Tasty Tuesday: Super Fruit Pomegranate

Pomegranate fruit is one of the most popular, nutritionally rich fruit with unique flavor, taste, and heath promoting characteristics, often called as “super fruits.” The fruit is moderate in calories; 100 g provides 83 calories, slightly more than that in the apples. It contains no cholesterol or saturated fats and is a good source of soluble and insoluble dietary fibers, providing about 4 g per 100 g (about 12% of RDA), which aid in smooth digestion and bowel movements.

Health benefits:

The fruit is suggested by nutritionists in the diet for weight reduction and cholesterol controlling programs. Regular inclusion of fruits in the diets boosts immunity, improves circulation, and offers protection from cancers.
The fruit is an also good source of antioxidant vitamin-C, Consumption of fruits rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents by boosting immunity.
Pomegranate is a good source of many vital B-complex groups of vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), folates, pyridoxine and vitamin K, and minerals like calcium, copper, potassium, and manganese.
So like earlier I suggest making a quick and easy recipe which is based out of pomegranate for a tasty Tuesday snack.

Pomegranate Float

Cooking Time: 5 minutes


Calories: 210 calories and Calcium (24% daily value)




Ingredients


1/3 cup pomegranate-flavored or plain seltzer


1/3 cup pomegranate juice


3/4 cup low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt



2 tablespoons fresh blueberries

Preparation

Combine seltzer and juice in a glass. Add frozen yogurt and top with blueberries. Serve with a spoon.Recipe courtesy- http://www.eatingwell.com/.


Tune in every Tuesday for more interesting nutritional recipes.

Simple Sunday: Hummus, Tomato, and Spinach Sandwich

Today’s dish is really simple. You can make it in just 5 minutes. But that’s what Simple Sunday is all about, now isn’t it? So here we have it: the hummus and spinach sandwich.

Ingredients:

2 slices whole grain bread

Roasted-garlic hummus

1 small-medium tomato

1 slice Muenster cheese

Fresh spinach leaves

A pinch or two of Italian seasoning

Green or black olives

Avocado (optional)

The great thing about sandwiches is that they are incredibly customizable. You can make them with whatever you want, however you want. I, of course, like this sandwich a certain way – so I will describe exactly the way that I make it.

First, I toast the 2 slices of whole grain bread (sandwiches usually seem better when at least the bread is toasted – I don’t know, maybe that’s just me). Then I spread a healthy amount of roasted garlic hummus on one of the slices. One really cool thing about hummus is that it acts like an anchor for ingredients that might not otherwise work in a sandwich – like olives. You basically sink them about halfway into the hummus – this way, they won’t roll around or fall out. Over that, I place my slice of Muenster cheese. Once I’ve cut the tomato into ¼ inch thick, round slices, I places those slices (they will have to overlap a bit) on top of the cheese. I like to sprinkle a little bit of Italian seasoning on the tomatoes for extra flavor (in most supermarkets you can find ready-made Italian seasoning that includes basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc. all in one container). Finally, a handful of fresh spinach leaves goes on top.

Once again, the great thing about sandwiches is that they are very customizable. So, you can create any number of delicious variations of this sandwich, adding or subtracting or changing any of the ingredients you want. Have fun!

Friday Funday Belgian Waffles

Frozen waffles are great when you’re on the go but why not try making them yourself? They’re healthier and they taste even better. So go ahead and amaze your friends and family this weekend by offering them up some homemade waffles. It’s quick, simple and you can have fun dressing them up with your favorite goodies.

You will need a waffle iron for this recipe. A waffle iron is a good investment. Once you start making homemade waffles you will want to experiment with other fun waffle ideas. These pictures are from a Belgian waffle maker, but the recipe will work for a traditional waffle maker too.

Waffles

Ingredients:

• ·      2 eggs
• ·      2 cups all-purpose flour
• ·      1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ·      4 teaspoons baking powder
• ·      ¼ teaspoon salt
• ·      1-¾ cup milk
• ·      ½ cup vegetable oil

What to do:

1.       Let your waffle iron heat up. Mine stops blinking a red light when it is ready.
2.       Whisk all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. 

   

    3.  Pour about ¾ cup of batter onto the waffle iron.

 

   4. Let bake for about 4 minutes or until the lid of the waffle iron starts to lift slightly.

 

Add chocolate chips or blueberries!

Tips

• Most waffle irons are non-stick but if you aren’t sure about yours, spray some cooking oil spray on both sides of the iron.
• You know when waffles are done when they start to turn light brown or the iron stops steaming.
• For extra flavor, try adding in some vanilla and almond extract and a shake of nutmeg.
• Dress up your waffles with whip cream and fresh fruit, they are sure to impress!

Let us know how your waffles turn out! Next Friday Funday we will be sharing a very special Easter Sunday treat! 

Quick Tips Thursday:Toaster Oven

Cook just about anything that a conventional oven does!

Want to make a fresh pizza or whole chicken or cookies or anything the conventional oven does but on a smaller scale? If you don’t feel like using the huge oven in your kitchen which consumes lot of electricity energy, increasing your bills, and causing a lot of work to clean then don’t worry, a “Toaster Oven will solve your problem”

Let’s see some mouthwatering items which can be done better, easier and quicker in a toaster oven than a conventional oven.

Chocolate Cookies:

Spring has already started but we are still fighting with cold wind and temperatures here in Boston. A freshly baked warm chocolate cookie can get rid of that chill and is a great thing to make in a toaster oven. It takes less time to bake in a Toaster oven and saves a lot of energy.

