Food In Many Forms

  Baby's first birthday is coming up next month, and I have been working towards 100 foods for quite some time. I think I have definitely gone "hard mode" with this list because, unlike some lists, I don't count pancakes and waffles as two different foods, and I don't count herbs and spices. In looking at other people's lists, I felt like there is a lack of content giving specific brands and products to lend diversity to the diet. I definitely made homemade purees, but I also bought applesauce at the store, and sampled the different finger foods on the market. I hope to share some of the specific products that were helpful for busy parents.  The foods we have tried so far are in black, and the foods we plan to try are in grey (subject to change). I am really hoping we can try more shellfish on our upcoming vacation, since we really only have done shrimp. Baby led weaning has been so weird because it seems great for individual foods at the beginning, but the re...

When the farm share starts in June, one of the first things we always get is lots of greens - salad greens, spinach, cabbage, kale, rainbow chard. Some of the more exotic ones are a hard sell in my house - I was enjoying rainbow chard in omelets, and sauteed in olive oil, but I couldn't inspire any enthusiasm for it. The end of the season also brings lots of greens, so I had an opportunity to try again. This recipe, inspired by Martha Stewart and the New York Times, makes Swiss chard a bit more palatable, without the elaborate assembly that lasagna normally requires. INGREDIENTS 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped 1 pound Swiss chard 5-6 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 can whole-peeled tomatoes with juices (do not drain) 8 no-boil lasagna noodles 1-2 cups of fresh whole milk ricotta cheese Salt and pepper to taste DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash the chard and separate the leaves from the stems. Chop the onio...

From the archives... originally written in 2018... The last time I mentioned this quiche was back in 2011. But, I have definitely used this recipe over and over again. Short on time and need to make lunch for the week? Make a quiche! Want to bring food to a friend with a new baby and cook for yourself too? Make two quiches! In the past month or so, I have been experimenting with the ratio of eggs to milk, as well as using milk alternatives, such as soymilk. Ultimately, I like the recipe as it is. The soymilk made the quiche inflate in the oven more than normal, and it collapsed once it came out. It was "original" (i.e. not vanilla) soymilk, but it still had some sweetness to it and it was a little weird the first day. For some reason, the sweetness had dissipated on Days 2 & 3, which made it more palatable. Although it seems like a lot of milk to add, the texture was very much impacted by using less. So, this is one recipe, I do recommend you follow pretty closely. ...

I'm easing my way into a more vegetable, fish and legume focused-diet. This recipe can serve a family of 4 or become lunch for a few days during the week. As long as you wait to add the salad greens, the tuna salad should only grow in flavor. Ingredients 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed 2 6 oz cans of chunk light tuna, drained and flaked 1 large bell pepper, diced 1/2 cup onion, diced 1/2 lemon, juiced 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Ground pepper, to taste 8 cups mixed salad greens Directions Combine beans, tuna, bell pepper, onion, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with pepper. Divide the greens among 4 plates. Top each with the tuna salad. Adapted from : http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/252451/mediterranean-tuna-antipasto-salad/ Allergens : fish Nutrition (1/4 recipe) : 264 kcal, 12 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 8 g monounsaturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 334 mg sodium, 362 mg potassium, 17 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 22 g protein, 69% vitamin A, 82% vitamin ...

This recipe calls for a "fiery" tomato sauce, but I left out the green chiles for a more mild (but still flavorful) version. Shakshuka Ingredients: 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 large bell pepper, diced 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp sweet paprika 1/2 tsp mild red pepper flakes, or more to taste 2 Tbsp tomato paste 28 oz canned chopped tomatoes, with their juice 1/2 tsp kosher salt Fresh black pepper, to taste 6 large eggs 2-4 Tbsp roughly chopped fresh parsley Directions: Heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over low-medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, and saute for 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and red bell pepper, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Mix well, and let the spices cook for 30 seconds. Next, add the tomato paste, and stir that into the mixture. Finally, add th...

