Black Bean Veggie Patties - Jersey Fresh recipe

Ingredients:

• Canned black beans
• Green pepper
• Onion
• Garlic cloves
• Egg
• Chili powder
• Bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste 

Recipe link: https://findjerseyfresh.com/JerseyFresh/recipes/black-bean-veggie-patties

For gluten-free, simply use GF breadcrumbs! Enjoy!

Make Ahead Meatballs #NationalNutritionMonth #familymeals #planahead #cookathome @kidseatright

Make Ahead Meatballs

Make a batch of Italian meatballs when you have the time and freeze for use in budget-friendly family meals later in the week. Happy National Nutrition Month!

Ingredients
1 lb. lean, grass fed, ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh Parsley (or Cilantro), chopped
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon Cracker Meal
1 clove garlic, minced
several twists (~8) fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
Olive oil for cooking

Putting it all together
Combine all ingredients adding water last. Roll into balls and put on plate until ready to cook. Heat oil in skillet. Add meatballs in batches. Cook turning to brown all sides. Do not overcook. Remove and drain on paper towels. When cool, portion into baggies. Label with date and freeze until ready to use.

Enjoy with homemade pasta sauce!

Blog post and recipe Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved. National Nutrition Month® is a federally registered service mark of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.Used on GardenCuizine with permission.

Healthy Dinner: Baked Flounder with butter, lemon and capers #GardenCuizine #recipe

Baked Flounder 

with butter, Lemon and Capers

I'll never forget the good 'ole days of family fishing outings in "Spirit the Boat" here in Jersey. Dad loved to fish, like my cousin Bob. I especially remember fishing for flounder. One time we were reeling in flounder so fast, Dad could not keep up with baiting our hooks! Locally caught flounder was often seen on menus back then. 

Now, decades later, commercial fishing and polluted waters has lead to Seafood Watch (a program that helps consumers make healthy, sustainable choices) recommending that we do not buy or eat Flounder from the US East Coast. If Dad were still alive, he may have been shocked to learn that our wild-caught Flounder for dinner tonight came all the way from Iceland.

Flounder is a flat fish similar to sole and fluke. Seafood Watch recommends getting Flounder from Alaska, the U.S. West Coast or British Columbia for the best choices. They don't recommend buying Flounder caught anywhere on the US East Coast unless it is from a "Good Alternative" source. The Seafood Watch uses science-based criteria before making their recommendations to the public.

Compared to other fish, the market price of flounder is among the highest. Even so, the protein in our meal only cost us $4.99 per person. Our veggie and grain side dishes added minimal cost. You can feed a family of three with less than one pound of flounder. We purchased ours at Wegman's supermarket for $14.99 lb. ShopRite was selling it for about the same price, $15.99 lb.

Even cooking one of the most expensive fish, a home cooked meal still costs less and far outweighs the nutrition of a fast-food meal. For example, Filet-O-Fish at McDonald's, has 560 mg of sodium, 38 g total carbohydrates (from the bun), 390 calories and 4 g of saturated fat, and that is just for the fish sandwich without adding in the added salt, fat and carbs coming from fries and soda. The Filet-O-Fish meal costs about $5.79. 

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish a couple times per week for good health. This is one of my "freestyle recipes", meaning that you can use a slightly different amount of the ingredients as desired and you won't ruin it.

Enjoy!

Serves 3 
Ingredients
3 Fillets of Flounder
Olive oil (to coat bottom of baking dish)
1 Tablespoon butter
lemon juice (fresh squeezed, about 1 Tablespoon)
capers (as desired)
pinch dried thyme (or other herb(s) of choice)
pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper 

preheat oven to 350 degrees
Putting it all together
Add olive oil and butter to baking dish. Melt butter - we put the baking dish briefly in the microwave to melt the butter. Add fish and toss to coat in the oil blend. Season and add capers as desired. Cover and bake in preheated oven until fish is fully cooked and no longer translucent - about 25 minutes.

To complete your meal, serve with a portion controlled grain and a generous side of a vegetable. We served our flounder dinner with leftover quinoa and a side of asparagus. 
Blog post and photos Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Homemade Yellow Split Pea Soup #healthy #comfortfood #cooking #GardenCuizine

Homemade

Yellow Split Pea Soup

We warmed up today with homemade soup for lunch that provided nourishment and comfort all in one. I actually made the soup last week when I came across a partially used bag of yellow split peas in our pantry and decided to use it up in soup. 

