Asian Cabbage

2-3 cups shredded red cabbage
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup bean sprouts
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray (try to use an organic olive oil) and throw in onions and cabbage. Saute 2 minutes, then add bean sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Pour in soy sauce and cook on medium high until sauce is pretty well absorbed, about 5 minutes. Serve hot (bean spouts go rancid fast, so don't bother refrigerating leftovers).

Sweet Potatoes

Sometimes it is difficult to get all your carbs in when you pack your lunch or have a late dinner. Mike has an especially difficult time because he is trying to eat nearly 400g of carbs per day. His aunt Sarah gave us this idea to make sweet potatoes in advance to eat alone as a quick carb. Sweet potatoes are low-glycemic and extremely healthy.

Heat your oven to 350. Individually wrap each sweet potato in tin foil, then place in a baking dish (the potatoes will emit a syrup-like liquid, so make sure you cook in a baking dish). Cook 1.5 to 2 hours, flipping potatoes over halfway through cooking.

When you take them out of the oven, carefully open tin foil and place potatoes on a wire rack to cool. After 10 - 15 minutes, remove the skin (it will come off extremely easily) and cut in half. Store in a ziplock or Tupperware for up to a week.

Squash Casserole

My mom is famous for her squash casserole, so this is my quick and healthy version.

3-4 cups squash or zucchini, cut
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 half and half
3-4 tbsp jack or cheddar cheese

Heat oil in large skillet, then add onions and squash/zucchini. Stir fry 2-3 minutes, season with salt and pepper, then remove from heat. Add half and half to slightly cooled veggies, stir well, then add cheese (except about 1tbsp worth).
Pour into a small baking dish and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, turn on broiler, top with last tbsp of cheese and put under broiler until cheese is brown and bubbly.

Curried Okra

In the south, okra is usually served deep fried or added to soups for thickening. Okra is, however, a low-carb vegetable that, when prepared correctly, has a wonderful texture and depth of flavor.

1-2 tbsp light colored oil
2-3 cups fresh okra, rinsed and diced into large pieces
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt

Heat a skillet to medium-high, then add oil and turn around in pan. Add okra and stir fry 2-3 minutes, then add seasoning. Cook another 2 minutes, then serve hot.

Stuffed Zucchini

2-3 zucchini
salt and pepper
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 lemon
1 egg white
2-3 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade
2-3 tbsp mozzarella

Slice zucchini in half, then cut down the length. Scoop out the seeds on the inside, then season with salt and pepper and place under broiler 4-5 minutes.
Mix ricotta, juice of lemon, egg white, basil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Once zucchini cools, fill with mixture and place in 375 oven. Cook 15-20 minutes, then top with mozzarella and put under broiler until cheese browns.

Borscht

This gorgeous soup is a great way to use up leftover roasted beets. Although beets are higher in sugar than some carbs, they are an excellent source of fiber.

3 or 4 medium beets
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 onion
2-3 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp sour cream
1 green onion, chopped

Cook the beets using the previously posted recipe.
In a large skillet, add onion and butter. Cook 5-6 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Add beets and vegetable stock, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook 15 minutes.
Pour soup into blender and puree until smooth. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and diced green onions.

Grilled Pears

Sometimes, you just need dessert.

1 ripe Bartlett pear
1/2 tsp butter or cooking spray
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 tbsp organic chocolate sauce

Halve pear and remove pit and skin. Heat grill or skillet to medium and grease with spray or butter. Add pears, face down and cook until just starting to brown and carmelize; about 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and top with ice cream and chocolate sauce (optional)

Real Gyro Meat

Gyro meat is flavorful and can be a healthy dish when paired with tzatziki sauce and veggies. You could make this with ground turkey, chicken or lean beef.

1 onion, chopped
2 lb ground lamb
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp dried marjoram
1 tbsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper

Put onion in food processor for 10 seconds, then remove and squeeze out excess liquid. Return to processor with lamb and seasonings and blend about 1 minute. You will probably need to stop and move everything around a couple of times (my processor got stuck at one point from so much food). Pack mixture into a meatloaf pan (well greased with olive oil or spray).

Heat oven to 325. Place meatloaf pan in a larger baking dish and fill that outside dish with water, about halfway up the meatloaf pan's sides. Cook 50-60 minutes. Remove from oven, drain off fat (don't put it in your sink!), then place a heavy object on the gyro meat while it rests (a brick wrapped in tin foil works perfectly). Let the gyro meat compress for about 10-15 minutes, then shave thinly with an electric knife.

***This recipe is based off an episode of my absolute favorite Food show, Good Eats, which features the hilarious and intelligent Alton Brown. AB advocates the idea of compressing the meat, which I think is genius.

Healthy Holiday Eating Tips

During the holiday season, it is easy to put on 5-10 pounds simply from eating poorly. Here are a few tips to keep you healthy during holiday meals.

1. Stay away from bread (including dinner rolls), rice or pasta dishes. Empty calories, high carb, overall bad.
2. Choose side dishes made primarily from vegetables, like squash casserole, sweet potatoes or yams, or peas.
3. Don't blow your calories on everyday foods. Save it for special things, like dressing, that you only eat during the holidays.
   
