Ginger Garlic Tempeh Sticks with Dill Dipping Sauce October 5, 2011

Ginger Garlic Tempeh Sticks with Dill Dipping Sauce

Jamie says:  K and I put our creative minds together to come up with this one which turned out to be… amazing!  Even my Mom who was skeptical of tempeh loved it.

The tempeh tasted nutty and the dipping sauce was moist and creamy.  The crunch of the toasty ginger and garlic added a punch of flavor.  It was fun to eat, too- just like a chicken tender!  We’ll be making this one again for sure!

Ginger Garlic Tempeh Sticks with Dill Dipping Sauce

Dill Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 dill
• 1/8 basil
• 1/8 thyme
• 1/8 garlic salt

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients together until mixed.

Ginger Garlic Tempeh Sticks

Ingredients:

• 2 inch piece fresh ginger
• 4 cloves garlic
• 8 oz block tempeh (Lightlife organic three grain)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Peel ginger and mince.  Peel garlic.
2. Cut tempeh into strips (sticks).
3. In a saute pan on medium heat, add extra virgin olive oil and tempeh sticks.  Roll tempeh sticks in oil to coat.  Add minced ginger to pan.  Using a garlic press, add garlic to pan.  Cook for about 15 minutes, rotating tempeh and stirring frequently so that tempeh evenly browns and ginger and garlic don’t burn.
4. Serve with Dill Dipping Sauce and crispy ginger and garlic pieces from pan.  Enjoy!

Serves: 2

• Nutrition note:  For a meatless main dish that is still high in protein, try tempeh.  One serving (4 oz) of tempeh provides 20 grams of protein (about 40% of the daily value).

Garlicky Collards & White Beans October 2, 2011

Garlicky Collards & White Beans

Jamie says:  I made a late night shopping adventure to Publix for a battery for my bike computer.  I figured I’d get “a few” things from the grocery list, but that’s never the case.  I bought “a lot of vegetables” (according to the cashier at Publix).  One of my veggies was collard greens…

Garlicky Collards & White Beans

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp, 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 16 oz bag collard greens (Glory Foods)
• 15.5-oz can white beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. In a large pan on medium heat, add 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.  Add collard greens, stir, and cook for about 15 minutes.
2. Add beans, stir, and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until greens are soft.
3. Meanwhile, peel and mince garlic.  In a small pan on medium heat, add 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil and cook minced garlic for about 1 minute, stirring frequently, until golden brown.
4. Top collard greens with vinegar and crunchy garlic.  Enjoy!

Serves: 4.

The toasted, crunchy garlic and vinegar make these greens quite flavorful.

• Nutrition note:  Collard greens are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K.  Go green leafy veggies!

Waffles with Chilled Pears and Almonds September 28, 2011

Waffles with Chilled Pears and Almonds

Jamie says:  It’s time to start getting back into my triathlon training.  My new running shoes were begging me to be used.  So, this week was my first week back.  It felt great to get into the pool (my favorite place) and start “running” again.  I’m really trying to balance it out- swim, bike, run, weights, yoga, and rest days.  Yoga has been a nice addition to the mix- it keeps me from getting too tight and enables me to do my next workout.  And you can’t forget the delicious, healthful food that goes along with the training…

Waffles with Chilled Pears and Almonds

Ingredients:

• 2 Kashi 7 Grain waffles
• 1 Bartlett pear, ripe, refrigerated
• 1 Tbsp Smart Balance Whipped Buttery Spread, organic
• 2 Tbsp POM Wonderful Mini Almonds, roasted & salted

Directions:

1. Heat waffles in a toaster.
2. Chop a pear.
3. Spread Smart Balance on waffles.  Top with chopped pear and almonds.

Serving suggestion:  Serve with a cup of cold, fat free milk.

Sweet and salty.  I like the contrast of the cold pear and warm waffle.

• Nutrition note:  A balanced breakfast is a great way to start your day!  This meal provides protein (from the almonds and some from the waffles) and lots of fiber (from the pears, waffles, and almonds) to keep you full and satisfied longer.

Cinnamon Raisin Polenta with Sour Cream and Apple Sauce September 27, 2011

Cinnamon Raisin Polenta

Cinnamon Raisin Polenta with Sour Cream and Apple Sauce

Jamie says:  Somehow, I must have had selective reading when I was looking over the polenta label.  I made sure it was gluten-free and thought I made sure to get the plain variety, but somehow, I must have glossed over the words “cinnamon” and “raisin.”  So, you can imagine how surprised I was when I saw black chunks (aka raisins) in my “plain” polenta- the plain polenta that I was going to top with tomatoes and shrimp.  But, it turned out to be a good mistake.  The cinnamon raisin polenta was something we never tried (and probably never would’ve).  Mom was hesitant at first but then made embraced the idea and even suggested the apple sauce…

Cinnamon Raisin Polenta with Sour Cream and Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

• 17 oz roll cinnamon and raisin polenta (Marjon)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil (Publix)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (McCormick)
• 2 tsp light brown sugar (Publix)
• 4 Tbsp sour cream (Breakstone’s)
• 1 cup natural applesauce (Mott’s)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat a large frying pan on the stove on medium-high heat.  Slice polenta into 1/2 inch thick circles.  Pour oil in the pan.  Carefully place slices in the pan.  Heat for about 6 minutes or until lightly browned.  Flip.  Cook for an additional 6 minutes or until lightly browned.
2. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar.
3. Top with sour cream and dip in apple sauce.  Enjoy!

