2010 Dietary Guidelines

It’s official! The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will be released Monday, January 31. Ok, maybe you aren’t as excited about the release as I am, but hopefully by the end of this post you’ll have a change of heart.

Why are the dietary guidelines important? For starters, all federal food and nutrition education programs, such as the National School Lunch Program, are based on the recommendations found in the dietary guidelines. Published every 5 years in attempt keep up with advances in research, the Dietary Guidelines provide nutrition guidance for Americans over the age of two. While most people will never actually read the entire report (the 2005 Dietary Guidelines is 84 pages!), there is an easier way to find out what the dietary guidelines are. MyPyramid.gov is a helpful, interactive tool that provides individualized nutrition information based on the latest Dietary Guidelines. If you want to learn more about healthy eating and exercise habits, check out the MyPyramid.gov website and have fun with the interactive tools, like MenuPlanner and MyPyramid Tracker!

If you are interested in checking out the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the report will be available on the USDA webpage immediately following the press conference on January 31st.

Happy, healthy eating:)

Chocolate-Cranberry Clusters

They’re sweet, slightly salty, and super tasty.

And man do people love them. I made these for a diabetes support group meeting (there’s only 13 grams of carbohydrates per cluster!), then took some to work the following day…and I think I’ll be expected to bring more back soon!

Chocolate-Cranberry Clusters

Recipe adapted from: KimGaleaz.com

Ingredients:
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
3 Tbsp. sunflower seed kernels

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate chips in double-boiler over simmering water.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add melted chocolate to the bowl and mix well to coat.
3. Using a tablespoon, scoop mixture onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet.
4. Chill clusters in fridge for at least 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature for best flavors.

Black Bean Soup

Full of flavor and fiber, this Black Bean Soup has just become a favorite of mine for simple, weeknight dinners. It’s so easy to prepare and we almost always have these ingredients stocked in our kitchen. And don’t worry about too much sodium! This recipe makes use of Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning, dried herbs, and low-sodium chicken broth, meaning you won’t be left feeling guilty for eating over half the days sodium in just one sitting.

Nutrition Note: Did you know that by rinsing canned beans, vegetables, and meats, you can reduce sodium by up to 40%!

Ingredients:
1 cup green pepper, diced
1 cup onion, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning
2-15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 + 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
Fresh cilantro
Low-fat sour cream

Directions:
1. Saute green pepper, onion, and garlic in 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add Mrs. Dash seasoning once onions become translucent.

2. Stir in black beans, broth, and herbs/spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes.
3. If desired, mash some of the beans with a wooden spoon to give a thicker texture.
4. Top soup with sour cream and fresh cilantro before serving, if desired.

Nutrition Info: 215 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 1 mg cholesterol, 455 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 12 g fiber, 16 g protein

Nashville Restaurant Week

Nashville Restaurant Week kicks off tomorrow, January 17th and goes through January 23. Seven days to celebrate and support the Nashville chefs who create delicious dishes year-round. Since I was new to Nashville last year and unaware of Restaurant Week, I only visited one location, Yellow Porch. But man, oh man, was it amazing! This year, I am better prepared and have a game plan in place so I can squeeze in as many restaurants as possible. On the list this year: Sunset Grille, PM, Suzy Wong’s House of Yum, and Allium. Be sure to check out the menus online and make reservations early!

Photo courtesy of Nashville Originals

Mushroom-Truffle Oil Risotto

I figured truffle oil would catch your attention. It always amazes me just how little truffle oil can transform a good dish into an out-of-this-world, mouth-watering, memorable dish…and that’s exactly what this Mushroom-Truffle Oil Risotto is.

While risotto can often be high in saturated fat and cholesterol from loads of butter, cream, and cheese, this is a lower-fat version that still packs plenty of flavor. I added plenty of veggies (plenty of onions, peas, and mushrooms) to give this risotto sustenance and color.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Smart Balance Butter Blend with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
6 baby portabello mushrooms, quartered
2 cups mushroom broth, heated
3/4 arborio rice
2 oz. white cooking wine
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 tsp. White Truffle Oil

Directions:
1. Heat butter in large sauce pan over medium heat. Add vegetables and saute until onions are translucent.

