Recipe Four: Turkey Meatballs and Sauce

Here's a healthier (turkey) meatball option for when you cook, with a delicious homemade sauce to go along with it.

Turkey Meatballs
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup dried basil leaves
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 16 oz can whole cut tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Small can sliced black olives

Instructions

1. Mix turkey, parmesan, egg, basil, breadcrumbs, parsley, and oregano in a bowl
2. Form into 1 - 2 inch meatballs and sautée in large skillet until no longer pink in center
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the meatballs in a large pot
4. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered until sauce thickens, about 30 minutes
5. Salt and pepper to taste, serve over hot pasta

Nutrition Information

• 213 calories
• 16 g carbohydrates
• 2 g dietary fiber
• 4 g sugar
• 5 g fat
• 25 g protein

This is such an easy recipe to make, and once you are done forming the meatballs, you basically just let them sit and cook - very little attention required. Bon appétit! 

Grill Safely

There is a small cancer risk associated with grilling meat since carcinogens are created during the grilling process, however vegetables (even when they char) do not produce carcinogens. Taking a few precautions while barbecuing minimizes the health risks without sacrificing that delicious charcoal taste. 

Grilling protein-filled foods such as meats and fish creates two kinds of chemical compounds that may contribute to cancer: heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). HCAs form when meat is cooked at a high temperature. While frying and broiling produce these chemicals as well, the charred bits at the edges of barbecued meat contain HCAs in their purest state. PAHs form when juices from meat drip onto coals or other hot surfaces and create smoke. The smoke contains these carcinogens, which are deposited onto the surface of meat as it swirls around the food on the grill. 

To cut down on the amount of carcinogens produced, you can microwave meat 60-90 seconds to reduce the amount of time needed to grill it. You can also cut off the charred parts of the meat which means you won't ingest the purest HCA's contained there. Certain recipes can also make grilling safer; vinegar or lemon marinades act as a shield to prevent PAH's from sticking to the meat. Instead of grilling meat, try grilling some vegetables like squash and asparagus, or fruits like pineapple.


Though grilling is not the greatest cancer risk, we should still take precautions to reduce known risk.  I hope everyone has a great summer grilling season! (I sure have some new recipes ready to go.)

Recipe Three: Margarita Chicken

Chefs love alcohol.  If you've never watched Top Chef (on Bravo TV) before, I think you are missing out big time.  I think one of my favorite quotes from the show is, "you're not cooking until you're drinking."  I was reminded of this quote earlier today, and thought I would share my first (of many to come) recipes with alcohol.


Margarita Chicken
Makes 3 servings

Ingredients

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup margarita mix
• 2/3 cup tequila
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chicken seasoning

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag.  Squeeze out all the air and massage the bag to combine the ingredients.  Refrigerate for at least one hour (overnight is best).
2. Preheat grill to medium.  Remove chicken from the bag and grill until cooked through.
3. Serve hot. You can garnish with baby arugula and lime if you want.

Nutrition Information

• 217 calories
• 6g carbohydrates
• 0g dietary fiber
• 4g sugars
• 2.5g fat
• 20g protein

I love this recipe (and it actually tastes like a margarita!!).  It has been thoroughly tested on college students.  At one of our huge dinners for the Dean's Scholars, it was completely devoured.  More on cooking for the Dean's Scholars soon, as we have our end-of-year dinner coming up in less than 2 weeks!! Hope y'all enjoy!

Kitchen Starters

Many times, people ask me how to get started cooking.  They are generally moving into an apartment for the first time, or are just making the (very healthy) shift away from only eating frozen dinners.  I have decided to compile my own list of (non-perishable) ingredients that I always keep in stock around my kitchen, and that I think everyone else should keep in theirs.

General Items

Oils - extra virgin olive oil, vegetable oil
Condiments - soy sauce (low sodium), ketchup, mustard, balsamic vinegar


Herbs and Spices
Seasonings - Morton's table salt, black pepper
Herbs - oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley (all dried), bay leaves
Spices - garlic powder, ground cinnamon, mustard powder, smoked paprika


Baking and Dry Goods
Sugars - granulated sugar, brown sugar, (powdered sugar if you intend to bake a lot)
Other Sweets - honey, maple syrup, almonds or mixed nuts
Baking - whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, almond extract
Other - pasta, rice, stock cubes: vegetable, chicken, and beef


Freezer Items
Vegetables - broccoli, green beans, peas, sweet corn
Other - fruit (see previous post), shrimp

This list is just an outline of the kind of things you may want to stock up on when you start to cook more seriously.  Generally, buy what you can (not all at once), and discover what ingredients are used in the recipes you like best.  Most of these items will sit happily in your pantry or freezer for months, and having them nearby will help you get a bit more creative in the kitchen.


Let me know (comment below) if you think I missed something vital. =)

Recipe Two: Snazzy Chicken Salad

We have made this chicken salad every year for one of the big events (usually about 100 people attending) for one of my groups at school.  Even with an entire kitchen completely covered in a myriad of foods, this chicken salad is the first bowl to run dry.  Normally, I wouldn't think of chicken salad as a health food (mostly due to all the mayonnaise), but there are ways to spice it up and make it better for you and your gut.

