Tag Archives: Dr. Oz

Chocolate Cherry “Ice Cream”

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Want to live to 200 without losing your keys? Try this dessert.

I took some grief when I posted the high calorie Rocky Road Brownies, so I am going to redeem myself with this non dairy, sugar free, gluten free, artificial sweetener-free dessert. Chocolate Cherry “Ice Cream” is right out of Dr. Fuhrman’s cookbook, “3 Steps to Incredible Health, Relish it.”

Dr. Fuhrman is getting lots of media attention lately for his approach to nutrition which he believes can help us all live to infinity.

Luckily he’s an old med school buddy with Dr. Oz, so he’s now the go-to guest when Oz needs someone who is as thin as he is.

My theory about eating plans is that if they have good desserts they may be worth a second look. This recipe passed the test.

I made it in a blender and I think a food processor would be a better choice because it would blend the ingredients better. But we both loved the taste and saw no need to add any additional sweeteners to make it palatable. It was delicious!

The one change I would make is to leave it in the freezer for more than 20 minutes. I was too eager to try it, so we didn’t leave it in long enough to get really slushy. Ken thought it was a pudding; no complaints.

makes 2 servings

Ingredients for Chocolate Cherry “Ice Cream” – Makes 2 servings

garnish with a frozen cherry


1/2 cup soy, hemp or almond milk
1 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Dark)
4 dates, pitted
1 1/2 cups frozen dark sweet cherries, pitted

Blend together in a high powered blender or food processor until smooth.
Pour into two dishes and freeze about an hour.

Enjoy guilt free!

Naturally, swapping out strawberries or other berries would work well.
Adding a bit of almond extract would also be good.

Or you could skip the almond milk and use Irish Cream, but that would be a whole different dessert.
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Roasted Chickpeas

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We’re all looking for snacks that are healthier, right? Well these little peas, which are really garbanzo beans, can be roasted until crisp and flavored any way you like to create your own fun food. Seriously!
This little jewel comes from my daughter, the fitness guru, Rose. Naturally, I had to try them.

roasted chickpeas


Of course, she starts with a bag of dried chickpeas, soaks them overnight and then boils them for another hour or two.

I started with a can of chickpeas. You do as you like, but I hope you try these.

roast on parchment paper


It took about a minute to prepare them (my way) for the oven and then came the wait to see if they’d really be snack worthy.

roast till golden


While I was waiting I prepared some roasted kale. Why not fill up the oven, right? Besides now Dr. Fuhrman and Dr. Oz and the DASH diet and others are saying we need FIVE servings of vegetables each day. So the Kale chips can help reach that. But they are addictive. I blogged about them earlier, but basically, just wash the kale and cut off the stems and toss that. Put the kale leaves on a bar pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with a small amount of olive oil and garlic salt. Bake about five- ten min and you’ll have an irresistible snack. When I blogged about them last time I didn’t use the parchment paper and they got much darker. This time they baked more evenly.

roasted kale chips


But back to our chickpeas, err garbanzo beans. I’ve always loved them because they hold their shape and texture in soups. And they’re so cute! Well now the cuteness level has been amped up.

ready for snack attack


Ingredients
Chickpeas – 1 15 oz can
1 TBS olive oil
Paprika
Garlic salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a bar pan with parchment paper. (Don’t use a cookie sheet with no sides or they’ll roll all over your oven or kitchen floor.)
Spread the canned (or cooked) chickpeas onto the pan.
Drizzle olive oil over peas.
Sprinkle with paprika and garlic salt or whatever else you’d like to try.
Bake about 30 minutes. Check on them now and then and roll them around.
That’s it. You’ll have little snacks that are full of protein and fiber but taste a bit like nuts.
If you want your peas (beans?) to be crunchier, bake them longer. If you prefer them softer, lessen the oven time.

So easy. A great little snack that will be paired nicely with kale chips. Rose says you can toss these on a salad to add more crunch.

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Chia Blueberry Muggin – Muffin in a Mug

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After a month of nonstop holiday baking, cooking (and, naturally, eating), I’m trying to wean myself off sugar. After only a few days of so-so success, I feel as if I should be sainted. Yikes. I’ve heard sugar is as addictive as hard drugs and I believe it.
So while I was experimenting in the kitchen with a no sugar brownie recipe (which was nothing to blog about!) I heard on the news that there is a recipe contest using chia seeds.

big as the tip of a pencil


My ears perked up. Chia Seeds! You know, those cute little black dots that look like poppy seeds. They actually sport a variety of subtle shades of brown, grey and black and are the size of the top of a pencil.

I do enjoy using chia seeds and happen to have a couple of bags of them on hand. My mind raced with all the fun things I could make. Everyone seems to love the simplicity and variety of the Muggin – or Muffin in a Mug. So Voila! A Chia Blueberry Muggin.
The most popular item on my blog is the Cinnamon Muffin in a Mug. So I know the simplicity of a muggin is an easy way to get a ton of nutrition in a tasty package.

chia seed varieties

The contest rules say that you need to use 2 Tablespoons of chia seeds in each recipe. To make this even more nourishing, I used blueberries and walnuts; both superfoods. Add the oatmeal and this includes FOUR superfoods!