On a chilly day like today, when the temperature never reaches above freezing, and the wind chill is in the negative digits, it is only natural to crave soups and stews. I had fish de-thawed in my fridge, so I initially thought I would make fish stew. Unfortunately, I didn't have all the ingredients, and I wasn't highly motivated to leave my house to go shopping. Luckily, Ellie Krieger saved the day with a simple, healthy and easy recipe, that I adapted below, using the fish I already had in my fridge! Great RD's must think alike! Ingredients 2 6 oz fish filets of your choice (Salmon, Tilapia, Cod, etc) Marinate overnight in a ziploc bag with : 2 Tbsp Wildtree Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil 1 Tbsp Wildtree Hot & Spicy Fra Diavolo Blend ¼ tsp salt OR 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves ¼ tsp salt 2 teaspoons garlic grapeseed oil, divided 1 small onion, di...

I think the "Cupcakes" turned out pretty well, but they really look and taste more like muffins. They would be great for a quick breakfast and are a lot better than some of those oatmeal breakfast bar recipes I've tried. I ended up doubling the recipe, which made 26 muffins. I ended up using almost an entire zucchini, two small apples, shredded carrots and chopped raisins, and I definitely recommend using some kind of dried fruit to add some sweetness. It seems like a lot of people just use the leftover fruits and vegetables from their juice smoothies, which I think is a great idea! 

In case you didn't know, it's National Nutrition Month ! Every year, RD's spend the month of March making posters and handouts, cooking up delicious food for others to sample, and devoting their time to educating the public and their fellow employees through health fairs and lunch and learns.  Please tell me what other health profession invests so much time and effort into helping others during the month they should be celebrated? Ahh.. to be a dietitian .  So naturally, we dietitians will be at the employee health fair next week... our focus will be fiber and we're planning on baking high fiber cupcakes for everyone to try. Because after all who doesn't want to feel full and poop on the regular? I plan to test them this week, so I'll keep y'all posted! Magic Fruit-and-Veggie Cupcakes Ingredients Cooking spray (optional) 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour 1 tablespoon soy flour 2 tablespoons wheat germ 1/2 cu...

It was just a matter of time before Pinterest entered my life in food form , and this recipe was too easy to resist. It took 10 minutes to prepare after I got home from the gym, and 25 minutes to bake. The original recipe had too many egg whites , and too few whole eggs for my taste, so the modified version below has twice as many whole eggs and half the egg whites. There are four servings after all, I think one egg yolk per person is okay. And that is my professional opinion ;) Healthy Breakfast Frittata Makes 4 Servings Ingredients: 1 Cup Eggwhites (I use eggwhites from a carton to make my life easier) 4 Whole Eggs 1/2 a Small White Onion Finely Chopped 2 Cups Spinach (not packed) 1/4 Cup Reduced Fat Feta Cheese Black Pepper, to taste Crushed Red Pepper, to taste Salt, to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 425 F. Place all ingredients in an 8×8 previously oiled baking dish sprinkling your spices on top. Using a fork fold ingredients together....

It's a tradition in my family to celebrate holidays at our convenience . Jewish holidays? Ehh, Saturday works better with my schedule. Christmas? I can wait til the weekend to see that side of the family. Valentine's Day? As long as it's in the same week...   I feel the same way about St. Patrick's Day . So although it was on Sunday this year, we made Irish food Friday night and ate green bagels Saturday before going on a mini pub crawl :)  Looking at traditional Irish recipes got me pretty discouraged, since I wasn't going to take 4 hours to make corn beef and cabbage, Irish stew, or shepherd's pie . But some how this equally long-winded recipe did not have the same effect, probably because of the beer :) But seriously, it did take four hours to make.  In fact, we had to break out the extra Irish cheddar and crackers to balance out the wine we were drinking. I kept telling myself that it was only about 45 minutes per serving - and t...