Saute veggies until onions are translucent

2. Add arborio rice to pan and cook for about 1 minute or until rice is translucent. Add white wine, cooking until evaporated.
3. Pour one cup of heated mushroom broth into rice and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Continue to add broth one cup at a time, allowing liquid to absorb each time.

Let the rice soak up all the liquid before adding more!

4. Stir in cream. Remove from heat and then add truffle oil, stirring to distribute well.

Enjoy!

Cupcake Adventures

I’ve always wanted to enter a recipe contest. So, when my mom mentioned the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Adventure Cupcake contest, I knew it was my time. After recruiting my cupcake-fanatic friends, we set out on our cupcake adventure.

The rules of the contest were as follows:

• Use a Scharffen Berger product
• Make use of at least one of the 14 adventure ingredients (we tried adzuki beans, Sumatra coffee beans, buttermilk, molasses, chili peppers, ricotta cheese & stout beer)
• The recipe must be original

After several hours of baking, we had created 25 cupcake/frosting combinations and a giant mess in the kitchen. But it was so much fun and I think we came up with some pretty adventurous cupcakes!

Mild and Hot Chili Pepper Chocolate Cupcakes

Chai-Chocolate Cupcakes

Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting & Chocolate Stout Frosting

In the end we submitted our favorites (see one recipe below) and now we will just hope for the best! Until then, I think we’re all going to cut back on the cupcakes for awhile….maybe:)

The damage…

Chai-Chocolate Cupcakes with Sumatra Coffee Frosting
Makes 18 cupcakes + 3 cups frosting

Ingredients
3/4 cup Scharffen Berger unsweetened cocoa powder
1.5 cups AP flour
1.5 cups sugar
1.5 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Saigon cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/2  cup Tazo Chai Tea Latte concentrate
1/4  cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
2. Mix together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
3. To the dry ingredients, add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping the sides to make sure batter is mixed well.
4. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake approximately 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let sit for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Sumatra Coffee Frosting

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cut into chunks
2 Tbsp heavy cream
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp strongly brewed Sumatra coffee (3Tbsp. ground coffee per 1 cup water)
3 Tbsp low-fat ricotta cheese
3 cups confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Add coffee and ricotta and mix until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
2. Reduce speed of mixer and gradually add the confectioner’s sugar, beating until smooth, about 4-5- minutes. Once well-mixed, increase mixer speed and beat frosting until well-incorporated, about 5 minutes. (If not mixed long enough, the frosting will appear oily).

A New Year’s Meal-Southern Style

For the first time in years, I wasn’t able to eat the much loved New Year’s Day meal with my family. My grandmother is a fabulous cook, although she will never admit it, and always prepares a traditional German New Years meal of pork and sauerkraut to help bring good luck for the coming year (so far it’s been working!) Needless to say I was disappointed to miss out on one of my favorite meals of the year and the chance to spend time with family. But to help ensure good luck for the coming year, I decided to prepare my own New Year’s Day meal—Southern style. It only seems appropriate since I’m living in the South! Black-eyed peas (prosperity), greens (money), and cornbread (wealth/gold) are common foods found on the Southern table New Year’s Day.

To ensure good health for the New Year, I loaded this dish with plenty of veggies, used low-sodium bacon, and skipped the traditional method of cooking the black-eyed peas with fat back or salt pork. This dish is very flavorful, low-fat, full of nutrients like fiber, vitamin A and vitamin K, and it was so easy to make! I predict that in 2011, I will be making more of this One-Pot Black-Eyed Pea Soup.

One-Pot Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1-15 oz. can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 cup water
2 carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch
1 small onion, diced fine
1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, plus liquid
3 slices low-sodium bacon, chopped into small pieces
3 cups fresh collard greens, chopped
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp. ground pepper
¼ tsp. oregano

Directions:
In a large pot over medium heat, place first seven ingredients in pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add collard greens and spices. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, or until greens are tender. Serve with cornbread.