Wickedly Delicious Yogurt & Cottage Cheese Treats

Dinner plans tonight are at 7pm and it's only 5pm and I am starved....what to do...what to snack on? Generally my tip for a healthy snack revolves around eating some type of vegetable. Upon opening my fridge I realized that I just bought some of Rachel's Cucumber Dill Cottage Cheese. Yum! This struck my fancy, because unlike many I prefer cottage cheese on the savory side versus the sweet. Finally, a product that meets my cravings! (Note, sweet flavors exist, too) So, I chopped up one of my favorite Persian cukes and tossed it with the flavored cottage cheese. Delightfuly satisfying! Thank you Rachel's Dairy for creating this delectable treat! And this is no trick! www.Rachelsdairy.com

Brussels Sprouts are Back

I grew up with such a strong sense of disgust for this vegetable it is amazing that I have such an affinity for it now. The trick for me was learning how to prepare it--without mutilating it! I am also amazed that the Brussels Sprout is making a come back. Just this past week during my travels to Denver I ate at Rioja Restaurant--a shi shi tapas restaurant and they had an appetizer dish just like the one I prepared today. Although, I opted for ham over pancetta--so it really doesn't sound that fancy. This week at Trader Joe's I purchased a bag of Brussels Sprouts, rosemary ham, onions, and baby mushrooms--all an inspiration to my quick lunch today. I hope you give this dish a try, too! It can be served as a side, a main dish, or as an appetizer served with crispy bread. Don't pass up the Brussels Sprouts next time!
Brussels and Back in 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1/8 onion, sliced thin
6 baby mushrooms, sliced or quartered
8 Brussels sprouts, remove base (stem) and thinly slice like cabbage
2 oz rosemary ham
black pepper, to taste
Directions:
In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add onions and mushrooms and cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts and ham, sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Top with cracked black pepper and serve. Truly that simple!

Break Out the Chili Beans!

The fall just doesn't seem fall-like without a pot of chili brewing in the Crock Pot. For my first weekend home in the past 6 weekends I have decided to whip up my favorite pot of chili and break in the fall with style. My recipe comes to you without any bells nor whistles, but I always get raves about it. The nice thing about the recipe is that you can embelish a bit where you like, or where your pantry takes you.
So cheers to you and yours (as I kick up my Tony Lamas, drink an ice cold Sierra Nevada, and savor my cornbread and chili). Let me know what you think! I'll just sit back and listen to a little Texas Country Music (REK, RRB, or Bingham) and enjoy the rest of my night!
Wendy's Chili
Ingredients:
1 lb. extra lean ground beef or turkey breast
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large can tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can pinto beans (drained)
1 (14.5 oz) can kidney beans (drained)
1-3 Tbsp. chili powder (I grind my own pasilla chili peppers for this)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cracked pepper
Optionals: Green onions, cheddar cheese, sour cream, Fritos, cilantro, or chopped jalapeños
Directions:
In a skillet brown your meat, onions, and garlic together. Add spices. Place in Crock Pot and pour tomatoes and beans on top. Stir and cook for 6-8 hours. Truly this is always best on day 2, but I love the way it makes my house smell and my stomach grumble! Enjoy! I did!!

PS--New camera!!!

Cheesey Broccoli & Cauliflower Soup

I lied! Just when I thought I could get away I decided that my recipe tonight needed to be shared. Earlier this week I had prepared steamed broccoli & cauliflower, but of course eating for one these days leaves a lot of leftovers so I needed something else to prepare. While walking through the aisles I had a wave of nostalgia roll over me and I picked up a can of Campbell's Cheese Soup--not low sodium, and not low in fat. This is the base for the soup, but certainly not where all the nutrition and flavor comes from! So, if you are feeling in the mood for a lighter rendition of a cheesey broccoli & cauliflower soup consider this a quick and easy alternative that can be done in the ease of your Crock Pot! I loved coming home to the smells of this soup! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 can Campbell's Cheese or Fiesta Cheese Soup

4 cups Broccoli & Cauliflower chopped (I just used a chopper for this)

1 can Chicken Broth, low sodium

1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

Directions:

Place cheese soup mix, veggies, and broth in a crock pot and stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Just before serving stir in cheddar cheese and cracked pepper. Yes, it's that simple! Enjoy!

Where Have I Been?

First off, my apologies for not being as dedicated to my practice of blogging. Alas, the fall has taken over and my committments have expanded leaving me without a moments of rest to freely blog. Currently, I am taking two graduate classes, seeing clients, and I am an active board member for the Nutrition Entrepreneurs DPG (www.NEDPG.org). The past 3 weekends have whisked me away to places like Austin, Texas and a kayak trip down the Colorado river. This weekend I am jet setting again and off to Denver for the American Dietetic Association's (www.Eatright.org) Food & Nutrition Conferene & Expo (aka FNCE). Once I am able to put the conference behind me I should be able to get back my passionate side of food blogging! Until then Eat Well & Be Well!
~Edible Nutrition

Zucchini Bread--One of my classics!

If you were to ask my former students they would all remember me for a certain recipe. The first day of every semester I would demonstrate cooking with my favorite recipe: Zucchini Bread! Majority of the students would have perceptions that zucchini is a vegetable and not meant to be in a sweet bread, some would abhor the taste of zucchini, and others were open minded to try anything as long as they could eat. My rules:

1. No talking or making disgusted faces--this influences others' responses

2. Must try everything--even if just a bite

3. Rate the food you try

I do not have a memory of any one student disliking this recipe, and often I would receive calls from parents asking how I got their child to eat a vegetable. Still to this day I receive emails from my former students asking for this recipe, and today was no different so I thought I'd share with my readers my favorite Zucchini Bread recipe. I have adapted the recipe from Williams Sonoma Muffins Cookbook recipe.

Wendy’s Summer Zucchini Bread
Ingredients:
1 ½ cp Flour, All Purpose
¾ cp Sugar
2 ts. Baking Powder
¼ ts. Baking Soda
½ ts. Cinnamon
¼ ts. Salt
2 eggs
1/3 cp Olive Oil or Canola Oil

1/3 cp Orange Marmalade
2 sm. zucchinis, grated and strained (Squish in a paper towel to get rid of liquid)
½ cp dried cherries, or orange cranberries (I like a mix of ranier and bing)
½ cp walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven. To 375*F. Grease a bread pan.
Stir together flour through salt. In another bowl, mix liquids (eggs through zucchini). Add liquids to dry ingredients, do not over mix. Fold in nuts and cherries. Pour into pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Recipe can be doubled.
Enjoy!