Category: Healthy Eating is Tasty

Top 3 Meatless Meats for Meat-Lovers

1 Comment

Are you digging plant grub but can’t get full on tofu? Or maybe you just don’t want to get full on tofu. YET. So until you’re there, here are 3 of the BEST plant-powered meatalicious products around. Obviously there’s nothing wrong with good ole beans and rice or pasta fagioli, but these dudes are perfect for vegetarian flirts and XL appetites.

Photo by: WhatsGoodatTraderJoes.com

1. Soy Chorizo. The package and casing scared me at first. But, once I stabbed through it, I realized the possibilities were endless. It’s spicy, has a great chewy and meaty texture, and is super filling. There are lots of brands, but the Trader Joe’s 2.5-ounce serving has 140 calories, 9 grams protein, 4 grams fiber, 8 grams carbohydrate, and just 1.5 grams saturated fat. Add it to soups, chili, nachos, potatoes, tacos, or potatoes for a hearty Mexican hash dish. Normally, I panic with processed foods and their list of 900 chemical ingredients, but the one at TJ’s tastes incredible and has just 8 completely identifiable ingredients (1 being water): textured soy protein, water, soy oil, distilled vinegar, salt, spices, red pepper, garlic. Whats Good at Trader Joe’s?–unrelated to Trader Joe’s or Bitchin’ Dietitian–has a cool review of it.

Photo by: LaziestVegans.com

2. Field Roast’s Frankfurters. These grain-based (compared to soy-based) veggie hot dogs are THE BOMB. I knew it last night when my soy dog UNenthusiastic husband had a second one. They have a mildly spicy taste, but still made it past my anti-spicy child’s taste buds. The ingredient list is longer than the chorizo’s, but contains all recognizable items: filtered water, vital wheat gluten, expeller pressed safflower oil, naturally flavored yeast extract, organic expeller pressed palm fruit oil, barley malt, natural liquid smoke, garlic, onion granules, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, spices, paprika, sea salt. Each frank has 190 filling calories and 21 grams of protein. The rest of the nutrition info is here.

Photo by: WhatsGoodatTraderJoes.com

3. Trader Joe’s Beef-Less Ground Beef. Another wheat gluten concoction, this stuff is incredible mixed with brown rice, black beans, and salsa and then stuffed into cooked peppers. Or, add it to marinara sauce with frozen chopped spinach atop elbow macaroni for a healthy spin on Hamburger Helper. It’s basically fat-free with a 1/3-cup serving containing 60 calories, 10 grams protein, 2 grams fiber, and 0.5 grams fat. Check out another review and more ideas here.

Serve these up with gobs of veggies for maximum nutrition. Recipes here or in Skinny Dish.

Mediterranean Tofu Wraps and Lazy Lentils Save Me

Leave a comment

First off, THANK YOU for the Skinny Dish love this week! What a joy getting all your positive feedback and watching it top Emeril, Rachael Ray, and Jamie Oliver on Amazon, even if only for a short while!

Speaking of the week, it’s been a food tsunami… food interviews, food talks, food prep, food demonstrations, food shopping, more food planning… so bad that I’m having trouble stepping into my own gourmet kitchen. So, I wanted to share 2 Skinny Dish recipes that have kept me anchored, sane, and nourished this week. Without them and buckets of green tea, I’d have laryngitis, pimples, and an exhausted tank.

Mediterranean Tofu Wrap, Skinny Dish

Mediterranean Tofu Wrap
Makes 1 wrap
Prep time 5 minutes

This fresh and quickly-prepared wrap is a dance party of healthy flavors. Enjoy this wrap as a quick meal on its own, or with a side salad. Captain Reilly likes this one squashed and heated in a skillet or Panini maker. Hot or cold, you can’t go wrong!

