Grilled Brussels Sprouts

Throw your Brussels out on the grill instead of cooking them in the pan and you will love the results!

Ingredients:

1 pound brussels sprouts (small to medium size work best)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the brussels sprouts al dente they can be cooked by either boiling them in a pot of water, steaming in a pyrex dish in an half inch of water, or even quicker, put them in a Glad® Simply Cooking™ Microwave Steaming Bag and heat on high for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a barbecue grill or large pan and soak 5-6 wooden skewers. Cool the brussels sprouts rapidly by putting them in a strainer under running cold water or throw them in a pot of cold water. Dry them and add them to 6 skewers (about 6-8 brussels sprouts per skewer.) Mix the olive oil lemon juice and garlic powder in a small dish and add it to the brussels sprouts- using a brush to coat them works the best. Heat them for 3-5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Makes 6 servings

Serving size: 1 skewer Calories 50 Protein 3 g Carb 7 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 2 g Fat 2.5 g saturated fat 0 g Sodium 20 mg

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Rainbow Ratatouille

This ratatouille features a rainbow of colors from summer veggies and all the vitamins, minerals and fiber that comes along with them. Try it over brown rice, whole wheat pasta… it can even liven up an omelet or add flair to a baked potato!

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon olive oil
2 finely chopped fresh garlic cloves (2 teaspoons)
1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 large eggplant, cut into small ¼ inch cubes (4 cups)
1 red bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped zucchini,
1 cup chopped yellow squash
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon herbs de provence
fresh chopped basil, for garnish/topping

Directions:

Add ½ teaspoon of olive oil to a large pot with the onions and garlic and sauté them on medium-high heat until lightly browned/tender, about 3-5 minutes. Put in the cubed eggplant, the chopped pepper and the broth and continue to heat, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Then throw in the canned tomatoes, the squash, zucchini and the herbs and heat for another 7-10 minutes until all the vegetables are very tender. Garnish with fresh chopped basil.

Makes 6 cups, 6 servings

Serving size: 1 cup Calories 70 Protein 2 g Carb 14 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 7 g Fat 1 g saturated fat 0 g Sodium 530 mg

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Simple Grilled Garlic Chicken

My husband is the grill master of the household, especially when it comes to barbeque chicken. One night he decided to try something different (rather than just adding bbq sauce) and the result was this recipe. We have been enjoying it ever since!

Ingredients:

1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4, half inch thick breasts work well)
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Directions

Place the chicken breasts on a large plate. Put the olive oil in a small dish and use a brush to lightly coat both sides (or use your hands to rub it in). In a separate dish mix the salt, garlic and pepper together. Coat the chicken breast on one side with half the mixture, flip and coat the other side with the rest. Preheat a large nonstick pan or barbeque grill and cook on high heat for 10-15 minutes each side until no longer pink in the center.

Makes 4 servings:

Serving size: 1 chicken breast Calories 160 Protein 24 g Carb 0g Fiber 0 g Sugars 0 g Fat 6 g saturated fat 0 g Sodium 200 mg

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A New Segment- Shout-Outs!

It’s amazing how much the blogosphere has blown up in the past few years, namely the internet world of food and nutrition blogging. I am so excited to be a part of it and so thankful for all my readers, taste testers and supporters! Another thing I am grateful for is all the wonderful and talented people I know and the wealth of information that I have access to being in the nutrition and healthcare profession as well as a blogger. So I thought I’d share some of it with you, bit by bit, here and there through a new segment…. Shout-Outs. Here I will give “props” to other dietitians, chefs, foodies who blog, have written cool books, developed delicious recipes, etc.

My first Shout-out is to an awesome woman who has done all of the above, Cheryl Forberg. She happens to be my long time friend, but anyone who just meets her would be impressed by her accomplishments (so I am not biased, haha!). I think the BIO on her website sums her up the best “Cheryl Forberg, RD, is a James Beard award-winning chef, a New York Times bestselling author and the nutritionist for NBC's "The Biggest Loser." One of the few professional chefs in the country who is also a registered dietitian, Cheryl has shared her expertise in nutrition and healthy recipe development in a dozen books, the latest of which is "Flavor First: Cut Calories and Boost Flavor" “.

We met at UC Berkeley when we were both studying to get our nutrition degrees and I have had the opportunity to learn with and from Cheryl and even work with her too! I have to admit, one of the greatest perks of being her friend has been being a taster for all her delicious self-created recipes! You can learn more about all the awesome books she has out on her website and check out her blog there too.

It has been exciting to watch her take off, as a dietitian, Chef, now writer and media spokesperson. So a big Shout- Out to Cheryl and I invite you to check her fabulous site !

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Ridiculously Easy Blueberry Crumble

Fresh, in season blueberries plus a few simple ingredients combine to create this delicious treat! Happy Fourth of July!

1 ¼ cup blueberries
¼ cup light maple syrup
1 tbsp brown sugar
4 tablespoons rolled oats
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, chilled
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and dry the blueberries and add them to a small bowl. Pour in the maple syrup and mix well to evenly coat them. In a separate small bowl combine the oats and the tablespoon brown sugar Cut the chilled butter/margarine into small cubes and work it into the oat mixture by hand until a crumbled texture is reached. Spoon the blueberries into two small ramikens or small oven safe mugs/dishes and sprinkle the crumble on top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until crumble is very lightly browned/crispy.

Makes 2 crumbles, two servings

Serving size: 1 dish of crumble
Calories 260 Protein 2 g Carb 50 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 40 g Fat 13g saturated fat 7 g Sodium 295 mg

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