Tag Archives: low calorie

Pineapple and Mango Salsa

Pineapple and Mango Salsahealth, wellness, diet, dietitian, nutrition, nutritionist, michelle moreau, chef, healthy kitchen, healthcare, medical insurance, Portsmouth, NH, seacoast, celiac, cardiac, diabetes, diet, weight loss, recipe, counseling, healthcare, gluten free,, salsa, pineapple, mango, vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, seafood

This salsa is a great accompaniment to grilled foods, including chicken, fish and tofu. Grilled bananas taste great with it too.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup       Pineapple, diced
1 cup       Cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup       Mango, diced
1/3 cup    Bell pepper, orange, diced
2 medium Scallions, thinly sliced
1/8 cup    Cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon Tamari, gluten-free, low-sodium
1 medium   Jalapeno chile, minced

PREPARATION:
Put all ingredients into a medium sized bowl and toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavors blend.

Makes 3.5 cups

health, wellness, diet, dietitian, nutrition, nutritionist, michelle moreau, chef, healthy kitchen, healthcare, medical insurance, Portsmouth, NH, seacoast, celiac, cardiac, diabetes, diet, weight loss, recipe, counseling, healthcare, gluten free, multi fruit, rainbow, salsa, seafood
Pictured: Grilled Mahi Mahi & Banana with Pineapple Mango Salsa, Sweet Mash, Rice


What is a serving size?

What exactly is a serving size?

How much is just right?  Everyone has heard by now that, whether dining out or eating at home, the average American’s plate is often filled with over-sized portions. But what exactly is a proper serving size? Here is a handy, quick guide comparing  single-sized  food portions to everyday items:

3 ounces of poultry, beef or fish ~ a deck of cards, or a checkbook

2 tablespoons peanut butter ~ a golf ball

an ounce of nuts ~ about a handful

1 cup cereal ~ a baseball

1 cup pasta ~ a tennis ball

1 dinner roll ~ a yo-yo

1 baked potato ~ a computer mouse

1 cup green salad ~ 1 baseball

1 serving of fruit (1/2 cup) ~1/2 a baseball, or a standard ice cream scoop

1 serving of vegetables (1/2 cup) ~ 1/2 a baseball, or a standard ice cream scoop

1 ounce cheese ~ a pair of dice

1 teaspoon butter ~ 1 “Scrabble” game tile

Another way to roughly estimate portion sizes is by using your hand (of course, make adjustments accordingly if you are way above or below average-sized!):

About one cup~ your fist

About 1 ounce meat or cheese~ your thumb

About 1 tablespoon ~ your thumb tip

About 1 teaspoon~ your fingertip

Make sure to take the “What to Eat: Personalized” quiz to learn exactly how many servings from each food group (Meats and Beans, Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Dairy) is right for you.  Knowledge is power.

Happy healthy eating!


Cauliflower “Rice” Veggie Rolls with Asparagus, Roasted Red Pepper & Thai Basil

Cauliflower “Rice” Veggie Rolls with Asparagus, Roasted Red Pepper & Thai Basil

Both the grilled peppers and cauliflower rice can be made ahead; just make sure to refrigerate until ready to use. Plan to not cook the asparagus ahead of time- that way you won’t lose its vibrant green color.

INGREDIENTS:Asparagus, Roasted Pepper and Thai Basil Sushi Roll
2 Bell Peppers, red, washed
24 Asparagus stalks, thin, washed & trimmed
1/3 Cauliflower head, washed, trimmed + chopped into medium pieces
1 tsp Mirin
1 tsp Simple syrup
1 tsp Vinegar, rice
1/2 tsp Sesame seeds, white
4 Nori sheets
26-36 Thai basil leaves (substitute regular basil leaves if unavailable)

PREPARATION:
Grill red peppers, turning occasionally, until all sides are black. Place peppers in a bowl; cover bowl in saran wrap and let peppers rest for 20-30 minutes. Unwrap bowl; remove and discard pepper skins, stems & seeds. Cut roasted pepper into long strips.

Steam asparagus until al dente, about a minute. Throw asparagus into ice bath to stop cooking; remove from water.

Place cauliflower, mirin, simple syrup and rice vinegar into food processor. Chop until cauliflower pieces are about the size of rice grains. Stir in sesame seeds.