Split peas are an excellent source of dietary fiber and are a good source of protein. The soup tasted great topped with garlic-herb croutons that I made using leftover white bread ends from when we volunteered at St. Paul's Church pancake breakfast in Camden, NJ.

Recipe Yields 3 quarts and can be frozen

Ingredients
8 cups water
2 cups yellow split peas
3 apples, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons (tblsp) yeast flakes*
1 tblsp Biryani curry paste*
1/2 teaspoon (tsp) salt


Putting it all together
In large stock pot, saute onion, celery and carrots until onion appears translucent. Stir in Bryani paste and minced garlic. In a hand held colander, rinse the split peas and remove any pieces that don't look right. Add peas and water to the sauteed veggies. Add bay leaves and apples. Simmer covered until peas are completely cooked and soft. Stir in salt and yeast flakes. Remove the 2 bay leaves. Puree using a hand held mixer.

Serve warm topped with garlic-herb croutons

Enjoy!

* Biryani Curry Paste adds a blend of flavors: coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, salt, red chili, tamarind, pepper, clove, cardamom, cinnamon and other spices. Yeast flakes are a vitamin fortified food product that adds flavor. I used it on the croutons too. 

GardenCuizine Nutrition facts coming soon...

Quick Summer Slaw #cabbage #GardenCuizine #HealthyColeslaw #recipe

Quick Summer Slaw
High in Vitamin C 

Visit your local farmer's market during the summer for great prices on veggies. Yesterday, we picked up a few heads of locally grown cabbage for under $5.00 at our local farmer's market. This recipe only uses half the whole green cabbage and a small portion of the red cabbage, leaving the rest to use for other recipes. Who says you can't eat healthy on a budget?

Summer coleslaw is healthy and affordable and makes a great side dish for summer BBQ's and family summer meals. We enjoyed this homemade coleslaw with fried Flounder and brown rice! We have plenty of leftovers for sides with lunch and for toppings on sandwiches.

Yields 2 lbs Coleslaw
16, 2-ounce servings
Ingredients 
8 cups (712g) green Cabbage, shredded
1 cup (89g) Red Cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 carrot (30g), peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup lite mayo (60g) (for vegan, use soy mayo)
1/4 cup (56g) plain Greek yogurt (or soy yogurt)
2 Tablespoons capers (18g) (optional)
2 Tablespoons pickle or caper juice
2 Tablespoons (10g) apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons sugar (8g) (don't freak out about using real sugar! remember this makes many servings and 2 teaspoons is only 8 grams of sugar)
1/4 teaspoon (1.5g) salt
pinch ground black pepper

Putting it all together

• Wash cabbage and pull off outer leaves. Cut green cabbage in half. Put away and save one of the halves for use in other recipes. Cut half of the cabbage into wedges around the core. To save time, I used a food processor for chopping some of the cabbage wedges; be careful not to over chop. Thinly slice remaining green cabbage. Total shredded green cabbage should be about 8 cups. Place in a large mixing bowl.
• Cut a small piece off the red cabbage. thinly slice 1cup and add to green cabbage bowl. Store the rest to add color to salads and for use in other recipes.
• Wash and peel one carrot. Cut in half and thinly slice. Add to the cabbage bowl. Eat the other carrot half or save for other recipes.
• Add the mayo and remaining ingredients and toss until well blended. cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Buon Appetito!

GardenCuizine Nutrition Data Summer Slaw: 2-ounce serving (~62g)
Diabetic Friendly: 3g net carbs 
Excellent Source: Vitamin C
Store bought coleslaw: higher in saturated fat and calories; often contains corn syrup and preservatives vs Homemade: only 31 calories, Total Fat: 1g; Saturated and Trans fats: 0g; Cholesterol: 2mg; Sodium 111mg (5% DV); Total Carbohydrate 4g; Dietary Fiber: 1g (5% DV); Sugars 2g; Protein 1g; Vitamin A: 457 IU (9% DV); Vitamin C: 19.9 mg (33% DV)

Related Links
Cabbage Health Benefits

Photos and recipe Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Can't Afford to Eat Healthy? @EatRight #eatright #GardenCuizine

Can't Afford to Eat Healthy?