Look Familiar? I last posted about this recipe in March 2010. This Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe from Juan Carlos Cruz has served me well over the past few years, so it is too bad that they took down the recipe from the Food Network website. Luckily, one of my fellow bloggers shared her version of the recipe, and I tend to agree with most of her revisions. Thanks, "Tiny Kitchen Cooking" .  Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe courtesy Juan-Carlos Cruz & the Food Network Ingredients: 1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed 1 cup light sour cream 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, plus more as needed 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained Carrot sticks, celery sticks or baked tortilla strips, for serving Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Squeeze all excess liquid ...

 This week was my turn to work the weekend, which meant I had Thursday off, so I spent the day grocery shopping, prepping veggies, making dip and baking lasagna. With the thermometer stuck below 20 degrees, it was too cold to do much else.  I was inspired by a roasted root vegetable lasagna that I had at Kramerbooks in Dupont Circle a few years ago. You wouldn't think that radishes, squash and leeks would make for delicious lasagna, but it did. So I had high hopes for this recipe from "The view from great island" blog. Ingredients: 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and sliced (I used the pre-cut squash) 1 leek, sliced 1 fennel bulb, sliced a couple of handfuls of Brussels sprouts, quartered about a cup and a half of thickly sliced mushrooms 3 garlic cloves,whole with skin on olive oil 1 package of no cook lasagna noodles (I used a little more than half the box) 1 large jar of your favorite tomato sauce, or tomato puree 1 1/2 lb of whole milk ricotta cheese ...

There is nothing that says Memorial Day more than a good old American  barbecue. But chances are that barbecue will have plenty of chips, dip, and desserts, and very few vegetables. Pasta salad is the answer to this problem, it is a socially acceptable, well-liked side that you can pile on with vegetables and people will just think it's got great color! The trick is to make sure your pasta salad is healthy ;) 12 oz Pasta 1 Yellow Bell pepper, chopped 1/2 cup carrots, shredded 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved 1 medium cucumber, peeled and quartered 1/4 cup Brianna's New American Balsamic Vinaigrette 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning Cook the pasta and rinse it in a collander with cold water. Pour the prepared vegetables and pasta in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the salad dressing and Italian seasoning and mix well until the pasta is coated with dressing. Allow to "marinate" for at least an hour before serving.

After a late night watching Food Network, I was inspired to try one of Ellie Krieger's Meal Makeovers! Check out this Video, and Get Inspired! First on the list was her "Macaroni and 4 Cheeses" - made with more than a pound of pureed butternut squash and low-fat milk. I stepped it up a notch by using whole wheat pasta, and using half the amount of bread crumb topping.  After reading the reviews, I was concerned that the squash would overpower it, but after trying it, I thought there was a really great balance between subtle squash flavor and cheesy goodness.  I served it with a sprinkle of Old Bay Seasoning for an extra kick, instead of the Cayenne Pepper that Ellie recommends. On the side, I had some fresh asparagus from the University Farmer's Market yesterday. It was absolutely delicious after I brushed it with olive oil, sprinkled on some parmesan cheese and roasted it under the broiler until soft. Ingredients Cooking spray 1 pound whole wheat elbow m...

The last of the Tortilla Pizzas are baking in my oven, and they look spectacular! I think scallions and tomatoes are the perfect toppings for these little gems, and they toasted up very nicely. I am even considering eating one for breakfast tomorrow morning so I don't have to wait til dinnertime to enjoy them!  Of course, I always end up tweaking the recipe a little bit when I'm making it, mostly if I'm missing ingredients. This time, I left out the chopped onion that was meant to be mixed into the refried beans. Since I only used about half of the refried beans in the can, I'm glad I skipped that step.  Also, since the recipe makes so many servings, I'm testing the stability of the pizzas in the freezer and in the fridge. I'm always looking for new delicious leftover foods! Honey What's Cooking? Mexican Tortilla Pizza Number of Servings: 4  Serving Size: 1 pizza Ingredients Non-stick cooking spray 8 small yellow corn tortillas 1/2 can ref...

