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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Modern Bean Salad

Modern Bean Salad


Today's Tidbit: I have always liked 3 Bean Salad, but did you know that it is made with Sugar?  I didn't until recently; most recipes call for 3/4 cup of it!  So, I decided to create a more healthy version with a modern twist, so it could be enjoyed as a main entree and not just a side dish.  I ended up using 2 Beans and added toasted Pine Nuts, Zucchini and Scallions.  Verdict:  delicious, flavorful, fiber packed, in short: a more healthy modern Bean Salad.  This was perfect for lunch and would be super easy to take with you to work, on a picnic, or just enjoy to at your own kitchen table!


More Healthy Modern Bean Salad Recipe:


1 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tsp Curry Powder
1 Zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1 cup Haricot Verts (steamed)
1 cup White Cannellini Beans (if canned, drain & rinse)
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 tbsp Toasted Pine Nuts
1 tbsp sliced Scallions
 
Heat Canola Oil in Cast Iron Pan. Whisk in Curry Powder and heat for 30 seconds or so, then add Zucchini Slices, turning once or twice until cooked through.

Plate Zucchini and top with the other ingredients, in order listed above.  Delicious!


Tip: This dish can be switched up easily, by using a different Salad Dressing or Vinaigrette or subbing sliced Almonds for the Pine Nuts and/ or adding Sauteed Spinach to it as well.  Also, you don't have to use Curry Powder when cooking the Zucchini, plain Zucchini would work just fine, I just liked the additional flavor!



 
The Story of What Amy Ate Today:
 
*Last year I created the What Amy Ate Today blog to share my personal story of losing over 40 pounds by making simple healthy changes to the way I was eating.  I wanted to show the real life picture of what my daily food choices looked like by simply posting every single thing that I ate every single day; which I did for 9 straight months!   


It all started on May 1, 2012, check it out here: http://www.whatamyatetoday.blogspot.com/2012/05/wed-may-2nd.html  

I wanted to show that it is possible to lose weight and be healthy without being on a diet and without starving or depriving yourself of anything.  I make healthy choices whenever I can, but I am a normal person living a real life and I want to enjoy it, so I indulge in special treats regularly too.   
 
It has been a great journey for me, further motivating me to seek out new foods, new recipes and new ways to prepare and eat more healthily and get more Vitamins and Nutrients (and Energy!)  into my day.   I look forward to continuing this journey by highlighting special recipes, new foods and/ or preparations that I discover or create, alongside any helpful Health information or news that I come across through the above "Today's Tidbit".  Thanks for joining me on my journey to better health and better living!




Friday, March 1, 2013

Buffalo Chicken Dip & Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Healthier Buffalo Chicken Dip!

Today's Tidbit:  For many years my favorite sandwich was a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.  Yes, the deep fried version, on a big white roll with Cheese.  Delicious!  I consumed loads of these before I realized that Buffalo sauce is mostly just Butter with some high sodium Hot Sauce mixed in.  But well, I loved it, so I had to figure out how to make a healthier, yet still yummy version.  A couple weeks ago I concocted two variations of this yummy meal and cut lots of the Saturated Fat and Sodium from the sauce and it was still totally yummy.

My first endeavor was to make a Healthier Buffalo Chicken Pizza.  This is how I did it:  I used Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, which I rolled out and topped with No Salt Added Organic Marinara Sauce.  For the next layer I sauteed Mushrooms, Onions & some thinly sliced Garlic in a little Canola Oil, then added 1 cup of precooked chopped Chicken Breast.  Next I added about 3 Tbsp of Trader Joe's Hot Chili Pepper Sauce (which has no Sodium!) and 1 Tbsp of Butter to the pan and mixed it all together.  Then I poured it on the Pizza and topped it all with some Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese and baked it at 425 for about 10 minutes.  YUM!  See pic below:


Healthier Buffalo Chicken Pizza!

This was such a success that I decided to try making a Healthier Buffalo Chicken Dip.  As usual, I tried to add some Veggies and cut a little Sodium & Saturated Fat when possible.  My husband and I loved it!  These are two recipes that will be repeated in this kitchen for sure!


Here is my yummy, yet much Healthier Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe:

Okay, so you have bear with me on this one, as I did a couple extra steps, largely because my son loves my Artichoke Dip, so I made that first so he could have some and then I converted the rest into the Buffalo Chicken Dip (my kids are still too young to enjoy spicy food!)



So first I made Artichoke Dip:

Into Food Processor put:


1 cup White Beans (if you use canned, be sure to rinse/ drain)
1 can Artichoke Hearts, rinsed/ drained
1 clove Garlic

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese

Process to desired consistency and then pour into a Casserole dish that has been sprayed with Canola Oil, and then top with another 1/4 cup Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese.

Baked, uncovered, for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, and then remove cover and bake another 15 minutes, until bubbly and starting to brown.



At this point I took out 1/4 cup to give to my son to enjoy and then used the remainder to make the Buffalo Chicken Dip as follows: 


To the Artichoke Dip add 1 large can of white Chicken* (rinsed/ drained) & 2-3 tbsp Hot Red Chili Pepper Sauce.   Mix and then pour into the serving dish. 

Meanwhile in fresh Pan melt 1 tbsp Butter and add another 2 Tbsp Hot Red Chili Pepper Sauce, mix and heat thoroughly and then simply drizzle this on top of the serving dish!  It should look a little like this:




Healthier Buffalo Chicken Dip!

 

Serve with thinly sliced crusty Baguette, Crackers or Chips, or anything else you like to dip, such as Veggies etc.

Seriously, this dip is loaded with good stuff (Artichokes, Garlic and White Beans) and actually tastes like the traditional Buffalo Chicken Dip while only using 1 Tbsp of Butter in the whole Recipe and reducing Sodium by using Trader Joe's Hot Red Chili Pepper Sauce which has no Sodium in it.  And did I mention, YUM?!  Yes, try it out and see!  


*I used canned Chicken, because it is what we had on hand, but using freshly cooked, shredded Chicken or Rotisserie Chicken would be a great way to go if you have some on hand! 


 
The Story of What Amy Ate Today:
 
*Last year I created the What Amy Ate Today blog to share my personal story of losing over 40 pounds by making simple healthy changes to the way I was eating.  I wanted to show the real life picture of what my daily food choices looked like by simply posting every single thing that I ate every single day; which I did for 9 straight months!   


It all started on May 1, 2012, check it out here: http://www.whatamyatetoday.blogspot.com/2012/05/wed-may-2nd.html  

I wanted to show that it is possible to lose weight and be healthy without being on a diet and without starving or depriving yourself of anything.  I make healthy choices whenever I can, but I am a normal person living a real life and I want to enjoy it, so I indulge in special treats regularly too.   
 
It has been a great journey for me, further motivating me to seek out new foods, new recipes and new ways to prepare and eat more healthily and get more Vitamins and Nutrients (and Energy!)  into my day.   I look forward to continuing this journey by highlighting special recipes, new foods and/ or preparations that I discover or create, alongside any helpful Health information or news that I come across through the above "Today's Tidbit".  Thanks for joining me on my journey to better health and better living!