To assemble: Place 1 nori sheet on sushi mat. Thinly spread cauliflower mixture over nori sheet, leaving a 1/2 inch “lip” of one side bare. Place a row of basil leaves in middle of cauliflower (running parallel to bare lip.) Lay some pepper strips on top of basil leaves. Lay 3 steamed asparagus stalks over pepper, allowing the asparagus heads to extend beyond the end of the roll. Take three more asparagus stalks and trim to fit the space left at the end of the first three stalks, again allowing for some length so that the asparagus tips will stick out of veggie roll end. Roll mat slowly toward “lip”; wet bare Nori lip with water and rub onto roll to seal.
Dampen a chef’s knife with a moist cloth. Carefully slice roll into 6-8 pieces. For easier cutting, make sure to clean and re-moisten blade with damp cloth in between each slice.

GARNISH OPTIONS: soy sauce*, wasabi, and/or pickled ginger

*use wheat-free soy sauce or Tamari if preparing gluten-free

Makes 4 veggie rolls
Serving size: 1 roll


Onion Dip

Onion Dip

Baked Taro Chips with Onion Dip on Radicchio

Very quick to assemble, and tastes much better than any processed, store-bought version.
Serve with chopped veggies or baked chips.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Cottage cheese, nonfat

¼ cup Milk, nonfat

2 oz Cream cheese, nonfat

¼ cup Onion, white, chopped

½ tsp Garlic cloves, minced

1/8 tsp Onion powder

½ tb Vinegar, rice

1/12 tsp Pepper, white

¼ tsp + to taste Salt

to taste Black Pepper

1/8 tsp Paprika

as needed Olive oil

1 tb Chives, minced (optional)

PREPARATION:

In a food processor, combine cottage cheese milk, cream cheese, onion, garlic, powdered onion, rice vinegar, salt and pepper until smooth and creamy. Garnish with chives (optional). Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

YIELD: 8 servings

SERVING SIZE: 1/4 cup

CALORIES: 40

FAT: 0

Hawaiian Patter with Veggie Rolls, Baked Taro Chips with Onion Dip, Sweet Potato Curry Yogurt Salad


Fudgy Brownie Mini Cakes

Fudgy Brownie Mini Cakes

Chewy, chocolaty deliciousness!

What gives these cakes its truly amazing texture is the omission of any wheat flour. If you substitute regular pastry or baking flour, the results will not be as good as using the gluten-free flour. I recommend using a gluten-free all-purpose that does not have garbanzo flour included, such as Gluten Free Pantry’s All Purpose Flour, which contains white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, guar gum and salt (see photo below).

INGREDIENTS:
¾ cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour*
1/3 cup Cocoa powder, unsweetened
3/4 teaspoon Baking powder
¼ teaspoon Sea salt
1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoon Cottage cheese, lowfat, pureed
2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
¼ cup Apple sauce
12 each Semi-sweet chocolate pieces

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and sugar.

In a double boiler melt bittersweet chocolate.

In separate bowl, mix pureed cottage cheese, vanilla, apple sauce and melted chocolate. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry.

Place mix in bottoms of a lightly greased, square muffin pan. Push a semi sweet chocolate piece into center of each mini cake.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Cool a few minutes on cooling racks before serving.

YIELD: 1 Dozen cakes

Serves 12.


Southwest Chicken

So much flavor, you won’t mind a bit that it’s also lower in fat and calories than many other marinated chicken recipes.

Serve with Fresh Tomato Salsa and Traditional Guacamole or Fruity Guacamole. Fabulous with a small side salad. For a bigger meal, serve also with Spanish Rice.

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup Lime juice
1/8 cup Tamari (soy) sauce, low sodium, gluten-free
1/4 cup Wine, white
1 taplespoon Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon Coriander, ground
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Honey
1/3 teaspoon Thyme, dried (or 1 tsp fresh, minced)
1/8 cup Cilantro, fresh, minced
6 each Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, 4-5 ounces each

PREPARATION:
Mix lime juice, Tamari, olive oil, chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic, honey, wine and thyme well in a large bowl. Put chicken breasts in shallow pan with marinade mix and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Reserve marinade.

Heat grill. Pour reserved marinade into small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer a few minutes to reduce slightly and make a sauce. Grill chicken breasts, occasionally basting with some of the sauce, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Add cilantro to sauce. Serve each breast with a teaspoon or two of the sauce.

Serves 6