Serves:  4

Tastes like a combination between sweet cinnamon raisin bread, latkes, and cinnamon rolls.  It was so good, we were looking for more.

• Nutrition note:  Consider making a healthy substitute in your cooking by replacing butter with healthy oils, like canola oil.  Over time, a lot of saturated fat in foods like butter can make your arteries less elastic and make blood flow more difficult.

Zucchini Curls September 25, 2011

Zucchini Curls

Italian man doing cooking utensil demonstration in Campo De Fiori market

Jamie says:  The little, old Italian man at the market in Campo De Fiori in Rome, Italy was so cute making exciting shapes out of veggies that I had to spend too much (15 Euros) on the plastic cooking tools he was selling.  But, hey, he gave me a “student discount,” and my gosh, the one thing could juice and the other tool could peel AND cut… might as well get all four pieces.  Mom and I had fun making these Zucchini Curls at home, but we soon realized the old man sure did a better job.

Zucchini Curls

Ingredients:

• 3 large zucchini
• 1 Tbsp canola oil (Publix)
• 1/2 tsp seasoning (William Sonoma Potlatch Seasoning, Salmon & Seafood Spice Rub- salt, paprika, crushed red pepper, chili pepper, oregano, basil, coriander, safflower oil)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 °F.
2. Use a cooking tool to cut curls of zucchini.  Place pieces in a large pan and drizzle with canola oil.  Sprinkle seasoning on top.  Mix well.
3. Pull curls apart and place other pieces of zucchini in between so zucchini cooks evenly and quickly.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until soft.  Enjoy!

Serves: 4

The seasoning made the zucchini very flavorful and had a nice spicy kick to it.  It was fun to eat curls of zucchini instead of the traditional circles.

• Nutrition note:  Make veggies fun to eat by cutting them into different shapes, like curls.

Pumpkin Butter, Banana and Coconut Shake September 23, 2011

Ingredients for PB&C Shake

Blending the PB&C Shake

PB&C Shake

Kathryn says: Happy Fall! J came home with a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino yesterday, and it made me want to cook with pumpkin. I woke up this morning and put this tasty shake together with what we had around the house. I like to call it a PB&C Shake.

Pumpkin Butter, Banana and Coconut Shake

Ingredients:

• 2-3 ice cubes
• 1/2 banana
• 3 oz (1/2 of a small container) of coconut yogurt (I used Publix CocoRico yogurt)
• 1 tsp pumpkin butter (I used Lyman Orchards Pumpkin Butter that my Dad brought home from a trip to Connecticut, but you can make it with canned pumpkin, sugar and spices such as ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)
• 1 tsp milk (I used non-fat Lactaid)

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in blender.
2. Blend until ice is fully blended.
3. Pour into cup and enjoy as a breakfast drink, snack or dessert.

• J’s nutrition note: Using yogurt as a base for shakes adds calcium, which helps maintain strong bones.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Jamie says:  Happy fall!  Today’s the first day of the season and it’s also one of my favorite days of the year.  I have no idea why I have this strange connection to the number 23 and September 23rd, but for some reason, I love the date.  And I also love all of the pumpkin foods and beverages that become available.  I “pre-gamed” with two Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos this week… but to officially kick off the season, I made…

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats (Quaker)
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp raisins (Publix)
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (Spice Island)
• 2 Tbsp pumpkin butter- pumpkin, sugar, spices (Lynman Orchards)
• 2 Tbsp fat free milk (Publix)

Directions:

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, add oatmeal, water, and raisins.  Microwave for 3 minutes.
2. Stir in pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin butter.  Top with milk.  Enjoy!

Serves: 1

Variation:  Try toasted walnuts on top.

Full of fall flavor and perfectly sweetened!  Tastes like pumpkin pie filling!

• Nutrition note:  Pumpkin is a great source of vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene).  Vitamin A is important for vision.

Classic Escarole Salad September 22, 2011

Classic Escarole Salad

Jamie says:  After returning from our wonderful vacation to Italy, my family all had different ways of adjusting.  Mom requested escarole (an Italian green, which we acutally did not have on our trip) from Publix and scrolled through all 1,000 or so pictures on her camera; Dad rolled out this huge map of the world in the family room and rented the movie Ben-Hur; Kathryn joked about moving to Italy and kept saying how none of the food is good here “except for the figs;” and I?  Well, I just slept and slept and slept and kept some happy “snapshots” of Italy in the back of my mind while I got back into the swing of things, and started cooking again…

Classic Escarole Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 head of fresh escarole
• 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
• 3 cloves fresh garlic

Directions:

1. Wash escarole.  Place on a clean dish towel and pat dry.  Tear escarole into pieces about 2″ long and place in a serving bowl.
2. Juice lemon.  Add juice and pulp to escarole.  Toss.
3. Add olive oil and sea salt.  Toss.
4. Peel garlic.  Using a garlic press, press garlic into salad.  With a knife, cut remaining garlic in press and add to salad.  Toss.