Chicken Salad
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pulled chicken
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup halved green grapes
• 1/2 cup halved red grapes
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup mayonnaise (prefer light)

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients except the mayonnaise in a large mixing bowl.  Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
2. Mix mayonnaise into the chicken salad, then eat up!

Nutrition Information:

• 238 calories
• 8g carbohydrates
• 2g dietary fiber
• 3g sugars
• 13g fat
• 25g protein

To lower the fat content of the chicken salad, try substituting Greek yogurt or whipped cream for a portion of the mayonnaise.  The celery, grapes, and almonds add vital vitamins to the chicken salad, including vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids.  You can even play with the chicken to fruits and vegetables ratio to make this chicken salad even healthier, or just throw in some shredded carrots or alfalfa sprouts to enhance the nutritional benefits.  Try serving the chicken salad over a bed of spinach or leafy greens instead of on bread or a bagel.

Ingredient Highlight: Apple

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away"

How many times have we heard this phrase in our lifetimes? Do apples really deserve this much praise, or is it just a way for parents to get their children to eat fruit?  Well the answer is simple: apples are good for you, and (red) delicious.

Since this is the first ingredient highlight, I'm not really sure what people want to hear, so I'm just going to have a few different sections - let me know what you like or don't like so I can adjust for future ingredient highlights.

First, a little bit of background.  There are over 7,500 different varieties of apples grown worldwide, about a third of which are grown in the United States.  Charred apples have been found in prehistoric caves in Switzerland, and the apple was the favorite fruit of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Apples have a number of health benefits, even though they are lower in vitamin C than most other fruits and vegetables.  Some of the most notable benefits are:

• Prevention of dementia
• Increase in bone density
• Decreased levels of bad cholesterol (LDL)
• Helps with weight loss
• Prevention of breast, colon, liver, lung, and prostate cancers

Apples are a great source of fiber (about 5g per apple).  In fact, two-thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel.  So DON'T peel your apples.  However, I would personally suggest that you buy certified organic apples (really you should buy organic for any fruit or vegetable where you eat the skin).  Why buy organic?  Well, in the case of apples, many apples have commercial grade wax applied after harvesting and cleaning.  Did you really think your apples were that shiny all on their own?  Not only is eating wax a tad disgusting, but the wax coating actually traps pesticides used when growing the apples.  In fact, apples are one of the top twelve pesticide containing foods.  So I'll reiterate: buy organic.

Wax scraped from a commercially sold apple

Peak Season: September to May
Tip: Apples ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than if they are refrigerated

Apple Gadgets: (Yes, I know I really love my gadgets)

Oxo Good Grips Apple Corer and Divider

Cuisipro Apple Corer

Not only are apples great to eat as an afternoon snack, they are a wonderful ingredient for all types of recipes (read: APPLE PIE).  Okay, okay, you can make some healthy foods with apples.  You can cook up anything from caramelized apple-onion soup to apple curry chicken to ginger apple stir fry, and let's not forget apple pie!

Recipe One: Baked Trout with Homemade Potato Chips

This is probably one of the easiest (and healthiest) meals to make at home.  I am going to break the recipe into two parts - the trout and the potato chips.  Nutrition information is provided for both parts, and is calculated per serving.

Kitchen gadgets you might find useful for this recipe:

OXO Good Grips V-Blade Mandoline Slicer

Oxo Good Grips Silicone Pastry Brush

Trout
Makes 3 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Steelhead trout
• 1 tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 tsp. Paprika
• 1 tsp. Garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. Lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Place uncooked trout in a baking dish (I use aluminum foil to reduce mess later)
3. Mix olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, and lemon juice in a small bowl
4. Using a pastry brush (a spoon works too), evenly spread the seasoning mixture onto the fish
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until fish is cooked through

Nutrition Information:

• 155 calories
• 2g carbohydrates
• 0g dietary fiber
• 0g sugars
• 8g fat
• 19g protein

Trout is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, an essential fat for humans linked to a reduction in cancer cases, cardiovascular disease, psychotic disorders, and an increase in immune function. 

Potato Chips

Makes 3 servings

Good-quality Red Potatoes will be firm, smooth-skinned and have bright-red coloring. They should have few eyes, and those few eyes should be shallow.

Ingredients:

• 3 Medium sized red potatoes
• 2 tsp. salt
• Olive Oil Spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with olive oil spray
3. Sprinkle 1 tsp. salt over the empty baking sheet
4. Using a mandoline (knives also work, but cutting even slices is tricky), slice potatoes into 1/8" slices and place these onto the baking sheet
5. Spray potatoes on sheet with olive oil spray and sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of salt
6. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until potatoes start to crisp

Nutrition Information:

• 267 calories
• 59g carbohydrates
• 5g dietary fiber
• 4g sugars
• 0g fat
• 7g protein

Red potato tips and tricks:

• Do not store potatoes in the refrigerator. Refrigeration converts the starch in potatoes to sugar which will cause the potato to darken when cooked.
• Prolonged exposure to light causes greening and makes the potato taste bitter. Store potatoes in a dark place and peel or pare green area from the potato before using.
• Red potatoes are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, and potassium