Yes, you can! Look at your receipts from fast food establishments - it's not that cheap. A McDonald's burger, fries and soda may cost more than $6.00 per person. For just $2.00 a meal, people age 12 and older can eat a thrifty, nutritious meal prepared at home from the MyPlate recommended food groups. (The cost is even less for children under age 12) And, for less than $3.00 an even more liberal meal can be enjoyed. Evidence shows that a healthy home cooked meal can be made for less than half of the cost of a typical fast food meal.

The USDA estimates thrifty to liberal meal costs based on the recommended dietary guidelines. Figure out a budget for yourself that works for you and your family. Focus on the quality of your food choices:

• Plan
• Get the best price
• Stock up in season
• Cook more at home
• Limit eating out

No excuses - you can eat healthy on a budget!

Coupons posted daily online and in local supermarkets help to reduce the cost of eating healthy even more. And, additional assistance is available for those who qualify from NJ SNAP (formerly Food Stamps), New Jersey's supplemental nutritional assistance program that can help low-income families buy the groceries they need to eat healthy.

Happy and Healthy Shopping and Cooking!
Related Links
USDA Low Cost Food Plans
NJ SNAP
Eating Better on a Budget
Eating Better on a Budget - Spanish

Blog post and photo Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

@cheezit @GoldfishSmiles @Quaker Quick Whole Grain Family Snack Mix @kidseatright #NNM

Dietitian Approved
Quick, Whole Grain 

Family Snack Mix

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Snacks and Sweets are a major contributor to added sugars and saturated fat intake. What's the solution? Plan ahead and make healthy snacks for your family to help prevent eating unhealthy snacks. 

This affordable, healthy family snack is under 200 calories and is a good source of dietary fiber. The best part is convenience - it can be made in just a matter of minutes. Make a large batch and teach your family how to portion out a handful.  

Portion Control Tip: keep a small Dixie cup in the storage bowl to use as a 2 ounce serving scoop.

Ingredients
2 cups whole grain cereal (Quaker Oat Squares, Cheerios, etc)
1 cup low salt nuts (almonds, peanuts, cashews or mixed nuts)
1 cup raisins
1 cup whole grain Cheez-It® crackers OR whole grain Goldfish® crackers

Putting it all together
Easy - Put all ingredients in a bowl. Gently mix to combine. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Data: one handful (30g) made using Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal, whole almonds and whole grain Cheeze-It crackers: 151 calories, 11g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0 zero trans fat, 25mg Sodium, 3g (12% DV) dietary Fiber, 5g Protein, 11g total Carbohydrates, (6% DV) calcium, (8% DV) iron

Blog post and photo Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Whole grain Moroccan @HodgsonMill Couscous #healthy #recipe #GardenCuizine

Recipe for 
Whole grain Moroccan Couscous
Good Source Dietary Fiber, Low Sodium

Do you know what couscous is? A National dish in Morocco, couscous is actually a pasta available in very small or large grain sizes. The larger size (caper size) is referred to as Israeli couscous. The smaller size is more popular and most often served in restaurants. Couscous cooks fast and makes a nutritious wholesome side dish.

Make Half the Grains in your diet Whole Grains
For more dietary fiber look for "whole wheat" couscous. Tonight, we used Hodgson Mill's brand of whole grain couscous. (Eat whole grains and products made from whole grains for better health!) Reading product labels can be helpful. Look for the words "whole grain" on package labels when you are shopping.

Cooking Couscous
American recipes call for boiling the grain, but authentic recipes for couscous "steam" the grain. For this recipe we boiled the couscous.

Healthy Cooking on a Budget
Couscous makes an affordable and healthy side grain to accompany the rest of your meal. Serve couscous with a lean protein entree and side vegetable for a balanced meal. You'll find this recipe super easy to make and it takes only a few minutes to cook. 

Here is our favorite way to prepare couscous, which was inspired from a Cooking Light recipe many years ago:

Serves 5 (90g serving size)
Ingredients
2/3 cup (104g) whole wheat couscous, uncooked
1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth) 
NO added salt necessary when using chicken broth
1 Tablespoon (14g) olive oil
1 teaspoon (2g) sweet curry powder
pinch minced dried hot peppers from your garden or hot pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon (0.5g) grated ginger
1 teaspoon (3g) minced garlic
2 Tablespoons (20g) minced onion
2 Tablespoons raisins or Craisins (40g) or other chopped dried fruit
1 Tablespoon (4g) minced fresh parsley
1/2 ounce (14g) toasted almond slices 

Putting it all together

• In a small pot, saute the onion in olive oil; add the garlic and ginger; stir in the spices
• Add broth and dried fruit; turn off heat
• Set aside until ready to make.
• When ready: bring the broth mixture to a boil; stir in the couscous. Turn off the heat. Cover and let sit 5 minutes. 
• Stir in the toasted almond slivers just before serving.

