Archive for the ‘Healthy Snacks’ Category

It’s shocking how much blood-pressure-raising sodium and belly-bulging calories are in many restaurant quesadillas. Chili’s Bacon Ranch Chicken Quesadilla, for example, tallies up a whopping 1,650 calories and 3,450 milligrams of sodium (that’s double the sodium that most of us should have in an entire day, say the recently-released 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines. Our Pritikin Vegetable Quesadilla has just 100 calories and 95 milligrams of sodium.  With Pritikin cuisine, there’s a very good chance you’ll never need blood pressure medication, or extra-large clothes.

Vegetable Quesadillas

Compliments of Chef Anthony Stewart

Serves 2

Nutrition Information (per serving):  100 calories, 1g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 5mg cholesterol, 6g protein, 3g fiber, 95mg sodium.

Ingredients:

2 cups julienned (sliced in long, thin strips) fresh vegetables
1 whole-wheat, thin-thin (lavash) bread
3 tablespoons shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
¼ cup pico de gallo (no salt added) or no-salt-added salsa (such as Enrico’s brand)

Directions:

• In a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat, sauté vegetables until crisp tender, about three minutes.
• On a warm griddle or flat-top grill, place thin-thin bread and let the side facing the heat get hot.
• Turn the bread over on the griddle or grill, and sprinkle the cheese on top side.
• On half of the top side, spread the sautéed vegetables and cilantro.
• When the cheese begins to melt, fold the bread in half to cover the vegetables.
• Press firmly using a tool like a large firm spatula or bottom of a pan.
• Flip on the other side, grill for about 2 minutes, and press.
• Remove from heat.  Cut quesadilla into four pieces.
• Serve two pieces per person with fat-free sour cream and pico de gallo on the side.

Go green with Allgood Provisions Pistachios roasted with sea salt; and add a little red with Allgood Provisions sundried and sweetened Cranberries. The ultimate organic and eco-friendly stocking stuffer, Allgood Provisions make for the perfect sweet or savory snack and a healthy addition to a favorite holiday recipe.

Perfect for parties, gifts and spreading holiday cheer, the 2 oz. resealable snack pouches (starting at $2.75) are the perfect little gift to show you care and the 8 oz. family-sized pouches (starting at $4.50) are great to share.

Allgood Provisions certified organic snacks can be purchased online at Abe’s Market, in select Whole Foods and in other retail locations nationally.

More about Allgood Provisions:

Allgood Provisions is an original brand of certified organic, nutritious and sustainable snack foods. Founded in June 2011 in Park City, Utah, Allgood offers a variety of nuts, fruits and trail mixes that are healthy options for snacking, cooking or baking. Inside each Earth-friendly pouch you’ll find a delicious snack that is healthy, certified organic, vegan, gluten free and non-GMO. Proud members of the 1% for the Planet foundation, funds are donated to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment with every sale. Allgood can be purchased online at Abe’s Market, at select Whole Foods and in other retail locations nationally.

For more information on Allgood, please visit: www.allgoodprovisions.com

Rosemary-Lemon Marinade

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Chicken and Vegetables

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium red onion, cut into wedges

2 dozen cherry tomatoes

Directions:

• In shallow glass or plastic bowl, or re-sealable food-storage plastic bag, mix all marinade ingredients.
• Add chicken, stirring to coat with marinade.
• Cover dish or seal bag; refrigerate, stirring occasionally, at least 30 minutes but no longer than 6 hours.
• 2 Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat.
• Remove chicken from marinade; reserve marinade.
• Thread chicken, bell pepper, zucchini and onion alternately on each of four 15-inch metal skewers, leaving about 1/4-inch space between each piece.
• Brush vegetables with marinade.
• 3 Cover and grill kabobs over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, turning and brushing frequently with marinade, until chicken is no longer pink in center.
• Add asparagus to grill for last 5 minutes of grilling, turning occasionally, until crisp-tender.
• You can discard any remaining marinade.

For more kabob ideas, click here.

It’s Time for a Little Sparkling ICE

Summer Grilling Season is officially upon us, and as the perfect beverage to accompany outdoor cookouts, Sparkling ICE wants to celebrate!  Sparkling ICE is giving away a Weber One Touch Silver Kettle Grill on its Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/SparklingICE) every Monday and Wednesday throughout the entire months of July and August!