4. When eating pie for dessert, remove the back part of the crust and eat the filling of the pie. Removing that crust will save you at least 150 calories per slice.
5. When choosing what pie to eat, go with pumpkin over apple or pecan. Pumpkin is low carb and requires less fat and sugar to make it delicious.
6. Don't drink your calories! Stay away from eggnog (1/2 cup contains 12g Fat). Try to drink light beer or wine.
7. When in doubt, make your own dish to bring along! I always try to make a salad, brussel sprouts, cauliflower or some other side dish that I can load up on.
   

Grilled Mushrooms and Onions

8oz Portabello mushrooms
1 large red onion
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Wash mushrooms well and slice into large pieces. Quarter red onion. Heat the grill or a grill pan to medium-high and spray with cooking spray. Brush veggies with olive oil, then place on grill. Cook onions 6-7 minutes per side, mushrooms 4-5 minutes per side. Take off the grill, season with salt and pepper, then serve immediately.

Turkey Burgers with Gouda

This recipe is based on one by Rachael Ray, but revamped. The sauce is delicious and the little bit of sour cream makes up your fat intake. You don't need buns or bread for these burgers; just serve with Brussels sprouts or cabbage. So good!

Burgers
1lb Ground turkey
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp paprika
salt and pepper
2oz gouda cheese

Sauce
1 green onion, chopped fine
2 cups chopped spinach
1/2 cup sour cream
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Mix all burger ingredients, except the cheese in a large bowl and let sit at least 30 minutes.
Heat grill or skillet to high. Chop gouda into small pieces and mix into turkey meat. Pat out into patties approximate to your protein intake (I like 2 2oz patties). Place over heat and grill about 5-6 minutes per side.

Mix sauce ingredients and sit aside. When burgers are finished, top with a little bit of sauce.

Cauliflower and Celery Root Mash

This is a good way to bring a low carb dish that everyone will like to your family's Thanksgiving. The celery root ads a more potato-like texture and the Jarlsberg cheese makes the top brown and bubbly. You can use any Swiss cheese variation that you like. You can make this in advanced, then brown when you get to your destination.

1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 heads cauliflower
1 celery root
3 tbsp butter or olive oil
2-3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup sour cream
2-3 tbsp shredded Jarlsberg cheese
2 green onions, chopped

Prep: Chop cauliflower in chunks. to dice celery root, remove the outer part with a knife by cutting off the bottom, then skinning it thinly. Chop celery root into 1/2 inch pieces.

Heat 1 tbsp butter a in large heavy skillet, then add onion. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and cook 4-5 minutes. Add celery root and cauliflower and other 2 tbsp butter and season with the remaining salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes, then add stock. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often.

When the cauliflower is very soft, put half of the ingredients in the pot in a food processor. Add sour cream and green onions and process until pretty smooth. In the pot, mash the other half of the cauliflower/celery root mix with a potato masher. There should still be some lumps. Mix the pureed into the mashed, then put in an oven safe baking dish. This can sit for up to 24 hours before you need to cook it. Top with the Jarlsberg cheese and bake for 15 minutes at 375 or, if still hot, brown the top under the broiler for 3 minutes.










Celery Root (above) can be purchased at Fresh Market or New Leaf

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

If you are trying to eat healthy, switching from white potatoes to sweet potatoes is an easy and delicious start. Their complex flavor makes them, in my mind, a richer and deeper tasting alternative than their boring cousin, the white potato.The sweetness of these potatoes is countered with the pungent sea salt and spicy black pepper. Although sweet potatoes are not specifically low-carb, they are low glycemic and extremely healthy.

2-3 medium sweet potatoes
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

Heat oven to 400. Rinse sweet potatoes, then dice into 1/2 inch sized pieces. In a glass or ceramic baking dish, toss with olive oil and salt and place in hot oven. Cook 30-45 minutes, depending on your oven. After 20 minutes, remove from oven, add black pepper, stir and return for another 15 minutes or so.

Avocado Cream

Instead of sour cream, try making this delicious substitute. I prefer Hass avocados for their richer flavor and creamy texture but you can use the lower-fat Florida avocado as well. Serve with tacos, chili or even as a substitute for mayonnaise.

1 ripe avocado
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
lime or lemon juice


Lightly chop avocado and put in a small blender (magic bullet!) with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a tsp or so of lime or lemon juice. Puree until smooth

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

2 tbsp butter

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2-3 cups Brussels sprouts

½ onion, chopped

½ tbsp apple cider vinegar

½ tsp sugar

1/3 cup chicken broth

Wash sprouts, then slice into strips. Heat a pan to medium-high, add butter, then onions and cook until just beginning to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add apple cider vinegar and sugar. Cook 3 minutes, then take off heat and set aside. In another pan, heat olive oil, then add sprouts, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook 5-6 minutes, then add chicken broth and cook until liquid has evaporated. Add cooked onions in with the sprouts and serve immediately.