Tag Archives: health

Healthy Fudge Balls

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two types of fudge balls

If you follow my blog, you know that I love finding foods that go together quickly and are good for you. I’ve played aroound with a number of “healthy truffles” and “energy balls.”
Dueling Peanut Butter Balls: http://www.nanaclareskitchen.com/2011/12/05/dueling-peanut-butter-balls/
Dr. Oz Peanut Butter Balls, my way: http://www.nanaclareskitchen.com/2012/04/26/dr-ozs-peanut-butter-and-oat-balls-my-way/
Great Balls of Energy: http://www.nanaclareskitchen.com/2012/04/24/great-balls-of-energy/

fudge balls


But my husband mentioned the other day that he really craves dark chocolate – and he always loves dates. So I got to work in my lab, eeerrr kitchen, and came up with these. BEST EVER!!!

coconut balls


Like most of my recipes, you can eliminate some ingredients or swap out others if you don’t like them or don’t have them in your pantry. I’ll mention some easy swaps at the end.

baking dates


Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter, your choice
1 cup oats (I used quick for these)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder – yes it’s a lot, but so worth it
1/2 cup baking dates – or pitted dates that have been chopped fine
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Stevia
1/2 cup white chocolate mini toppers (I found them at the clearance rack one day and had to try them.)
1/2 cup coconut – optional

Directions
Put all ingredients (except coconut) into a bowl and mix with a strong spoon until all blended.
Use a teaspoon or small cookie scoop to create small balls.
If you like, roll some or all in coconut.

Swaps:
Use craisins, figs or raisins instead of dates.
Use powdered flax meal instead of Stevia if you want yours less sweet.
Use agave nectar instead of honey.
Instead of mini toppers, use mini chocolate chips or toasted sesame seeds.
instead of rolling them in coconut roll them in toasted sesame seeds.

Play with your food! Let me know what works for you.

mini toppers

add toppers

kept Zoe busy licking the empty peanut butter jar


roll in coconut

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Yogurt, pure and simple

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delicious


yogurt with a strawberry

Remember that line from the movie “Field of Dreams” where the ball player asks, “Is this Heaven?” The response is, “No, it’s Iowa.” Well I live in a part of Iowa that’s pretty close to heaven. It’s not the stereotypical neighborhood made up of only European descendents. On our one block we have folks that have moved here from Turkey, Russia, India and China. We’re a diverse group of folks who enjoy being neighbors, sharing plants and food, chatting, keeping watch over each other’s homes and swapping recipes.

our pretty Priti


At one dinner, Priti, who is originally from Kerala, India, explained how she makes yogurt every few days. I asked to sit in on a session and she graciously agreed. I was astonished at how simple the process is. Like Priti and her husband, we eat yogurt nearly every day and the prices at the grocery store keep rising and the containers keep getting smaller. Most yogurt is now sold in containers holding 4 – 6 ounces. By making our own, we can add our own sweeteners or fruit and bypass the unpronounceable ingredients.

a milk pot

whisking away

with agave sweetener

Ingredients
There are only two ingredients to get you started:
7 cups milk – it should be pasteurized, but it can be whole milk, 2% or skim. Whatever you like. (You can also cut the quantity down.)
1/3- 1/2 cup yogurt cultures. The first time you make this you will need to purchase something like Dannon all natural yogurt with live cultures. It should say this on the label. After you have made your first batch, save out 1/3 – 1/2 cup to start the next batch.
Priti usually doesn’t measure ingredients, but she did for us, so the quantities can vary with good results.

Directions
Use only metal or glass containers to make yogurt.
Bring your milk to a boil and turn off the heat. Priti has a traditional milk pot, but she says any metal pot will work for this.
Let the milk cool to lukewarm temp – about 100 degrees.
Add the yogurt and whip it into the milk with a fork until it’s smooth and well incorporated.

Turn the light on in your oven just to warm it a bit. (If your kitchen is very cold, you may turn on your oven for 10 seconds and then turn it off.)
Place the yogurt container into the oven and let it sit about 4-6 hours until it thickens.

It’s that simple. Priti let me take part of her batch home so that I could see for myself how it thickened in the oven and it was like magic. It’s a very creamy yogurt and nice and thick.

yum


If you want your yogurt to be even thicker – like a Greek yogurt – Priti says you can place the ingredients into a clay pot which will evaporate more of the moisture and leave a thicker end result.