So, I know I've talked about Ellie Krieger in the past, but I'm not sure I've ever actually made one of her recipes. She is the only Chef on the Food Network that is also a Registered Dietitian, and you know I am in support of that! This past Cinco de Mayo, I finally decided to make one of her recipes - a five-layer Mexican dip. It disappeared in the first twenty minutes of the party, and it was pretty easy to make. The only time-consuming part of the recipe was chopping up the veggies, but it was worth it! And the best part about Ellie's recipes? She does the nutritional analysis for me :) Ingredients 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed 1 tablespoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo 4 tablespoons lime juice 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon water 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups corn kernels (10-ounce box frozen corn) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves...

What better time to blog about  warm weather  and  picnics  than when it is rainy and cold outside! Last week, when it was warm and sunny, I rounded up some of my girlfriends and we set out for Patterson Park with  Tuna Sandwiches, Pasta Salad, Watermelon Slices and a Bottle of Wine . Sitting under a tree, watching baseball and eating refreshing food makes for an idealistic Sunday afternoon. I can't wait to do it again. I used bowtie pasta and added fresh basil. I just wish I had taken a picture of it, it looked even better than the picture on the website. A lot of pasta salad recipes use salad dressing, but I like that this  dressing  is relatively  natural  and  simple . INGREDIENTS Serving Size 6 servings (1-1/3 cups each) 12 ounces dry rotini pasta, uncooked (12 oz = 4-1/2 cups) 2 tablespoons Canola Oil 2 tablespoons Gulden's® Spicy Brown Mustard 1/2 pint grape tomatoes 1 large cucumber, sliced 1 can (2.25 oz ...

As a future dietitian, I should know better. I know which fats are the "healthy" kind and which ones to avoid.  But I love my sausage, be it at breakfast or dinner, be it in patty form or bulk, be it Italian or Andouille. In this case the good outweighs the bad . And I can prove it. (If you trust me already, skip to the bottom for a delicious recipe; if you want my evidence, read on.) I just learned about this great new tool called the Super Tracker . It is part of the government's MyPlate campaign , and it tracks just about anything you could want. In this case, I wanted to know how many servings of vegetables  I am getting. The Super Tracker tells me that one half a squash has 1 cup of vegetables (40% of my Daily Value) , and 1 1/2 oz protein (27% of my Daily Value). (The other 1/2 oz sausage per serving contributes to my discretionary calories due to the fat content.) In my opinion, for the average healthy person can handle a little fat from a natural, mini...

After all my pledges to eat better, I sat down last night and made a list of recipes and ordered groceries so I am able to cook healthy food every night this week. My partner at my internship gave me a kitchen-tested recipe for Brussels sprouts t hat was too easy to pass up. But I thought it would be a little easier on the palate  if I mixed it with some whole wheat pasta, chicken breast and Parmesan cheese . Here's the original recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts: Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Clean and trim Brussels sprouts and spread them out on a baking sheet (I went ahead and pre-chopped them so I could toss them directly into the pasta when they were done cooking).  Brush them with olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Roast Brussels sprouts in the oven until they begin to brown. Enjoy!

I'm on my  third carton of eggs in six weeks , and today I began to wonder if this is a healthy trend. Between 2 quiches, a batch of lemon bars and some scrambled eggs here and there, I have used gone through 21 eggs . Not to mention the hard boiled eggs I eat at work, the egg whites in my favorite spinach feta wraps at Starbucks and the fried eggs going into my Au Bon Pain breakfast sandwiches. I have given myself a little too much wiggle room these past couple weeks, and my scale knows it. So after I finish the quiche that is baking in my oven right now, I am going to switch to egg whites and re-focus on lowering the fat and cholesterol in all parts of my diet . It also means that I am going to work hard to curb my cravings for cookies and sweets, and go for the fruit instead. Just this week, I decided to slice up some very ripe bananas and freeze them and they were such a great snack. I am stocked up on my favorite Greek yogurt, and my pantry is stocked with heal...