Serves: 4.  Enjoy!

The raw garlic and escarole make this a tasty, bitter salad.  The sea salt enhances the flavor.  If I were in Italy, I’d say “molto buono,” meaning very good!

• Nutrition note:  Vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene) isn’t only found in orange fruits and vegetables.  Green leafy vegetables, like escarole, are a good source, too.

Jerk Rub Salmon September 19, 2011

Jerk Rub Salmon

Jamie says:  We’re back from Italy!  Check out the Italian food we ate at our Two Sisters Dine Out blog.  There will be many more posts to come (14 days worth).  Here’s something I made a few nights before we left for our trip…

Jerk Rub Salmon

(This recipe was adapted from Chef Brown’s Jerk Rub for Salmon recipe from the Sun Sentinel, which was adapted from executive chef Chris Brown of Morton’s The Steakhouse of Palm Beach.)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 1/8 lbs wild salmon
• brown sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Combine all seasonings in a small bowl.  Mix well.  Leave about 2 Tbsp in the bowl and pour remaining jerk seasonings in a small jar with a lid for future use.
2. Rinse salmon under running water and pat dry with a paper towel.  Coat both sides of salmon with the jerk seasonings in the bowl.  Place on a baking sheet and cook for about 16 minutes or until flaky and cooked throughout.

Serves: 3 with about 6 extra Tbsp of jerk seasoning remaining.  Enjoy!

Very flavorful.

• Nutrition note:  Wild salmon has more omega-3s than farm-raised salmon.
• Recipe variation:  For a sweeter version, add some brown sugar to the salmon after using the jerk rub.

Polenta Cakes with Balsamic Shrimp and Mushrooms over Baked Kale September 6, 2011

Polenta Cakes with Balsamic Shrimp and Mushrooms over Baked Kale

Jamie says:  Buongiorno!  K and I are off to Italy today!  We will be going to Florence, Venice, and Rome.  In honor of our trip, I hope you enjoy this polenta recipe.  If we can get to a computer, we might post some of our good eatings in our Two Sisters Dine Out blog.

Polenta Cakes with Balsamic Shrimp and Mushrooms over Baked Kale

Ingredients:

Baked Kale

• 27 oz bag kale (Glory Foods)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil (Filippo Berio)
• 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt (Alessi)
• 1/8 freshly ground pepper

Balsamic Shrimp and Mushrooms

• 12 oz container white, prewashed sliced mushrooms (Publix)
• 3/4 lb peeled, deveined, shrimp (Publix Seafood)
• 1/4 cup  classic balsamic extra virgin olive oil vinaigrette (Bolthouse Farms)

Polenta Cakes

• 17 oz roll of original polenta (Marjon)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (Filippo Berio)
• 1/3 cup shredded, reduced fat 2% milk, low moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese (Publix)

Directions:

1. Baked Kale: Preheat oven to 375°F.  Divide kale among two large metal baking dishes.  Drizzle olive oil on top.  Add sea salt and pepper.  Toss to mix.  Bake for about 32 minutes or until brown and crispy.
2. Balsamic Shrimp and Mushrooms: Meanwhile, rinse mushrooms and shrimp in a colander under running water.  Place in a pot with a lid and pour balsamic vinaigrette on top.  Place lid on top of pot and shake to mix.  Marinate in refrigerator.  When kale has cooked 22 minutes, place pot of shrimp on a burner set on medium heat.  Cook for 10 minutes or until shrimp are pink and mushrooms are soft, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Leave lid on pot to keep warm.
3. Polenta Cakes: Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan on a burner set to medium-high heat.  Slice polenta into 1/2 inch circles.  Pour 1/2 of olive oil into pan (reserving 1/2 for the next batch of polenta cakes).  Carefully place 1/2 of polenta circles on pan.  Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until polenta absorbs oil and cakes are lightly browned, if desired.  Flip polenta cakes, cooking for and additional 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, place on a plate, and immediately top with 1/2 of mozzarella cheese.  Repeat process, adding reserved olive oil to pan.  Place the second batch of finished polenta cakes on top of the first polenta cakes and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
4. Assemble meal: Divide kale among plates.  Top with polenta cakes.  Then add shrimp and mushrooms and a little of the cooked vinaigrette on top.

Serves: 3.  Enjoy!

The polenta cakes reminded me of arepas (which are amazing); the baked kale has earned its place as a favorite; and the shrimp and mushrooms had a nice balsamic/red pepper flavor from the vinaigrette.  And in the end, they all came together nicely to make a tasty dinner.

• Nutrition note:  The Polenta Cakes with Balsamic Shrimp and Mushrooms over Baked Kale is a gluten-free meal.  Always check the label though, just in case a product’s ingredients change.