Sparkling ICE is an excellent source of B-Vitamins, Vitamin D and antioxidants. B-Vitamins are known to play an important role in helping your body obtain energy from food. They may also be important for normal appetite, healthy skin, good vision, a healthy nervous system and red blood cell formation. Vitamin D is widely known to play a significant role in overall health – in particular bone strength. Sparkling Ice also contains caffeine-free Green Tea Extract, which is known to have powerful levels of antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that protect your body’s cells from harmful molecules called free radicals. Free radicals are a by-product of your body’s normal processes, and are also thought to be caused by pollutants and other environmental exposure.

So how do you enter to win? Just “Like” the Sparkling ICE Facebook Page and watch for the Monday and Wednesday posts. Send an email to the given address (include your name and physical address) and you will be entered into that days drawing. Winner selected randomly and announced via email and Facebook.

Also, when Sparkling ICE hits 20,000 Likes, they’re going to giveaway an extra 5 Weber Grills! The fun begins on July 1, 2012…

GREAT GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN EATS
Cut Out the Gluten and Enjoy an Even Healthier Vegan Diet with Recipes for Fabulous, Allergy-Free Fare

by Allyson Kramer

Following a plant-based, gluten-free diet is one of the healthiest lifestyle choices around, yet it can be a challenge to create meals that not only match your needs, but taste delicious too. However, the days of challenge have come to an end!

GREAT GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN EATS by Allyson Kramer shows readers exactly how to create compassionate and wheat-free recipes that are impressive enough for even the most seasoned foodie. Full of fresh and all-natural ingredients, the 101 fully-photographed, scrumptious recipes you’ll find inside prove that eating vegan and gluten-free doesn’t have to be a sacrifice, but instead a delight!

From tempting appetizers, to hearty mains, to luscious desserts, you’ll find dishes to suit your every need and craving, including:

• Cherry Vanilla Bean Pancakes
• Mediterranean Croquettes
• Coconut Asparagus Soup
• Roasted Red Pepper & Fava Salad
• Walnut Ravioli with Vodka Sauce
• Rosemary, Leek & Potato Pie
• Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie Cheesecake
• Banana Berry Cobbler

Being gluten-free and vegan doesn’t mean people stop craving the gluten-rich, animal product-laden foods from before but this book addresses those cravings and shows readers how to make similar foods with different, often overlooked products. Live a healthy and sustainable life, while still enjoying the foods you love, with GREAT GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN EATS!

The new Truvia® ’Behind the Bar’ product creates great-tasting, zero-calorie simple syrups to help operators meet the growing demand for reduced-calorie cocktails.

The Truvia® brand announced the nationwide launch of the Truvia® ’Behind the Bar’ product, specially designed for use at bars, restaurants and other foodservice establishments.  Now available through local foodservice distributors, the latest Truvia® brand innovation provides a solution to creating natural, great-tasting, zero-calorie simple syrups for cocktails.

As consumers pay greater attention to the sugar content of beverages, bars and restaurants are looking to provide lighter alternatives to the classic, sugar-based cocktail while maintaining great taste.  Research shows that “skinny” menu item claims have grown significantly over the past year. The Truvia® Behind the Bar product will help the food and beverage service industry meet this growing trend naturally and create great-tasting, reduced-calorie cocktails, teas, and lemonades.

Truvia® Simple Syrup is created by adding one package of Truvia® Behind the Bar product to ½ gallon of water and mixing until it dissolves.  This Truvia® Simple Syrup contains zero calories, compared to an equivalent amount of sugar-sweetened simple syrup with about 6400 calories.

“As the #1 natural sugar substitute in the United States, Truvia® natural sweetener has become a pantry staple for U.S. households,” said Mark Brooks, Truvia® global consumer products director.  “With its ability to deliver new revenue to the food and beverage industry, the Truvia® Behind the Bar product is a foodservice essential, as consumers expect a greater variety of reduced-calorie beverage options.”

Truvia® natural sweetener is a great-tasting, natural, zero-calorie sweetener born from the leaves of the stevia plant.  When used in cocktails, Truvia® natural sweetener enhances the intensity of fruit flavors such as citrus and berry, and smoothes out the overall taste while maintaining its flavor.

“This new product is a perfect tool for bars and restaurants to expand their menu offerings and give customers more of what they want – natural, great-tasting drinks at a fraction of the calories,” said Anthony Caporale, mixologist, host and producer of Art of the Drink.  “The Truvia® Behind the Bar product is the first natural, high-quality product with nationwide availability that is tailor-made for the food and beverage industry to deliver reduced-calorie cocktails.”

Discover reduced-calorie cocktails using Truvia® Simple Syrups and related product tips at www.truviacocktails.com.

