Category: Healthy (Page 23 of 24)

      The Minimalist Mark Bittman’s favorites from his column

      February 1, 2011 /

      Mark Bittman’s “The Minimalist” column ceased publication in its New York Times home last week, but he wrapped things up by choosing his personal 25 favorite recipes from his run.

      Okay, so I haven’t tried any of these per se, and some of them, like braised squid with artichokes, and Crisp Braised Duck Legs are not food you’d see me preparing too often. But most of them are intriguing–like the spaghetti with fried egg; no knead bread; curried eggplant; or stir-fried chicken with ketchup. Bittman’s work has also appeared often in mags like Men’s Health, and some of those I have tried. And I can vouge for one thing–the man is a master at recipe creation, and anything I’ve tried was usually simple to make, delicious, and with no crazy ingredients. I’m guessing that was the premise of his column too–no elaborate ingredients or instruction.

      So check out the link to Bittman’s 25 faves, where you can link to each recipe to try them. I know I’m going to do the same very soon….

      Chefs and Restaurants, Healthy, Ingredients, Your Kitchen

      Product review: Biggest Loser Simply Sensible meals

      January 31, 2011 /

      Chef JimNBC’s “The Biggest Loser” isn’t just a hit reality TV show–it’s become big business with cookbooks, workout videos, and now with easy-to-prepare refrigerated meals that you can buy in your grocery store. These aren’t frozen meals, and they aren’t the same meal plan fare we reviewed recently. These are meals anyone can buy, and nuke at home, putting a healthy option dinner on the table in minutes.

      The PR company for the meals sent us four of them to sample, and quite honestly, they were all very good. Some stood out and some had things that stood out in a bad way, but for the most part, it’s hard to find food you can have on the table this fast that is this healthy that you don’t make yourself or eat in a restaurant. Here is the breakdown of what we tried….

      Beef Tips with Gravy and Brown Rice–The meat was fairly tender, and while the sauce lists garlic high on the ingredient list, the garlic did not overpower the meal at all. The sauce was flavorful, and despite the fact that the rice was sort of undercooked and grainy, I didn’t want to stop eating this one.

      Mediterraean Chicken with Bowtie Pasta–This meal had a strong red bell pepper flavor, and the chicken was surprisingly moist and tender. The pasta, like the rice in the beef tips meal, was kind of dry and grainy, even served with the sauce from the chicken.

      Pot Roast and Gray with Mashed Potatoes–This one was a bit baffling, mainly because the meat was one big chunk instead of several little ones, but maybe that is the authentic feel they wanted. It was certainly tender meat that you could break apart with a fork, and was quite delicious. It was also stringy the way pot roast should be. However, the potatoes, which were supposed to be real potatoes, were bland and also grainy. I also would have liked to see more carrots in the dish.

      Zing Chicken with Brown Rice–This one had a really nice sweet and spicy kick–maybe a bit too sweet for a “healthy” meal, but it sure tasted good. The chicken was tender, and just like the others, I would have liked more vegetables and the rice was dry and grainy. But overall this was maybe my favorite of the four.

      If you have a chance to try these Simply Sensible meals, you can buy them and store them in the fridge for months before having to eat or freeze them….and they are really great meals to have on hand if you need something quick and healthy in your fridge.

      Healthy, Product Reviews, Your Kitchen

      A can a week: Muir Glen Chicken Tortilla Soup

      January 18, 2011 /

      Chef JimI’ve been really making an effort to eat better in 2011–and by that I mean healthier. You may remember I posted something about buying bigger pants just before the holidays, and I’m still wearing them–but trying to eat less carbs, eat more produce and get to the gym. Don’t worry…..I still love fatty fried foods and bacon, so there will be plenty of that in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, here is a review of a soup I tried today that tastes pretty damn good for being good for you, Muir Glen Organic Chicken Tortilla soup.

      It’s not like I go out of my way to eat organic, but I picked up this soup because it’s all natural–the ingredient list if fairly long but you won’t find any crap listed on it. It’s one large serving, though the can claims it’s two. But still, you’re eating quality food.

      This soup is a rich tomato/chicken broth with black beans, corn, and giant chunks of chicken meat. It’s also a tad spicy, but being me, I had to add some hot sauce. It wasn’t overly salty or not salty enough, and the only spice drawback is that the flavor of cumin kind of dominated-and cumin is not for everyone (just ask my wife, who calls it the “armpit” spice).

      Overall, this soup tastes great and is good for you, with 14 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per can. My only real complaint? There are no tortillas in it, and it’s called chicken tortilla soup. There is corn, and there is toasted corn flour to thicken it, but no actual tortillas. It didn’t affect the flavor, but still…why call it that?

      So if you’re looking for a healthy option for lunch that tastes great, pick up a can of Muir Glen soup…..I found it in the health food section of our local grocery store. And I’ll see you on the treadmill!

      Healthy, Product Reviews, Your Kitchen

      Spaghetti sauce 101

      January 8, 2011 /

      For you guys that have never made homemade spaghetti sauce, here is my version that is so easy, a monkey could do it. And it’s real. I’m not talking open a few jars easy. Go ahead, give it a try….it’s the weekend and it’s cold outside in most places……

      Here is what you’ll need:

      ¼ cup olive oil
      2 32 oz. Cans crushed tomatoes
      1 can diced tomatoes
      1 small can tomato paste
      1 small onion
      2-3 garlic cloves or 1-2 teaspoons jarred garlic
      2 tsp. Sugar
      2 tsp Italian seasoning
      Salt and pepper
      Fresh basil and parsley

      You’ll need a giant pot, like a soup pot. Heat the oil over medium heat for a minute or two, and while that’s warming, peel the brown skin off the onion and throw it in the oil, whole. Push that around with a wooden spoon until it sizzles, and let it sizzle for a few minutes. If using garlic cloves, peel them and smash with the back of a large spoon or dull knife—but trust me, the jarred stuff is easier to use and just as good. Throw the garlic in the pot and let it brown, which takes about 30 seconds. Then add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir until the paste thins out into the sauce.

