Homemade Spinach Tortillas

Fun to make (and eat!) These can be used for dipping salsa, guacamole, or for making wraps, enchiladas, quesadillas, etc.

To shape them you can either roll them with a rolling pin or use a tortilla press (I use an Indian Chapati maker, similar to a tortilla press). For easy removal from the press I place the dough ball between 2 sheets of sturdy plastic food freezer bag ~

(I take one bag and split it open on 3 sides, like a book; this can be washed after each tortilla making session and reused. I store it right along with my Chapati/Tortilla press *.)

* Click HERE to see the Chapati press I use.

(Then use your back-button, or click the blog header to return.)

Be forewarned! If you begin making your own fresh, homemade tortillas you may never satisfied with store-bought again. :)

In my next post I'll show you how I used the Spinach Tortillas this time.

If you would like a printable copy of the recipe with instructions, they can be found on my recipe blog. Click HERE.

Thank you for stopping by ~ have a healthy and delicious day!

Sushi Rolls ~ Uramaki (Rice on the outside)

In Uramaki sushi the rice is on the outside of the roll with nori (dried seaweed sheet) on the inside, rather than the rice being encased in the nori.

Nami was my very best childhood girlfriend, we lived next door to each other. We were in the same kindergarten class and grew up together. That was a long time ago, in a different time when childhood play was unstructured and we could play, bike and explore where ever we liked as long as we were home by evening dinner. Afterwards we could play outdoors until the street lights came on.

We spent countless hours at work and imaginative play together, and people would often confuse us for sisters. If I wasn't at her house, she was at mine, our mothers (and families) were very good friends.

Sometimes, as a special treat Nami's grandmother would make maki rolls for us. I believe I was 6 or 7 when I had my first taste of maki, it was love at first bite for me.

If you haven't attempted making sushi rolls (maki) at home, let me assure you it is not difficult to do. Your technique will improve with practice.

The beauty of the sushi roll is the fillings are limited only by your imagination, it's satisfying to come up with your own specialties, even using bits of leftovers. :)

This time the fillings I chose were:

Short-grain brown rice (find it at the healthy food store), cooked & seasoned as in traditional white sushi rice
julienned carrots and hot house/"seedless", (or Kerby) cucumber
California avocado
slivered green onion
wasabi if you like (I serve it on the side)
Sesame seeds for the final garnish (black, white, or a mix)

I use lower-sodium soy sauce



It is difficult to articulate the directions for assembling the rolls, but this uramaki demonstration video will help you visualize, and simplify the procedure.

The technique is the same, no matter what you choose to use as filling.

See how easy?!

I hope you have a healthy and delicious day!

Vegetable Egg Foo Yung ~ A Healthier Way

A take on a more complicated dish from Shanghai, Egg Foo Yung has been a very popular menu item on Chinese-American restaurant for decades.

I've taken the opportunity to lighten it up by reducing the oil and salt, using egg substitute, using whole wheat flour.

I also swapped out the bay shrimp with cooked vegetables in the gravy recipe for this healthier version.

For the vegetables in the gravy I precooked them by giving them a quick saute in a vegetable-oil sprayed non-stick skillet; this time the combination was diced zucchini with red and orange sweet bell peppers.

It received a thumbs up at my house, and no one missed the extra calories or fat!

I've posted a printable version both the OLD and the NEW healthy recipe on my recipe blog.

You can access the recipes by clicking HERE.

Baked Kale Crisps

Some may turn up their nose at this crispy snack, others love them.~ They are slightly reminiscent of toasted Nori .
They are a low calorie and low fat nutritious snack, and a decent substitute for potato chips, though not sturdy enough for dipping.

To make them remove the tough stem and tear the leafy part into bite-size portions. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment, lay the pieces out in a single layer and spray lightly with olive oil.
(I use my Misto Oil Sprayer to spritz the olive oil.)Then bake in a 325* (F) oven for about 7 minutes, turn and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes until crisp but watch carefully during the last few minutes as the can turn from delightfully crisp to burned in a flash.





Then sprinkle very lightly with coarse sea salt and a light dusting of ground cayenne or chipotle powder to add a little heat, if desired.






When the leaves are baked they become nearly transluscent and brittle ~ they delicately shatter when you bite into them.


They make a very interesting addition to the appetizer or cheese tray, or for simply munching. :)




If you would like a printable copy of the recipe you can find it on my recipe blog by clicking HERE.

If these sound appealing to you, I hope you enjoy.

Have a healthy and delicious day!

Healthy Wraps!

One of my favorite lunches ~ so fresh and healthy.

Wraps have been so popular for quite some time, but some are loaded with fat and calories. My aim is to come up with some combinations which are super healthy, low fat and low carb.

I've found a high fiber, low fat Whole Wheat/Oat Bran wrap that I really like, they are made by Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods here in the Pacific Northwest. Only 70 calories and 4 grams net carbs, 0 sugar. :) If you cannot find this brand, just read the nutrition labels; you can probably find something comparable.

For the wrap I make most often, I try to always use home-roasted turkey or chicken breasts, very thinly sliced ~ but if I don't have it, good deli plain-roasted chicken or turkey slices work as well. If buying from the grocery store I search out the 99% fat-free, lower sodium variety which the American Heart Assn. recommends. Foster Farms makes one, Sara Lee also offer both lower-sodium turkey and chicken at the service deli-counter of my grocery store (sliced to order).

