish. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 4-5.  What do you call this? A Puff Pancake, German Pancake, Dutch Baby, Monsters, or something else? As a kid my mom made German Pancakes (that’s what we called them) only on special occasions such as Christmas morning. My brothers and I would watch in awe as the pancake grew and got puffy in the oven. And then we would try to eat it as fast as we could so the puff wouldn’t fall. Because we only got this “treat” on special occasions I thought it was hard to make, but it is embarrassingly simple to make and only takes a few common ingredients – flour, milk, eggs, salt, and butter. Start by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees F. The hot heat is key to getting the pancake to puff. Place a little butter in a 9-10 inch skillet or quiche pan. Put the pan in the oven for 2 or 3 minutes until the butter melts and the pan is hot.
While the butter is melting mix together 3 eggs, ½ cup milk, ½ cup flour, and ¼ t salt. I like to mix the eggs and milk together and then add the dry ingredients. I mix it really well with a hand whisk. A handheld electric mixer works well too. Pour the mixture into the hot pan with melted butter and place in hot oven.
Bake for 18-25 minutes until the pancake is puffy and golden brown.
Serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar and fruit.  I also make a version where I pour the batter into muffin cups. It makes 12 individual servings. Spray each muffin cup with non-stick spray, pour in the batter, and reduce cooking time to 12-15 minutes. The mini version seem to stay “puffed” longer than one big pan.   Puff Pancake (aka Dutch Baby, German Pancake, and more) Serves 3
You can easily double this and bake in a 9 X 13 inch pan 2 Tbs butter 3 eggs ½ cup milk ½ cup flour ¼ t salt Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place butter in a 9-10-inch oven proof skillet or dish for 2-3 minutes until melted. Beat eggs and milk together. Add flour and salt. Mix until smooth with a wire whisk or electric hand mixer. Pour the batter into the hot skillet/dish. Bake for 18-25 minutes until the pancake is puffy and golden brown. Cooking my Way through Neighborhood Cookbooks  While flipping through the neighborhood cookbook this recipe for a Mandarin Orange Cake caught my eye. I thought it would be a light and refreshing summer treat. And it was.
Start with a box of yellow cake mix. Add unsweetened READ MORE  The internet seems to be full of posts and pins about a new way to roast potatoes. So, I decided to try it with some freshly dug red-potatoes from the garden. I'm not sure of the actual recipe name, but I'm calling them Browned Butter Potatoes, because the butter browns in the hot oven, giving the potatoes a most delicious flavor. You only need three ingredients (potatoes, butter, and broth) along with salt and pepper to make this delicious dish. Heat your oven to 475 degrees F. Some of the recipes I saw said 500 degrees. I worried that high temp would lead to burning, smoking, and my fire alarms going off, so I went with 475 degrees. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch rounds - that is quite thick. Lay the cut potatoes into a baking dish in a single layer. Dot the potatoes with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes turning the potatoes over half way through. Pour the chicken or vegetable broth over the potatoes and bake 15 minutes longer until most of the liquid is absorbed. The potatoes are crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and the flavor mix up of the butter and broth is yummy. These potatoes make a great side dish for special dinner.  Browned Butter Potatoes
Oven 475 degrees F 1 pound (about 5 medium) red or Yukon gold potatoes 1/2 Cup butter 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth Salt Pepper Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Wash potatoes, leave skin on. Cut potatoes into 1-inch rounds. Lay potato slices in a baking dish in a single layer. Dot potatoes with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the potatoes over half-way through. Take pan out of oven and pour broth over potatoes. Return pan to oven and bake 15 more minutes or until the broth is mostly absorbed. Summer is the best time for fresh salads. I made this one the other night with ingredients from the garden. Here is what you need to make the salad Lettuce (I got mine from the garden)
Strawberries (I got mine from the garden. They are tiny, but delicious.)
Next add some cashews and feta cheese.  Lastly top it with dressing. I made a vinaigrette with the most delicious Peach Balsamic Vinegar. Other good choices would be poppy seed dressing or a blush wine vinaigrette.  When I stepped outside to look at the garden the other day, I was amazed at the transformation. Just a short month ago, the garden was a few seeds underneath dirt and some transplanted plants. Now four weeks later I’m making salads with lettuce from the garden. This transformation made me think about how much we can change in a month for good or bad. Is there a habit you want to start? Getting more sleep, exercising more consistently, eating more vegetables? Is there a habit you want to stop? Sleeping late? Always eating on the go? Choose something you want to improve and work on it for one month. The transformation may be as powerful as the one I saw in my garden.
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