      Then add the sugar, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. I like a lot of salt, a tablespoon or so, but that’s me. If you have high blood pressure, that’s not such a good idea. Then lower the heat, cover, and let that simmer for 2-3 hours. Just before serving it, chop a little fresh basil and fresh parsley and throw it in. That’s it.

      Then just boil some spaghetti and you’ve just made homemade spaghetti sauce, just like Mom or Grandma used to. For an added touch, Purdue makes these really great, low-fat pre-cooked turkey meatballs. You can either warm them separately or throw them in the sauce for 10 minutes. Add a salad and maybe some store bought garlic bread or plain Italian bread and you’ve got a complete meal that will not only impress your wife, girlfriend or date, it should also impress yourself.

      Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes, Your Kitchen

      Losing that holiday weight

      January 3, 2011 /

      Yeah, I know. This is not what you wanted to hear from a food site right after the holidays. But the truth is, we’re all in need of larger pants after a month of indulging. Heck, I wrote on here a couple weeks ago that I bought bigger pants at Old Navy before going to my favorite Wisconsin cheese store. I’m wearing them now, in fact. So yeah, now it’s time to try and shed a few pounds. Of course, that doesn’t mean this is going to suddenly be a blog about weight loss. But here are a few guy-friendly recipes I posted on
      Grub For Guys, especially good if you have a bigger bulge right now…..

      After the holiday edition of Grub For Guys that we presented you with, and after all of the holiday meals you no doubt indulged in, and on, you guys probably have a few extra pounds you want to shed this time of year. Well, I know I do. So I’m back on my favorite diet, the South Beach Diet. I’m a big proponent of this diet because it works, and because it’s easy for most guys. We get to eat lots of meat, cheese, nuts, and veggies, as well as a few sugar free treats, and all in all it’s not that hard. Well, sometimes it is, because in today’s world, cutting out bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and anything with sugar is very difficult. So I’m here to give you a few great low-carb options that make life a bit easier when trying to shrink that gut…..

      Mikey’s Cobb Salad

      Ingredients
      4-6 cups shredded lettuce
      1 8 oz. strip steak
      1 4-5 oz. boneless chicken breast
      5-6 slices bacon
      2 hard-boiled eggs
      1 avocado
      1 tomato
      ¼ cup shredded or cubed cheddar cheese
      ¼ cup green or black olives
      ¼ cup pickled jalapeno peppers
      Low carb dressing such as ranch or blue cheese
      Salt and pepper

      Directions:
      Wash lettuce and shred into two large bowls. Sprinkle steak and chicken with salt and pepper and grill over medium-high heat 5-10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and steak is to desired doneness. Remove from grill and keep on a plate covered with foil. Cook bacon until crisp (I use one of those microwave trays that cooks it perfectly every time). Cut avocado in half, remove pit and scoop out flesh. Slice and place on lettuce. Chop tomato and put that on lettuce. Slice egg and divide over salad. Add cheese, olives, and jalapenos. Slice chicken and steak and place on salad. Crumble bacon on top. Serve with dressing. Makes 2 servings, but you can double or triple as needed.

      Grilled Buffalo Tenders

      Ingredients
      1 pound boneless chicken breast tenders
      Salt and pepper
      Cooking spray
      ½ cup Buffalo wing sauce (Frank’s Red Hot is great and is very low in calories, fat, and carbs)

      Directions
      Spray tenders lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour wing sauce into a large bowl. Grill tenders over medium high heat until no longer pink and slightly charred on the outside. Toss tenders in sauce and serve with celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing if you like. P.S. Trust me, you won’t miss the deep fried version of wings one bit with this one.

      Cheese/Peanut Butter Squares

      If you like those crispy cheese/peanut butter crackers, and who doesn’t? I’m giving you a low-carb option that you’re going to love.

      Ingredients
      4 slices mild cheddar cheese
      2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter

      Directions
      Lay cheese slices on a plate or large cutting board. Spread peanut butter over two of the cheese slices, and top with other two slices. You should now have two large square “sandwiches.” Cut each of these into quarters and serve. Makes 8 squares, but you can easily double or triple this one as well.

      Muffaletta Rolls

      The best part of the Muffaletta is the olive salad and the meat, right? Well, it’s also the kickass giant Kaiser rolls they use. But we have to improvise here and this is as close as we can come.

      Ingredients
      10 slices deli ham or turkey, or both
      1 cup pimento stuffed green olives
      ½ cup pickled cauliflower or other pickled vegetables
      1 Tbsp. juice from olives
      2 Tbsp. olive oil
      1 Tbsp. Red or white wine vinegar
      1 tsp. dried oregano
      Dash of salt and black pepper

      Directions
      Separate meat slices on a large platter. Combine remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until combined but still slightly chunky. Spread a bit of olive salad on each slice of meat, roll up and serve. (Note: you can also roll up in provolone cheese or combine meat and cheese before rolling up).

      Turkey Brat Bites

      Ingredients
      6-8 Smoked Turkey Bratwurst
      Mustard

      Directions
      Grill brats until glazed and with a few grill marks. Slice into chunks and serve with your favorite mustard for dipping.

      Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes, Your Kitchen

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