I swirled some Agave nectar on my yogurt and ate it with strawberries. So delicious! Thanks for sharing this with all of us Priti!
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Spicy Quinoa

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After I graduated from college, I lived in London for a year and a half. I learned to make a really spicy curry dish and ate curried eggs or shrimp often. A short time after Ken and I were married, I wanted to show off my skills,(I’m talking about cooking here!) so I made him a dish using lots of spices for dinner. He took a bite, swallowed, gasped and ran to the sink, turned on the faucet and stuck his tongue into the running water. After a moment, he turned off the water and demanded, “Are you trying to kill me?” So much for the honeymoon! He grew up with a bland diet and the shock of the heavy spices was too much for his palate.

quinoa


Because of this, for more than 30 years he has always said he doesn’t like curry. However, now and then I sneak it into dishes to test the water. When I made this spicy quinoa for him, he loved it and didn’t detect foul play.

spicy quinoa


This is a dish I modified from Allrecipes.com submitted by “Cinderella.” I changed a number of ingredients, but what appealed to me was the blend of Mediterranean and Indian flavors. What Ken liked was the variety of textures with crunchy pine nuts and sweet golden raisins, along with the subtle blend of spices.

Although this is a side dish, with a few modifications, (like adding some cooked chicken or shrimp) it could easily become a main dish.

pine nuts toasted

quinoa with cooked veggies

add spices, nuts, raisins

a picnic of flavors

Tips: Quinoa
Let’s chat a moment about quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah). According to the “Food Lover’s Companion,” a dictionary of culinary terms, quinoa is being hailed as a “supergrain of the future” because it’s high in protein and lower in carbs than other grains. Quinoa is “considered a complete protein because it contains all eight essential amino acids.” That all sounds good, but how does it taste? Well, like rice or other grains, it’s bland and needs other foods to lift it up to the yummy level. And like rice, it’s so versatile you can use it as a side dish, main dish, soup, dessert or in breads. Because it’s fairly new to the American market, it’s still more expensive than rice, but with the added health benefits, I think it’s worth it. And the small, pearl-like little balls are very easy to cook, so it’s no more trouble than rice.

Ingredients
1 cup pine nuts, toasted lightly
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 medium size onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 cup quinoa – uncooked
2 1/2 cups water or chicken stock
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper (or black)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup golden raisins (or regular)

Directions
In a medium sized pan, pour the water or chicken stock and quinoa. If you use water, you may want to add two chicken bullion cubes for added flavor. Cook about 20 minutes until done. Set aside.
In a frying pan, place the pine nuts over medium heat and lightly toast about 3-4 minutes. (No oil needed.)
Pour the pine nuts into a bowl after they’re toasted.
Pour olive oil into the pan over medium heat.
Add red pepper and onion and saute for 3-5 minutes.
Add cooked quinoa, the spices, pine nuts and raisins. Toss to combine.
Serve warm or cold (like a pasta salad).

Spicy Quinoa is another recipe that you can experiment with and change the spices to your taste. If your regular grocery store doesn’t carry quinoa, check a health food store. If you don’t have pine nuts, slivered almonds would happily stand in for them. Play with your food. Life’s a journey.

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Roasted Vegetable Medley

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There is something relaxing about cutting up fruits or vegetables. At the end of a day I can work off a lot of frustration chopping away. Or I can mentally work through a problem while creating mounds of ingredients for a soup, salad or stir fry.

delicious

fruit salad


Last weekend we had dinner with our son, Jake, and his wife, Becky, along with Becky’s parents, Gene and Sue. They had spent the day together and a good part of the afternoon was spent chopping. They put together a delicious fruit and lettuce salad and roasted a huge pan of vegetables. They used artichokes, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and more to create a potpourri of flavors. We all commented on how tasty the vegetables were.

Becky's roasted veggies

basic kitchen staples


a sprinkle of herbs

I made a smaller version of it this week with the veggies I had on hand. I used all fresh vegetables, but I suspect you could also add some frozen in the mix, as long as you let them thaw for a few minutes so they’d all cook evenly. I started with just four ingredients, but then added radishes for color. This is definitly a recipe to play with, changing out the vegetables as well as the herbs. I hope you give it a try.
I roasted these in a hot oven, but I know that you can also wrap them in aluminum foil and put them on the grill.

Ingredients for my roasted vegetables
1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into chunks
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 green pepper
1 onion
6 radishes
2 TBS olive oil
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
Mrs. Dash original herbs

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut vegetables into chunks and place in a baking dish or roasting pan.
Drizzle with oil.
Sprinkle on seasonings and mix well.
Bake about 10 minutes and stir well.
Return to oven for another 10 – 15 minutes.

We had enough vegetables to enjoy for another meal and they heated up easily and were just as good the next day.
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