New Recipe for Recipe Redux: Triple Cherry Chiller

Recipe Redux consists of a group of health-minded recipe developers with blogs who enjoy the challenge of creating healthy recipes for their audiences. Each month we are given a theme to write about and develop a nutritious recipe. July’s challenge is to create a refreshing summer beverage.

Because more and more people are learning about the health benefits of cherries, I decided to develop a recipe using tart cherry juice, cherry tea, and fresh cherries.  The recipe is Triple Cherry Chiller.


Triple Cherry Chiller


The recipe is easy to put together. You start by brewing the tea. I used Celestial Seasonings” Black Cherry Berry. Of course, many other flavors of tea could be used instead, such as raspberry zinger. I used 3 tea bags to 4 cups of water.

cherry tea

You let the tea steep for about 10 minutes. Then add the juice. I used tart cherry juice.

tart cherry juice

Then you refrigerate the mixture. When ready to serve, cut up some fresh cherries to add to each glass along with some ice.

fresh cherries cut into quarters

Below is the Triple Cherry Chiller recipe with nutrition and cost information.

Ingredients:

4 cups boiling water

3 black cherry berry tea bags (or other cherry-flavored tea)

2 cups 100% tart cherry juice

6 Tbsp fresh or frozen sweet cherries, pitted if fresh and quartered

Ice

Agave nectar or honey or sugar, if desired

Directions:

Pour boiling water over tea bags in large pitcher; let steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and discard. Add juice to tea. Refrigerate. When ready to serve, add 1 tablespoon quartered cherries and ice to each glass; pour beverage. Sweeten to taste with agave nectar, honey, or sugar, if desired. Optional: garnish each glass with one whole cherry.

Makes 6 servings (about 6 cups total).

Nutrition Information per Serving:

43 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, mg cholesterol, 0.2 g dietary fiber, 0.4 g protein, and  7 mg sodium.

Cost per Serving: $0.59

Pricing Note: The cherry juice was $4.99 for 64 fl ounces and fresh cherries were found on sale for $2.99 a pound.

Preparation Note:

No sugar added pomegranate juice can be use instead of 100% tart cherry juice if desired.

For more great summer beverage recipes, go to these great blogs.

• Gretchen- Kumquat  Ginger Ale
• Carlene Helble- Carlene's Figments  Mint Berry Seltzer
• Kara Lydon- Peace, Love, and Food  Blueberry Basil Lemonade Fizz
• Deanna Segrave-Daly- Teaspoon of Spice  Cantaloupe Basil Aqua Fresca Fizz
• Jessica Fishman Levinson- Nutritioulicious  Blueberry Basil Cooler
• Marie Spano- Performance Nutrition  Post-Workout Power Smoothie
• Elizabeth Jarrard- Don't White Sugar-Coat It  Southern Blackberry Smash
• Emily Greenfield- The Nutriscientist  Apple, pear and strawberry smoothie with Chia
• Kristen Bourque- Swanky Dietitian  Fresh Fruit and Club Soda Cooler
• Regan Jones- The Professional Palate  Berry-Lime Bubbly
• Kat Lynch- Eating the Week  Sparkling melon fizz - nice & naughty
• Lisa- Healthful Sense  Berry Refreshing Chia Seed Smoothie
• EA Stewart- The Spicy RD  Gingery Peach Float
• Alysa Bajenaru- Inspired RD  Blackberry Banana Swirl
• Ann Dunaway Teh- Eat to Nourish, Energize & Flourish  Pregnancy Mocktails
• Yuri- Chef Pandita  Green Tea Ginger Limeade with Chia Seeeds
• Karman Meyer- Nutrition Adventures  Orange-Mint Iced Green Tea
• Cherie Schetselaar- Grain Crazy  Mango Strawberry Smoothie
• Emma Stirling- The Scoop on Nutrition  Recipe Redux Tangelo-ade
• Carrie Miller- Nutrition Know How 12 Smoothie Recipes to Beat the Heat
• Alexandra Caspero- Delicious Knowledge  Strawberry Splash Mojito
• Janel Ovrut Funk- Eat Well with Janel Blog  Mango Melon Smoothie
• Liz Weiss & Janice Newell Bissex- Meal Makeover Moms' Kitchen  Pint-Size Pina Colada
• Danielle Omar- Food Confidence RD  Almond Iced-Coffee Latte
• Rebecca Scritchfield- #MeFirst  Banana Split Smoothie

Peach Cake Makes Good Impression and is a Great Way to Use Summer Peaches

My local market featured fresh southern peaches for $0.69 a pound. I decided to make the Summer Peach Cake in the July/August issue of my favorite magazine, Cook’s Illustrated. I love this magazine because they do an outstanding job of creating wonderful recipes and testing them umpteen times to get just the right cooking method and the perfect amount or proportion of ingredients. You also refresh your memory or learn many food science concepts.