Pomegranate, Gouda and Pear Quesadilla with POM Salsa

Ingredients:
Quesadilla
1 cup arils from 1-2 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates or POM POMS fresh pomegranate arils
6 8-inch flour tortillas
4 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, thinly sliced
2 large firm pears, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

POM Salsa
Ingredients:

Juice from 1 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate*, or 1/4 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
2 cups arils from 2-3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates or POM POMS fresh pomegranate arils
3-4 teaspoons chopped jalapeno pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
4 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Directions:
Quesadilla:

• Score 1-2 fresh pomegranates and place in a bowl of water.
• Break open the pomegranate underwater to free the arils (seed sacs).
• The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.)
• Place 2 strips of cheese on each tortilla
• Using fingers, press 1 teaspoon of arils into cheese.
• Add 2 slices of pear, sprinkle with sugar. Fold tortilla in half.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon oil to a nonstick skillet and heat.
• Place folded tortillas in the pan and brown lightly; turn over and cook until crisp.
• Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oil if needed.
• Cut each tortilla into halves and serve with POM Salsa

POM Salsa:

• Score 2-3 fresh pomegranates and place in a bowl of water.
• Break open the pomegranate under water to free the arils (seed sacs).
• The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top.
• Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl.
• Reserve 2 cups of the arils from the fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.)
• Prepare fresh pomegranate juice.*
• Thoroughly mix to combine all ingredients. (Salsa will keep covered, in the refrigerator, for 2 to 3 days.)

POM Spinach Dip

Ingredients:
1 cup arils from 1-2 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates or POM POMS fresh pomegranate arils
1 8-oz. package cream cheese or 1 cup cottage cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

POM Salsa
Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 6.5-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
fresh vegetables for dipping

Directions:
• Score 1-2 fresh pomegranates and place in a bowl of water.
• Break open the pomegranate underwater to free the arils (seed sacs).
• The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl.
• Reserve 1 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.).
• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Mix together cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic, Swiss cheese, chopped spinach, mayonnaise, artichokes and arils.
• Spread into a 1-quart baking dish or 9-inch glass pie pan.
• Bake until bubbly around the edges and cheese has melted, about 15 minutes.
Serve with fresh vegetables to dip.

Here’s an easy way to celebrate National Nutrition Month every day (not just in March): choose all-natural Crispy Fruit and FruitziO as the snacks of choice for you and your kids. Crispy Green® Crispy Fruit freeze-dried fruit snacks, “real fruit, real taste, nothing else!” and the new line of FruitziO® freeze-dried fruit snacks, with a hint of pure cane sugar, are full of flavor to satisfy your desire for a snack that is sweet and crunchy with the added benefit of being free of fat, cholesterol, gluten and nuts, low calorie and low sodium.

National Nutrition Month, celebrated each March, started in 1973 as a week-long event, National Nutrition Week, and in response to growing public interest in nutrition, it became a month-long observance in 1980. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

“Snacking is an important part of our daily food intake, but most snacks provide little or no nutritional value, just empty calories,” says Angela Liu, President and Founder of Crispy Green. “At Crispy Green, we aspire to give our customers a way to add more fruit into their diet with our totally guilt-free, nutritious freeze-dried fruit snacks.”

Crispy Fruit comes in a single-serving bag containing approximately one serving of fruit and 55 calories or less per bag; FruitziO, with a hint of added cane sugar, has 2.5 servings per bag and only 100 calories for the entire bag. Both are vegan-friendly, peanut/tree-nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and are kosher-certified.

Crispy Green® award-winning Crispy Fruit snacks come in six delicious flavors: Crispy Apples, Crispy Asian Pears, Crispy Bananas, Crispy Cantaloupe, Crispy Mangoes and Crispy Pineapples. Packaged in convenient, travel-friendly, moisture-free 25-gram resealable pouches, each package contains less than 100 calories with varieties including Apples & Strawberries, Apricots, Kiwi, Peaches and Strawberries.

The folks at Crispy Green® sent me a box of these cool snacks to sample and I was able to share them with my family and friends.  Since everyone is on a health kick, they were indeed a winner!  My favorites were the apples, strawberries (not pictured) and pineapple chips.  As I was snacking on them, it occurred to me that these would also be great and healthy snacks for moms to give their toddles as well.  I figure they would be less expensive, easy for them to pick up, healthy and that they would enjoy the taste

Crispy Green® and FruitziO® products are available in stores such as The Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, Bloom, Earth Fare and selected Whole Food Market.

To find a retailer in your area log onto: www.crispygreen.com/where-to-buy.html.

Be well,

Mikhail Jordan