1 Habanero Lime Flour Tortilla or whole grain flour tortilla
1 Tbsp hummus
1 Tbsp Olive Tapenade Spread
2.3 oz (1/3 pkg) Organic Baked Tofu, Savory Flavor, other marinated tofu
Handful baby lettuce or 1 oz (1/2 pkg) Organic Microgreens
2 Tbsp Julienne Cut Sun Dried Tomatoes, or other sliced sun dried tomatoes
4 fresh basil leaves

1 With flour tortilla open on a plate, spread hummus and then olive spread evenly over tortilla.

2 Place 4 tofu strips 2 x 2, flat down, and lengthwise. Then top with baby lettuce, sun dried tomatoes, and basil.

3 Wrap the tortilla and secure with a toothpick or foil wrap.

4 Eat within a few hours so olive spread doesn’t make the tortilla soggy.

NUTRITION SNAPSHOT
Per wrap: 358 calories, 12.5 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 800 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrates, 6.5 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 17.5 g protein, 41% vitamin A, 31.5% vitamin C, 6.5% calcium, 20.5% iron

Tip: Prepare several wraps ahead of time, wrapped in foil, but omitting the olive spread until ready to eat. Store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Lazy Lentils, Skinny Dish

Lazy Lentils
Makes 2 servings
Prep and cooking time: 6 minutes

Fortify a can of lentil soup with extra veggies, and you’ve got a nutritionist-approved value meal in less than 8 minutes! Serve this dish with a chunk of whole grain bread or a handful of multigrain crackers. Dinner’s served!

2 (14.5-oz) cans Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup
2 cups Organic Foursome frozen vegetables, or other mixed vegetables
2 servings multigrain bread or crackers of choice (optional)

1 In a medium-sized soup pot over medium-high heat, heat soup contents and veggies, covered, until veggies are tender, about 5 minutes.

2 That’s it!

NUTRITION SNAPSHOT
Per serving: 334 calories, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1130 mg sodium, 54.5 g carbohydrates, 14.5 g fiber, 4.5 g sugar, 15 g protein, 119.5% vitamin A, 39% vitamin C, 11% calcium, 33% iron

Recipes reprinted w/ permission from Cooking with Trader Joe’s Cookbook – Skinny Dish!, by Jennifer K. Reilly, RD,
(c) 2011, Brown Bag Publishers http://www.cookTJ.com

What are YOUR nutzoid week food go-to’s?

Top 10 Reasons to Eat Avocados

Leave a comment

Photo Credit: Cyclonebill

What is it about the “alligator pear” that makes them so totally luscious, versatile, and hard to pass-up? Here’s a top 10 compiled by you, me, and some professional avocadists:

10. They’re the perfect baby food. Who doesn’t like baby food?
9.   They put the smooth in a green smoothie.
8.   They’re loaded with vitamin E, knocking out free radicals which can otherwise damage cells and DNA, and lead to wrinkles and cancer.
7.   Despite their high fat content (11 grams per half an avocado), they help to control weight and appetite because the fat is super digestible.
6.   Their color is pretty. Pretty foods make YOU pretty.
5.   They’re a yin food. Yin foods are cooling, calming, and nourishing.
4.   Guacamole, namely the kind that turns my husband into a cute version of profesh chef Bobby Flay. It uses onion, tomato, lime, and salt. And speaking of, about 53 million pounds of guacamole are eaten on both Super Bowl Sunday and Cinco de Mayo. That’s enough guac to fill a football field 5 feet deep from end zone to end zone.
3.   They’re a fantastic sandwich “moist-maker.”
2.   They’re heart-healthy, rich in cholesterol-lowering fats, potassium (60% more than bananas), B-vitamins, and essential fatty acids.
1.   They’re considered the world’s healthiest food, rich in 20 vitamins and minerals and all the essential amino acids. If you were stranded on a deserted, avocado-rich island, you would thrive until your rescue.

Other reasons to love avocado?

Toasted Sesame Oil: Turning Tofu and Greens from Nothing to Something

2 Comments

Photo by: Nicole Cho

Are you a tofu UNenthusiast or a “greens are gross” gal? Well, Toasted Sesame Oil (different from regular ole sesame oil) is about to save your day. It flavors tofu, kale, and other greens in a way that will take your breath away.

All you need to do: Add 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil plus 2 teaspoons olive oil (less expensive and higher smoke point than the sesame oil) to a skillet over medium heat. Add 1-block-worth of tofu cubes or a large bunch of dark leafy greens pieces along with a tablespoon of soy sauce. Cook for 5-10 minutes, covered, adding water 2 tablespoons at a time as needed to prevent sticking. Add more soy sauce as needed for flavor. Shepow! Delicious.

What’s your go-to tofu or greens recipe?