I always make mine light on the meat [... if I include meat that is], and heavy on the veggies, which I vary a little each time. I try to include a rainbow of colors when it comes to the vegetables ~ the ones in these pictures include tomatoes, red bell peppers, a thin avocado slice, green onions, cucumbers, radishes, and my favorite ~ clover sprouts! Have you tried clover sprouts? I much prefer them to alfalfa sprouts, the flavor is milder and texture more pleasing, imo. Besides, they're so CUTE! :)

Sometimes I spread the sauce on the wrap and build upon that, but most of the time I assemble them "taco-style", with the sauce on top.

Again, the sauce/dressing is made from Fat Free Nonfat Plain Organic yogurt, I stir a little good quality mayonnaise into it (ratio about 4 parts yogurt to 1 part mayonnaise), and enough Dijon mustard to perk the mixture up.

I'd love to know if you have a favorite wrap combination ~ I hope you'll share if you do. :)

I'll be featuring some of my other favorite low-fat, low-carb wraps in the coming weeks ~ as we have them several times a week for lunch or dinner. I hope you'll find some combinations that you like among the ones I plan on posting.

Have a Healthy and Delicious Day! xoxo

Chicken Salad ~ Fresher Tasting and Lightened-Up

A lightened up version of chicken salad ~

Healthier with more flavor and texture than before. :)

This one is a combination of a couple of recipes I've made for a very long time. This time I peeled a sweet, juicy cantaloupe, cut it into thick rings to contain the mounded chicken mixture.

I loaded the dish with plenty of other healthy things ~

blueberries (high in anti-oxidents, and with a low glycemic index rating),

lots of crispy celery for crunch,

walnuts; rich in fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, and antioxidants such as Vitamin E.

Generally nuts are also high in plant sterols and fat - but mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, omega 3 fatty acids - (the good fats) which have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. Walnuts, in particular, have significantly higher amounts of omega 3 fatty acids as compared to other nuts.

I also lined the plate with baby spinach leaves (stems removed) before building the remainder of the salad.

The French tarragon is doing really well in the herb garden this year, so I snipped some up and tossed it with the chicken, as well as a garnish.

Probably the most notable change to make this chicken salad more healthful is the dressing. I use plain, organic, non-fat yogurt, mixed with a bit of quality mayonnaise (reduced fat, or regular) in the ration of about 4:1 , and sometimes about a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard.

When using boneless, skinless chicken breasts for a salad I gently poach them with a bay leaf, whole black pepper corns and aromatic herbs, until just done so they remain moist and flavorful. Allow them to cool then cut the breasts into the desired size chunks (I just don't care for shredded chicken in this kind of salad.)

I love limes, and a squeeze piques the flavor of this salad perfectly.

If you try this lightened up version of Chicken Salad, I hope you love it!

Pacific Rim Tofu Salad ~ Vegetarian & Vegan Friendly

Tofu.

Love it, indifferent about it, or loathe it?

Please don't run the other way if you don't like it ~ You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken breast strips, or tenders in this recipe (or even salmon), if you prefer!

Liza Barnes, in her article Tofu 101 gives a great analogy of tofu ~
"Cheese is to cow's milk as tofu is to soymilk."

However you feel about tofu it has a lot, nutritionally, going for it and it fits right in with our current eating style, which makes me very happy. :)

A 3 ounce portion contains 70 calories (4.5 grams of fat)
0.5 g Saturated Fat ---- *yay!*0 grams Trans Fat ---- *yay!*Cholesterol 0 grams ---- *yay!*Sodium 5 grams ---- (not bad) Total Carbohydrate 1 gram ---- *yay!* Dietary fiber 1 gram Sugars 0 gram ----*yay!*Protein 8 grams ---- *yay!*Calcium 10% of daily recommended requirements --- *yay!*Iron 6% of daily recommended requirements

I've always enjoyed tofu, and now I find I'm serving it more often.

I tend to prefer recipes using firm or extra firm tofu as a substitute for chicken breast and other mild meats in recipes, and because plain tofu is a "flavor neutral" it takes on whatever you decide to season it with ~ as in this DELICIOUS salad:

A light, yet filling salad. Low in calories, low carb but bright with flavor from the lively dressing.

The dressing is simply a little canola oil, water, unseasoned rice vinegar, sesame oil, a little honey or Splenda, etc., grated ginger, garlic and low sodium soy sauce.

It goes together in minutes ~

Whisk the dressing ingredients together.

Drain & slice the tofu, toss with a little of the dressing & brown in a non-stick pan for a few minutes.

While the tofu is browning, I prep the vegetables; slice the hot house cucumber and radishes on a mandolin, you can grate the carrots or use a julienne hand tool.

Arrange the veggies on a plate, place the warm tofu on top and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Voila!

A quick, healthful lunch or dinner is served. :)

NOTE: You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken breast strips (or tenders), or then salmon filet slices for the tofu if you prefer, and still have a fast, healthful meal.

If you would like the recipe, click HERE for a printable copy on my Recipe Blog.