The peach cake uses 2 and a half pounds of fresh peaches in one 9-inch round cake. Prior to mixing the peaches in the cake, you bake the slices in the oven to help intensify their flavor and bring out some of their juices in order to prevent a runny cake. I was extremely pleased with the final product. It looked fabulous, like I had spent a lot of time (which I didn’t). It tasted great and had great peach flavor.

By getting the peaches on sale, I was able to make this cake for $5.52 total, or $0.55 a serving for 10 servings. A great buy for an impressive-looking summer dessert.

Note: Cook’s Illustrated Magazine is $5.95 an issue or $24.95 for an annual subscription. You can also subscribe online for a free 14-day trial at www.cookillistrated.com/trial.

Are you eating or drinking more or more often that in the past?

Two different nutrition articles this week caught my attention. The first was a Reuters’ article that reported that Americans are eating more and more often. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers looked at American’s eating habits over the last 30 years and found that we have gone from 3.8 meals and snacks a day to 4.8. More importantly, we are eating 570 more calories each day compared to the late 1970s. That translates into an extra 59 pounds of weight per year. How often you eat isn’t what really matters. It’s what you eat and how many calories/nutrients you consume that is most important. What about your activity level? Are you more or less active than you were several year back? Unfortunately, most of us are not as active as we should be and aren’t getting the 30 minutes per day or 150 minutes per week that is recommended.

The second article by MyHealthNewsDaily staff reported that diet sodas don’t help with dieting and that those who drank two or more diet sodas a day had bigger waist sizes, as much as six times greater than those who don’t drink diet sodas. This finding was based on a study of 474 people in the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging by researchers at the University of Texas. In the same article they reported on a second study that showed that diabetes-prone mice that were fed aspartame (the sugar substitute found in some soft drinks) showed elevated blood sugar levels. These studies may suggest that consuming an large amount of aspartame may not be beneficial to one’s health, although human studies are needed.

Personally, I’m not a big drinker of diet sodas. I may drink a glass once every 3 or 4 months, if I’m eating out or at someone’s house. I don’t buy it at the store and keep it in my house. Occasional use of diet soda is fine. I don’t care for regular sodas that are loaded with sugar and provide nothing but calories. When thirsty, it’s better to drink a beverage with nutrients, such as skim milk or 100% fruit or vegetable juice. If you want calorie-free, water is your best bet.

Grilled Veggie Salad Takes Heat Out of the Kitchen

I wanted to create a recipe that would use summer’s bountiful produce, namely garden fresh corn, tomatoes, and zucchini. So, it was decided a corn salad would fit the bill.  Here are the steps for a Grilled Corn & Tomato Salad.

I started by reviewing existing recipes for grilling corn. I’ve grilled corn in the past, but have not been happy with the results. In the past, it has turned out too charred, dry, and a challenge to eat. After researching several recipes by others, I decided to try a technique where you soak the corn in its husks in water. Then when it is barbecued, you are actually steaming the corn.

I was able to find corn on the cob in my local supermarket, 10 ears for $2.00.  That’s just 20 cents each. You begin by carefully pulling back the husks and removing the silk.

Then, you put the husks back in place. Soak the ears in enough water to cover for 30 to 60 minutes. I used a wooden bamboo bread board to weight down the corn so it was completely submerged.

While the corn is soaking, I grill the plum tomato halves and ½-inch slices of red onion over medium heat (350), covered. I sprayed them on both sides with non-stick olive oil cooking spray. They will take about 5 to 7 minutes per side.

