Simple Sauteed Kale

This has recently become my family's favorite side dish. So easy to prepare and chocked full of nutrients!

Ingredients:

 * Note: I often double this recipe and make 2 batches back to back since the raw kale takes up so much room in the pan initially

6 packed cups torn or coarsely chopped kale leaves
¼ cup low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
toppings- salt, pepper, grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

Wash and pat dry the kale (if it is damp that is ok because a little water will help the steaming process.) Remove the ribs and tear or chop the leaves. Add 1.5 teaspoons of olive oil to coat a large pan and warm on medium-high heat for 1 minute. Throw in the kale, pour the broth over, cover and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally as it starts to soften. Remove cover, add the remaining 1.5 teaspoon of olive oil, mix well and heat for another 3-5 minutes. Add salt, pepper and parmesan cheese to taste. 

Makes 2 cups, 4 servings

Serving size: ½ cup Calories 90 Protein 5 g Carb 10 g Fiber 2 g Sugars 0 g Fat 4.5 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 55 mg

* Note: the nutrition analysis will change a bit if salt or parmesan cheese is added

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Recipe ReDux Post # 23 Strawberry Watermelon Popsicles With a Hint of Rose

“Floral Flavors” is the June Recipe ReDux theme and the challenge was to develop a recipe using edible flowers or products made with them. Now this was totally foreign territory for me and I was definitely intrigued and a bit intimidated to say the least!  Rose extract seemed like a fun ingredient to try so I decided to go with it and create a healthy popsicle recipe to celebrate the start of summer.  This recipe is clean, easy, delicious and super low calorie! Plus the hint of rose goes a long way to add a unique, almost royal flavor.  Try it out and check out these flowery creations made by the awesome Recipe Redux folks!

Ingredients:

1 generous cup of cubed seedless watermelon

1 heaping cup of sliced strawberries

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of honey

1/8 teaspoon rose extract (optional)

6 3-4 ounce popsicle holders

Directions:

Add the watermelon, honey, lemon juice and rose to a blender and blend for 30-60 seconds. Then throw in the strawberries and blend another minute or so until a smooth mixture is formed.  Add about 1/3 cup to each popsicle holder for a total of 6 popsicles and freeze for 6-8 hours.

Makes 6 popsicles, six servings

Serving size: 1 popsicle Calories 30 Protein 0 g Carb 8 g Fiber 1 g Sugars  7g Fat  0 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 0 mg

An InLinkz Link-up

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In The News... Protein Intake and Risk of Stroke

Protein, in terms of optimal type/source and amount is always a popular subject in nutrition research.  One recent study has investigated protein intake as it relates to stroke- it is intriguing and I thought I'd share it with you.

The meta-analysis, published in Neurology this month,  looked at protein intake and it's potential to reduce the incidence of stroke. Chinese researchers reviewed all of the available studies checking out the relationship between protein in the diet and the risk of stroke. Seven studies (with a total of 254,489 participants who were followed for an average of 14 years) were included in this analysis.

The results? Overall, the participants with the greatest amount of protein in their diets were 20 percent less likely to develop a stroke in comparison with those that had the lowest amount of protein in their diets. (Their results controlled for other factors that could affect the risk of stroke, such as smoking and high cholesterol.) Every additional 20 grams per day of protein consumed reduced the risk of stroke by 26 percent! 

The scientists did point out that the analysis did not support increased consumption of red meat, which has been associated with elevated stroke risk. Two of the studies were conducted in Japan, where fish intake surpasses that of red meat, in comparison to westerners. (And fish intake has been associated with decreased risk of stroke.)

In conclusion the results indicated that stroke risk may be reduced by replacing red meat with other protein sources, such as fish.  The mechanism?? Protein intake can lower blood pressure, which may play a role in reducing stroke risk. You can check out a summary of the research HERE. 

You can pump up the protein in your diet with some of my protein bar recipes, and the majority of my entrees are protein rich as well!!

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Balsamic Roasted Cauliflower with Dates and Pistachios

This is a Mediterranean inspired side dish that has an awesome combo of unique flavors!

Ingredients:

7 cups cauliflower florets

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon honey

¼ cup pitted and chopped medjool dates

¼ cup finely chopped pistachios

salt and pepper to taste

cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the cauliflower in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey and vinegar. Add the vinegar mixture to the bowl with the cauliflower and toss to coat. Then place the veggies on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and roast for 20 minutes, (turn/toss them half way through) until lightly browned and tender but firm when pierced with a fork. In last few minutes of roasting sprinkle the dates and pistachios over the cauliflower to lightly toast.