To get the recipe: http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2012/09/30/perfect-single-serving-size-chocolate/

Bruschetta:

In a conventional oven it would take 15 min to preheat, and 6 minutes to cook Bruschetta, whereas it would take only 2 minutes in a toaster oven. All we have to do is place the French baguette slices over the toaster oven tray and get ready to eat in the next two minutes!

To get the recipe: http://unsophisticook.com/bruschetta-recipe/

Baked chicken:

If you are staying alone at home on a cold day and would like to eat tasty chicken, a toaster oven should do the trick for you. Prepare the chicken and place it over the toaster oven to get a delicious baked chicken without any extra fat on it.

Image Credit: CookingwithSugarTV

To get the recipe: http://www.toasterovenplanet.com/recipes/chicken/

In conclusion, if you want to quickly cook small meals or reheat leftovers, a toaster oven can be an ideal choice. Spend less time cooking and enjoy eating food!

Did you know?

• Toaster oven takes 2-4 minutes less than a conventional oven’s baking time.
•  A toaster oven uses about 1500 watts, the same as a blow dryer, and an electric oven uses about 6000 watts.
•  A toaster oven has uniform circulation of heat leading to uniform cooking unlike a conventional oven where you have to rotate the pans very often and even then uniform cooking is not possible.
• Each time you open the door in a conventional oven to check if the food is cooked, the temperature inside drops by 25 degrees reducing the efficiency and increasing the energy bills.

Wild Wednesday's  - Brings you all a taste of little spicy and tangy Tofu.

Cooking time- Just 10 minutes!!!

Resources from Savory simple.

Today I’m sharing the first of what I hope will be many delicious Weight Watchers recipes (and don’t worry, there will still be plenty of the normal goodies). This sweet and spicy Asian tofu has been an obsession for me lately and since I love it so much I figured it was worth sharing.  I can have a home cooked lunch ready in less than 10 minutes and it scales up very easily for two when making dinner.  I buy fresh, pre-cut stir fry veggie mixes to save time.  If you’re not sure how you feel about tofu, try this. It’s pan-fried and I honestly feel like I’m eating fried cheese.  It soaks up the delicious sauce and is filling without being overly heavy.  It’s also very budget friendly!

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

10 mins

Author: Jennifer Farley

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 7 ounces extra firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon high-heat oil (I use regular olive oil)
• cooking spray
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups assorted stir-fry vegetables
• 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce (I recommend Mae Ploy)
• 2 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• optional: a few drops of fish sauce
• ⅔ cup brown rice, cooked

Instructions

1. An hour before cooking, wrap the tofu in paper towels and place between two plates to help press out the liquid. I like to change the paper towels once during this process. Slice the tofu into even cubes.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the tofu cubes and allow them to pan fry until golden on one side and then use tongs to turn the pieces. Brown at least 4 sides for the best texture.
3. Set the tofu aside and if the pan is no longer oily, add some cooking spray. Saute the garlic and vegetables over medium-high heat with a bit of salt. I prefer my veggies slightly crunchy.
4. While the tofu and vegetables are cooking, stir together the sauce ingredients.
5. Serve the tofu and vegetables with the sauce over brown rice.

Notes

You want to use tofu that's been packed in water for this recipe, not the silken boxed variety. I recommend using a non-stick pan for the tofu because you will need less oil.

Tasty Tuesday- Powerful Popcorn

Popcorn is one of the healthiest snacks you can eat and polyphenols are the reason why. Polyphenols are a type of chemical found in plant food that help neutralize free radicals, which damage your cells and contribute to rapid aging. Popcorn has one of the highest levels of polyphenols of any plant food – including most fruit! Air-popped popcorn is low-fat, has only 30 calories per cup, and comes with a boost of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

 The health benefits of popcorn include its ability to regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol levels, improve the digestive process, protect against osteoporosis, prevent cancer due its it anti-oxidant property, inhibit cognitive decline, prevent premature aging, and help you lose weight.

Adding to all these health and nutritional benefits popcorn is a delicious comfort snack for food cravings. So I would definitely suggest trying a recipe based out of popcorn which can be quick and easy to make, moreover it can be a high energy evening snack.

Popcorn Energy Bites

Makes 12 large bites

Total Time: 20 minutes

A "ball" of energy!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup of Pop Corn Kernels

1 cup of dried apricots

1/4 cup of cashew butter

1/4 cup of almond milk

1/4 cup of maple syrup

2 tbsp of coconut oil

2 tbsp of flaxseed meal

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

1 tsp of vanilla extract

Pinch of Himalayan salt

DIRECTIONS 

Pop the popcorn, remove any unpopped kernels and set aside.

In a food processor, process the dried apricots until they are finely chopped. Add the cashew butter, coconut oil, almond milk, maple syrup, salt and vanilla extract. Pulse until a liquefied paste forms. Add the protein powder, flax seed meal and 4 cups of popped popcorn. Pulse for 5 seconds until the popcorn just breaks down a bit.

 Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and with a spatula incorporate all the ingredients.

With your hands, break the remaining 2 cups of popcorn into finer pieces. This will take you just 5-10 seconds. Form balls with the popcorn mixture and dip into the broken popcorn pieces. Transfer popcorn balls to a plate and continue to form balls until you finish your mixture.

Store popcorn balls in your fridge for up to 2-3 days or in your freezer for up to a month.

Recipe compliments of Eat Good 4 Life.

Check in every Tuesday, for more interesting nutritional packed ingredients.