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These Chili Recipes Help Warm Chilly Evenings

September 20, 2016 by

All it takes is a homemade dinner of something warm and comforting to get you into that cozy fall feeling. Here are a few chili recipes that you’ll love to make on those chilly autumn evenings.

Pumpkin Chili [oliviascuisine.com]
While you’re likely used to seeing pumpkin in every cookie, coffee, and pie as soon as summer is over, this recipe for pumpkin chili will show you a new and exciting way to use everyone’s favorite fall gourd. It can be made on the stovetop or in the slow-cooker if you’re pressed for time, and it becomes even more festive if you serve it inside of a small, hollowed pumpkin.

Slow-Cooker Chocolate Chili With Three Beans [bhg.com]
If chocolate in chili seems too good to be true (and maybe a little bit strange), you’ll become a believer once you taste this unique recipe. Best of all, you can make it in the slow-cooker, so you’ll come home from a long day at work to a warm, home-cooked meal.

Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili [allrecipes.com]
A healthy turkey chili cuts down on fat and calories compared to the traditional beef version, and this one is also very easy to make. Just toss all of the legumes, veggies, and spices into the slow-cooker and you’ll have a hearty and nutritious meal in just over four hours.

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Boost Energy and Fight Cramps with These Potassium-Rich Foods

December 8, 2015 by

If you engage in high levels of activity, you already know that potassium from foods like bananas prevent cramps and stabilize your energy supply. Potassium is a vital mineral that also helps prevent hypertension and can be found in many other foods. Here are two other foods that are high in potassium:

  1. Potatoes. Grab a few spuds to get a huge boost of potassium. Red, white, or sweet, they make great sources of this nutrient. One medium potato contains 751 milligrams of potassium.
  2. Yogurt. This quick and delicious snack contains 531 milligrams of potassium in a mere eight ounces. For the healthiest choice, go for plain yogurt to avoid extra sugar hidden in the fruit.

Top 10 Foods Highest in Potassium [Healthaliciousness]
15 Foods That Are High In Potassium [Health]
Food with More Potassium than a Banana [Huffington Post]
Potassium and Your CKD Diet [National Kidney Foundation]

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3 Quick and Healthy Pasta Recipes to Serve Tonight

December 9, 2014 by

Pasta is a comfort food that’s perfect for just about any occasion, but it is often packed full of calories and carbohydrates. If you’re on a diet but still crave spaghetti, lasagna, rice noodles, or any number of other delicious pastas, you might just love these quick and easy pasta recipes:

Mediterranean Pork Penne
This is certainly not your mama’s pasta dish, but it’s a welcome, unique addition to your usual pasta recipes. Using whole-wheat penne makes it a bit healthier, while stir-fry pork strips add a ton of beneficial protein to this complex and well-seasoned dish.

Bowtie Pasta With Chicken, Broccoli and Feta
Even children will love this simple, cheesy pasta dinner, and it’s a great way to get picky eaters to get a full serving of vegetables. Grilled chicken is a lean source of protein, and a full serving will leaving you feeling full without ruining your healthy diet.

Pasta Primavera
This Italian cuisine classic is jam packed with a variety of nutritious vegetables, and it takes just 20 minutes to prepare. Whole-wheat spaghetti and low-sodium tomatoes make this recipe an even healthier take on the beloved original. At just over 300 calories, this is a pasta dish that won’t make you feel guilty about indulging.

For more healthy, nutritious pasta recipes, visit the NIH website here.

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3 Recipes for Pumpkin Seeds

October 14, 2014 by

Even if you make roasted pumpkin seeds every fall, there are so many different recipes for this autumn snack that you probably haven’t tried them all. Here are three unique pumpkin seed recipes that will give a new taste to one of your favorite fall foods.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds [AllRecipes]
Two hefty teaspoons of butter help to bring out the natural flavor of the pumpkin seeds in this simple, basic recipe. Whether you buy a bag of seeds from the grocery store or extract them from the pumpkin yourself, you just can’t go wrong with this fall snack.

Pumpkin Seed Pesto [Whole Foods]
Fans of pesto will adore this unique recipe, which combines the fall flavors of pumpkin seeds with the unexpected taste of cilantro pesto. Store the finished product in your refrigerator to spread on sandwiches, drizzle over pasta, or use as a topping for baked chicken.

Asparagus, Potato and Spinach Galette [Woman's Day]
Galettes are very popular because of their versatility and their beautifully rustic appearance, and this one incorporates pumpkin seeds in a way that you’ve likely never tried before. Fill the rolled pie crust with Gruyere cheese, asparagus, and Yukon gold potatoes to create a truly filling meal that’s pretty enough to serve at parties or holiday gatherings.