Buon Appetito!
GardenCuizine Whole Grain Couscous Nutrition Data (with chicken broth and Craisins): using USDA Nutrient Reference data 
Good Source: Dietary Fiber
Serving size 1/5 of recipe: 90g; Calories 158; total fat 5g; Saturated fat 1g; trans fat 0; cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 113mg (5% DV); total carbohydrate 28g (2 Carb exchanges); Dietary Fiber 3g (13% DV); Sugars 6g; Protein 5g; Vitamin E ~1.3mg (~7% DV); Iron 1.2mg (7% DV)

Related Links
Whole Grains Council notes that couscous is not a grain, "There is no couscous plant!"
Blog post, recipe and photo collage Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash #GardenCuizine #wintersquash

Cooking Spaghetti Squash

Cooked spaghetti squash resembles spaghetti strands when pulled with a fork, making it unique among winter squashes. The pulled squash can be eaten as is, or tossed with pasta sauce or garlic butter - with, or without added veggies. Spaghetti squash tastes delicious sautéed with spinach. And, make extra because leftovers can be refrigerated and easily reheated.

Note: this is another GardenCuizine "freestyle" recipe, meaning that you can use any amount of the ingredients you desire based on how many people you are cooking for. You don't need to use specific amounts. However, for those who prefer to follow a recipe I will note the amounts for serving 4 people the next time I cook it. Winter squash can be cooked many different ways: boiling, sautéing, steaming; roasting is best flavor.

I recently made it for a crowd at Inspira Health Network's Bariatric Holiday Party!

Ingredients 
Spaghetti squash 
olive oil
salt and pepper

Additional ingredients for Spaghetti Squash with Spinach
chopped onion
pinch chopped hot peppers
garlic
butter (or olive oil)
Parmesan cheese (or grated soy cheese if vegan)
chopped Spinach
broth (veggie or chicken)

Putting it all together 
Preheat oven to 350° F

• Cut a small portion off of each end. Cut the squash lengthwise. 
• Rub olive oil on the cut side.
• Place cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Take out of oven and scoop out seeds. Season with salt and pepper. Return to oven cut side down and continue baking until fully cooked and the flesh touching the foil is slightly browned (may take another 30 minutes or so).
• When done, flip squash halves over so that their cut side is now facing up. Using a fork, pull the squash out of the skin into a serving bowl. Set aside if planning to sauté with spinach. The empty skins can be used as serving bowls if desired.

Spaghetti Squash with Spinach: In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter (or olive oil). Add onion and hot pepper; cook until onion is translucent. Stir in garlic; stir in chopped spinach. Add cooked spaghetti squash; gently mix together with grated cheese. Add a little broth as needed to moisten. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Can be made ahead and reheated before serving. 

GardenCuizine Nutrition Data Spaghetti Squash coming soon...
Buon Appetito!

Copyright ©Wind. All rights reserved.

"I can't afford to eat healthy"... is that you? I hear this often. Find out how YES you can #GardenCuizine

Healthy Cooking on a Budget

"I can't afford to eat healthy" is one of the most common phrases I hear from people as reasoning why their diet isn't better than it could be. Do you feel that way too? Watch for the next edition of The Daily Journal's Health Connection to learn more.

I was quoted for registered dietitian comments in The Daily Journal's Healthy and Thrifty Eating Better on a Budget article. Spending time checking out prices in local food markets provided evidence that, YES, you can cook healthy foods on a budget.

Diana Wind, RDN, LDN
RDN- registered dietitian nutritionist
LDN- licensed dietitian nutritionist
Every dietitian is a nutritionist, but not every nutritionist is a registered dietitian. The difference is in education and knowledge. Seek nutritional advice from the experts. Members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Related Links
Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals 
Photo and blog post Copyright ©2014 Wind. All rights reserved.