After 30 to 60 minutes of soaking, you remove the corn from the water and shake them well. You have the option of seasoning the corn at this point, if desired. I carefully pulled back the husks and sprinkled them with smoked paprika, one of my favorite spices at the moment.

You pull the husks up around the corn and tie them shut using a 3-inch piece of string. Then, grill them over medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, uncovered, turning them every 5 minutes or so. Then, remove the corn from the direct heat to a rack or grill without a burner on and cook the ears covered for an additional 15 minutes over indirect heat.

Remove the corn from the grill and when it is not too hot to handle remove the husks and cut the corn off the cob. Place the corn in a medium bowl with the grilled tomatoes and onions that have been cut up, along with smoked paprika, black pepper, kosher salt, and fresh chopped basil. You can serve the corn salad “as is” in a bowl.

Another option is to serve the corn salad in romaine lettuce leaves.

Or, you can serve the corn salad on top of salad greens.

The complete recipe directions can be found below.

Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

4 ears of corn on the cob

2 medium plum (Roma type) tomatoes, stem ends removed, halved lengthwise

½ medium red onion, peeled, cut into ½-inch slices

Olive oil non-stick cooking spray

4 pieces of string, each about 3 inches in length (to tie corn husks around corn)

2 tsp smoked paprika, divided

1 cup finely diced fresh zucchini

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp kosher salt, or to taste

4 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

6 cups salad greens

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium heat (350 degrees), leaving one burner unit unlit.

Remove large outer husks on corn and discard. Carefully pull back inner husks and remove silk; then smooth inner husks back in place. In a sink or large pan, soak corn in cold water to cover for 30 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile while corn is soaking, spray tomatoes and onion slices with cooking spray. Grill tomatoes and onion over medium heat, covered, until they are soft and slightly charred, turning occasionally, about 5 to 7 minutes per side. Once grilled, set aside and let cool. Remove skin from tomatoes and chop. Cut onion in ½-inch pieces.

After soaking, remove corn from water and shake off excess water. Carefully pull back inner husks and season with smoked paprika, if desired.  Smooth inner husks back over corn and tie closed with string. Place prepared corn on preheated grill for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning ears every 5 minutes or so. Move ears to indirect heat on grill, cover, and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool.

When corn has cooled enough to handle, remove husks and cut kernels from cob and place in medium bowl. Add cut  tomatoes and onion. Add zucchini, olive oil, 1 teaspoon paprika, pepper and salt. Best served slightly warm or at room temperature. Just before serving, add basil. Then place one cup of salad greens and 1 cup of corn salad on each of six salad plates.

Makes 6 servings (1 cup each)

Variation: add 1 cup of cooked black beans to the salad. It adds color contrast, protein, and fiber to the dish.

Nutrition Information per Serving:

116 calories, 5.6 g total fat, 0.9 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.6 g dietary fiber, 3.3 g protein, and 100 mg sodium. One serving of this low cost recipe provides an excellent source of iron, phosphorus, vitamin C, thiamin, and niacin.

Cost per Serving: $1.24

Pricing Note: all ingredients were at “regular” prices except corn on the cob which was on sale for 20 cents per ear. Cost will be almost negligible if homegrown tomatoes, corn, and basil can be used.

Go to these other blogs for more great grilling recipes and ideas.

Alexandra Caspero
Grilled Summer Fruit Salad
Alysa Bajenaru – Inspired RD
Grilled Romaine Salad
Cindy Brison
Nutrition Know How
Chef Pandita
Grilled Vegetables
Danielle Omar – Food Confidence
Grilled Sweet Peppers
Diane Welland – EatWellEatClean
Grilled Beet & Onion Salad with Goat Cheese
EA Stewart – The Spicy RD
Grilled Polenta Veggie Stacks with Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes
Emma Stirling – The Scoop on Nutrition
Char Siu BBQ Pork
Gretchen – Kumquat
Grilled Tandoori Chicken Skewers
Jackie Mills- Delicious Diabetes Cooking
Grilled Proscuitto Shrimp with Asian Dipping Sauce
Jessica Fishman Levinson – Nutritioulicious
Grilled Salmon Burgers with Cherry Chutney
Kat Lynch – Eating The Week
Portobello mushrooms stuffed with spiced couscous
Katie Caputo- East Meats West
Succulent Sirloin Kabobs
Kristen – Swanky Dietitian
Portabella Mushroom Burgers with Grilled Corn
Lisa – Healthful Sense
Grilled Veggie Bean Burgers
Liz Weiss and Janice Newell Bissex – Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen
Mushroom Burgers with the Works, Mushroom Cannellini Spread
Marie Spano
Italian Grilled Turkey Burgers
Nicole Ferring Holovach – Whole Health RD
Grilled Eggs
Rebecca Scritchfield – MeFirst
Grilled Plantains: A Sweet Summer Side Dish
Regan – The Professional Palate
Grilled Eggplant & Two-Tomato Whole-Wheat Piadina
Serena – Teaspoon of Spice
Grilled Watermelon Salad