Makes 4 cups 8 servings

Serving size: 1/2 cup Calories  85  Protein  3 g Carb 13 g  Fiber  2.5 g Sugars 8 g Fat 4 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium  45 mg

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Honey Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

 A simple, easy and delicious side!

Ingredients:

6 cups Brussels sprouts, stems trims and quartered

1 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon honey

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and trim stems of Brussels sprouts and cut into quarters. Put the Brussels in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey and vinegar. Add the vinegar mixture to the bowl with the brussels and toss to coat. Then place the veggies on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and roast for 25-30 minutes, (turn/toss them half way through) until lightly browned and tender but firm when pierced with a fork.

Makes 5 cups 5 servings

Serving size: 1 cup Calories 90  Protein  4 g Carb 15 g  Fiber 4 g Sugars 7 g Fat  3 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium  30 mg

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Recipe ReDux Post # 22: Banana Almond Chai Smoothie

The May RecipeReDux theme is “Cooking With Tea”  with our goal being to create “tea-inspired healthy dishes”.  I have never used tea in recipes before and have been wanting to try using chai tea so I figured a smoothie would be a fun way to go.  It worked out great and the chai flavor was a nice, subtle way to spice up the average smoothie.  So get one brewing n’ blending, and check out the other awesome recipes incorporating tea from the awesome RecipeReDux group!

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk ( or milk of your choice)

1 chai tea bag  (I used zhena’s gypsy tea,decaf caramel chai- amazing!)

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 medium frozen banana, cut into chunks.

Directions: Warm the milk in a saucepan to before boiling and add tea bag.  Remove from heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes or more. Then remove tea bag and cool the “milky tea” mixture in fridge.  (You can do this overnight to have the milky tea ready to use in the morning).  Add the milky tea, banana chunks, almond butter and vanilla extract to a blender and process until smooth.

Makes 1 full size smoothie or 2 snack size

Serving size: the entire recipe Calories 250 Protein 6 g Carb 33 g Fiber 6 g Sugars 16 g Fat 12 g Saturated fat 0  g Sodium 180 mg

Serving size: 1/2 recipe, snack size Calories 125 Protein 3 g Carb 16.5 g Fiber 3g Sugars 8 g Fat 6 g Saturated fat 0  g Sodium 90 mg

An InLinkz Link-up

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In The News: The Many Health Benefits of Cranberries!

Last month I was excited to have the opportunity to share some cranberry info and a great recipe in a guest post courtesy of The Cranberry Institute. And this month I am also sharing some interesting research news that they have made available to me to share with my readers.  Check it all out below!! And try my previously posted (and pictured above) Almond Cranberry Rice, to get some cranberries into your diet!

Science Bites: News from Cranberry Scientists  (all courtesy of The Cranberry Institute)

Cranberries Have Health-Promoting Properties, New Expert Review Reveals

Cranberries are more than a holiday favorite, given their remarkable nutritional and health benefits. A new research review published in the international journal Advances in Nutrition provides reasons why these tart berries can be front and center, rather than just a side dish. The review authors conclude that cranberries provide unique bioactive compounds that may help reduce the incidence of certain infections, improve heart health and temper inflammation. The authors also cite data that shows the cranberry may improve blood cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure, inflammation and oxidative stress.

Cranberry Juice Drinkers Have Healthier Diets, Smaller Waistlines and Lower BMIs

To assess whether cranberry juice consumption is linked with being overweight or other negative health outcomes, researchers at Virginia Tech use data on U.S. adult diets from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Survey 2005-2008 to compare those who drink cranberry juice to those who didn’t report drinking cranberry beverages.

The results of this paper show that cranberry juice products provide vitamins, minerals, flavonoids and other bioactive compounds important for health, noting that these products are not linked to being overweight or any other adverse health outcome. Despite cranberry beverages having added sweeteners, they do not appear to have any negative health consequences, based on this population-based report.

Cranberry Products to Help Fight the Cold and Flu? Clinical Trial Shows Promising Results

It’s well-known that cranberry polyphenols exhibit anti-adhesion properties in the urinary tract, but preliminary research suggests cranberry’s anti-bacterial and immune-booster effects may extend beyond the urinary tract to provide total body protection against bacteria and viruses related to the common cold and flu.

A study published in Nutrition Journal tested this theory. Researchers from the University of Florida conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial with 43 adults who were randomly assigned and blinded to receive either a 16 oz. low-calorie cranberry juice beverage that was prepared from a cranberry fraction powder or a 16 oz. placebo beverage daily. The results showed that those drinking cranberry juice had significantly greater T-cell proliferation and a lower production of inflammatory cytokine, which indicates an improvement in immune responses.

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