If you don’t know much about the chia seeds, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to know they contain all kinds of omega-3 fatty acids. Not that I really know what that is or why anything called a “fatty acid” would be a healthy addition to a diet. It’s a mystery, but I’ll accept it on faith.

Chia seeds also absorb moisture in our stomachs, so they expand and help us stay full longer. There’s tons more information about this superfood in dozens of websites. This one seems to lay out the facts simply about chia nutrition.

I made a few versions before the master taste tester, my hubby Ken, tried a bite and his eyes lit up. “This is really good,” he said sounding like Dr. Oz who says that after trying every culinary item presented to him. I do hope Dr. Oz likes them because the contest prize is a trip to New York to present the item to the great Oz himself. And this is a prize winning recipe. Try it and see if your taste buds don’t cheer!

Be careful not to “over bake” this. The chia seeds will expand with moisture, so I took it out of the microwave when it was just set up in the middle and still a bit gooey on the bottom when I flipped it onto a plate. That was perfect.

Note: For those who follow my blog and have a container of “Muggin Mix,” yes, you may use the mix. Just delete the flour, oats and baking powder from the ingredients below and use 3 TBS + ½ tsp of Muggin Mix.

Gluten Free option – swap out the flour for quick oats.
Dairy Free option – swap out the yogurt for applesauce or oil.

Chia Blueberry Muggin – or Muffin in a Mug
Ingredients
1 egg
2 TBS plain yogurt
1 TBS honey
½ tsp almond extract
2 TBS chia seeds

2 TBS flour
1 TBS quick oats
½ tsp baking powder

4 TBS blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 TBS chopped walnuts

Directions
Whisk the egg in a large coffee mug that will hold at least 12 – 16 ounces.
Add yogurt, honey, almond extract and chia seeds and mix well.
Stir in the dry ingredients until well blended.
Carefully fold in the blueberries and walnuts.
Put in microwave for about 1 ½ – 2 minutes. Don’t over bake.
Tip out onto a plate and enjoy.

The perfect breakfast – or dessert. High in protein, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, whatever they are! Three superfoods cha cha together using ch-ch-ch-chia seeds.

The most popular item on my blog is the Cinnamon Muffin in a Mug. Please give it a test drive.
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In Praise of Juicing

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OK, I broke down and purchased a “juicer.” You know those machines that take hearty fruits and veggies and turn out green colored juice? Yes, that’s the one.

Green juice


Now, before you think I’ve gone off the cliff as a reaction to too much holiday baking (and eating), hang in here with me.

Isaac and his juicer

Last month while we were in Florida visiting our son, Isaac, and his family, Isaac told us he had been on a juice fast for two weeks. In fact he and his wife, Kara, had both been drinking juice concoctions as a replacement for meals. Yes, they had some impressive weight losses. What got them inspired? They watched a video documentary called: “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead,” by Joe Cross, a man on a health and weight loss journey. This man is monitored by a doctor along the way, named Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

We tried one of the juices and at first I was a bit hesitant. The smell of cucumber and celery was a bit off putting, to say nothing of the green color from all the kale. But I felt so wonderful for hours after drinking the juice that I found myself craving it.

When we returned home we stumbled upon a program on public television – “Three Steps to Incredible Health” by Dr. Fuhrman. His eating plan is so much more than juicing. He speaks about the importance of getting micronutrients into our bodies through eating and drinking high nutrient fruits and vegetables in much larger quantities than most of us are accustomed to. He also claims that we can reverse disease and food addictions by following his plan. Pretty interesting claims. (Food addictions? You mean like the chocolate chips I’m munching on as I write this?)

Well the week after we saw him on public television, he was a guest on Dr. Oz. (May have been a rerun.) There he shared his suggestion that our diet focus on “G-Bombs”-
Greens
Beans
Onions
Mushrooms
Berries
Seeds and nuts

I didn’t see chocolate chips on the list, but I’m still intrigued. So you may start seeing some interesting new recipes here as I put my big toe into this water. The most difficult part for me is to cut down on animal products because I live on dairy, eggs, poultry and, of course, chocolate. But I know I can incorporate more vegetables and that’s a start.

Quick juice recipe – from Clare – Makes 3 servings
1 cucumber
6-7 bunches of kale
5-6 stalks of celery
3 apples
2 oranges
1 lime
6-8 leaves of romaine lettuce
1 green or red pepper
Few slices of pineapple

Just put it all into the juicer raw and juice away. You can store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days, but we try to drink it within 24 hours.

So here’s to a healthy 2013. It’s what we all want – to feel our best. Let me know how your journey is progressing.

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