Gallop poll shows Americans healthy habits declining

A Gallop poll released Friday, June 11^th, looked at adults healthy habits of eating fruits and vegetables, not smoking, and exercising for at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. Compared to the same time last year, they found that Americans are doing more poorly in all three habits. They indicate that it may be partly due to higher gasoline prices because families have less money to spend on food.  See the news article link by clicking here.

Think through your week and make a shopping list of the foods you need. You’ll be less likely to buy impulse items and spend less overall. Go to http://www.nutritionbudgeteer.com/ to find a lot more money-saving tips and strategies to eat healthier.

Do you have any tips for eating healthier for less that you’d like to share with others?

Making a Healthier Lasagna

I love lasagna but I wanted to make a recipe that was “healthier” than traditional lasagna. Lasagna at a well-known Italian restaurant chain can easily be 850 to 1170 calories, 47 to 68 grams of total fat, 25 to 39 grams of saturated fat, and 1830 to 2830 milligrams of sodium for just one serving! Ugh!

So, I began with browning ground turkey, 93% lean which was available in my market for $3.99 a pound. To this I added chopped onion and seasonings. Then I added the zucchini and yellow summer squash and frozen broccoli (you can use fresh broccoli instead, if you prefer). I cooked this mixture on top of the range for several minutes.

Instead of ricotta cheese that can be loaded with fat and sodium, I decided to try a mixture of 1% cottage cheese that comes as “no salt added” and has only 75 mg of sodium per serving and farmer’s cheese, which was also no salt added. You have to look hard in the supermarket for the no salt added cheeses. You probably have to go to the larger supermarkets that offer a greater selection of cheeses.



I don’t like the fuss of lasagna noodles that you have to boil in a big pot of water. I always make lasagna now with the “no boil” style of lasagna noodles.

Assembly is like any lasagna, rows of sauce, noodles, more sauce, cheese and then gets repeated for several layers. With the no boil lasagna noodles, I’ve learned over the years that you have to be sure to spread the sauce evenly over the noodles because the dry noodles take the moisture from the sauce to rehydrate. You don’t want to leave parts of the dry noodles exposed without sauce.

And, here is the final product. A tasty, hearty lasagna with a lot fewer calories, sodium, and saturated fat. One serving (1/9^th of a 9x13-inch baking dish) provides only 325 calories, 8.9 grams of total fat, 3.7 grams of saturated fat, and 350 milligrams of sodium.

Click here for the complete Turkey & Vegetable Lasagna Recipe.

Farmer’s Markets A Great Place to Shop

I went food shopping yesterday at a farmer’s market that is unusual in that it is open year round and has an actual permanent storefront location. It features regional produce, but also displays many non-perishable foods, especially ethnic foods from many regions of the world.

I spent $11.30 and got the following fresh produce items:

8 oz. baby portabella mushrooms

3 bunches of scallions

2 large heads of broccoli crowns

4 plum tomatoes

2 bell peppers, one green and one yellow

4 avocados

2 bunches of cilantro

4 lbs of bananas

Right now I have garden fresh lettuces (romaine, red leaf, and others) growing in my backyard. So I can make a hearty vegetable salad every day for a week with the items I purchased at the farmer’s market combined with my homegrown lettuces.

I can enjoy bananas as a snack or in cereal or on whole grain toast. Of course, you could also make some guacamole with the avocados, green onions, plum tomatoes. I would just add a fresh chopped jalapeno pepper, some lime or lemon juice and seasonings. One of my favorite seasonings currently is ground chipotle pepper. It adds pizzazz to many dishes.