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Summertime Desserts Inspired by Delightful Cocktails

July 15, 2014 by

Here's a trio of tasty cocktail-like desserts to keep you cool all summer long:

Grilled Mint Julep Peaches
Nothing says summer like fresh, juicy peaches, and this decadent dessert combines them with a classic mint julep cocktail to create a deliciously Southern dessert. Four ripe peaches are glazed in Kentucky Bourbon and grilled to a golden brown, then the whole thing is topped with vanilla bean ice cream a few sprigs of mint to give them that signature minty flavor.

Pink Grapefruit, Strawberry and Champagne Granita
Whether you have something to celebrate or not, this champagne-infused dessert dish is perfectly festive. The fruits and bubbly champagne are blended with ice to create a slushy mix that’s best served in a pretty martini glass.

Strawberry Peach Vodka Collins Poptails
A “poptail” is a fun way to describe a dessert that combines a cocktail with a popsicle, and it’s becoming an increasingly popular summer dessert trend. This one contains pureed strawberries, homemade peach syrup, and refreshing vodka to create its cold, fruity taste.

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4 Unique Dishes to Take to Your Next Potluck

June 10, 2014 by

A potluck dinner is a fun way to experience a wide variety of different cooking styles, inviting every guest to bring a covered dish to contribute to the meal. Whether you’re tired of your usual potluck recipes or you’ve never brought a dish to a party before, don’t sweat it. If you’re invited to an upcoming potluck but don’t know what to bring, these four recipes will help make your dish a hit.

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Tart [Oprah.com]

Best Broccoli Salad [Mr. Food Test Kitchen]

Make-and-Take Potluck Dishes [Chow]

Old Fashioned Pineapple Upside-Down Cake [All Recipes]

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Missing an Ingredient? Try These Common Food Substitutions!

April 8, 2014 by

It's happened to the best of us: You excitedly begin a recipe only to find that you're missing an ingredient. Don't scrap your recipe just yet! Chances are that you have an adequate substitute on hand. Here are three common substitutions that can prevent the hassle of last-minute runs to the grocery store.

If you're missing oil or butter:
Try applesauce in place of oil or butter. This sub-in works wonderfully in quick bread recipes (like banana bread), as it adds moistness to the bread. Mashed avocado and bananas can also be subbed for oil and butter.

If you're missing eggs:
These substitutes can replace one large egg: 1/4 cup pureed silken tofu; 2 egg whites; half a banana mashed with 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 2 egg yolks plus 1 tablespoon water (best used in cookie or bar recipes).

If you're missing sour cream or mayo:
Greek yogurt rivals the creamy flavor of sour cream and mayo, and bonus: It's lower in fat and calories! In some cases, Greek yogurt can be substituted for buttermilk or cream cheese.

Common Ingredient Substitutions [AllRecipes]
Emergency Substitutions [Betty Crocker]
Top 10 Food Substitutions for Healthier Cooking [TLC]

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Nutrition Tips for Vegetarians

February 11, 2014 by

Whether you want to show support for animals or simply choose to avoid meat products, becoming a vegetarian can be a very healthy lifestyle choice. Though it decreases your risk for many long-term diseases, a vegetarian diet can make it difficult to get the protein and other nutrients a person needs to stay healthy and energized.

These vegetarian eating tips can help you create a balanced, meat-free diet:

  • Make sure that you get enough protein by incorporating nuts, beans, peas and soy products into meals and snacks.
  • Keep up with your necessary iron intake to create healthy oxygen absorption in the blood by eating a lot of spinach, kidney beans, lentils, black-eyed peas and iron-fortified cereals.
  • Choose calcium-fortified soy milk to replace the calcium normally found in regular cow’s milk.
  • Consider vegetarian alternatives to traditionally meat-based foods to keep your diet exciting (for example, bean burritos, veggie lo mein, or vegetarian lasagna).

Tips for Vegetarians [USDA]

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Have You Tried These Five Unusual Foods?

July 24, 2012 by

With global cuisine now available in a wide variety of forms, there are several unusual ingredients and preparations that any adventurous eater needs to try before they die. If you’re putting together a list of must-try foods, add these five items.

Durian is one of the most popular fruits of Southeast Asia, with a uniquely creamy texture and deep, complex flavor. The main reason you don’t see it much in the United States is because of its odor, which is incredibly pungent. It’s certainly off-putting, but if you can get past it the flavor is amazing.

Miracle fruit is another very interesting plant, hailing from Africa. This odd little berry packs a potent dose of an enzyme that briefly changes the way you taste other foods, removing the tongue’s ability to taste sour and bitter flavors. So eating a lemon after a miracle fruit just gives you an unusual citrus sweetness.

Escargot is one of the most revered dishes in French cuisine. And yes, it’s snails, served in their shells. But once you get over the yuck factor, they’re amazing, buttery packages of rich flavor.

Fugu, the Japanese puffer fish, needs to be prepared by an expert before it is served, as the poison glands inside the fish’s body can paralyze or kill a human being. The flesh itself is light and delicate.

If you’ve never sampled caviar, widely known as one of the world’s most decadent foods, you owe it to yourself to set out a simple brunch of the powerful, flavorful fish eggs atop blinis or small toasts.

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