A Practical Guide To Healthy Living

Turkey burgers can be so blah – dry, flavorless, especially if you make them with virtually fat free turkey breast meat with no skin ground in. But these from Martha Stewart are consistently delicious.

I usually subtitute a slice of chopped-up bread for the dry breadcrumbs because I think that the dry crumbs make the burger dry. I always make them with the leanest turkey I can get. Last night I used the heel of a whole-wheat loaf and they came out great. Be careful not to cook the heck out of these. We don’t eat them on buns with condiments, we eat them straight up, with a salad and veggies on the side. But they would be delicious on a fresh bun, too.

Enjoy!

Print This!

I am making an effort to use up stuff in the kitchen these days. I have always hated wasting food, but have never been very good about being creative in using up odds ‘n’ ends. When I saw the Italian Tomato Tart recipe in April’s Cooking Light, I had an Oprah-style “aha moment.” It’s really not so much a tart as a nouvelle quiche. I had shredded Italian cheese, cherry & grape tomatoes and ham that needed eating, along with a carton of egg whites whose last sale date is today. Here’s my remake:

Crust:

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen brown rice
2 T basil paste
1 T shredded 3-cheese Italian blend
1 large egg
cooking spray

Filling:

1/2 c skim milk
1/2 c egg whites
1/4 t salt
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
dash of cayenne
1 large egg
3/4 c shredded 3-cheese Italian blend
2 oz. preservative-free Virginia-style deli ham, roughly chopped
~pint of cherry/grape tomatoes, thinly sliced (if grape toms are small, you can halve ‘em)

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. To prepare crust, cook the brown rice according to package directions. Combine cooked rice, basil paste, cheese and egg. Firmly press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-in. pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 15 min. Remove from oven.

3. Increase oven temp to 400.

4. To prep the filling, whisk milk and next 5 ingredients in a bowl.

5. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cheese and 1/2 of the ham into the bottom of the prepared crust. Top with half of the tomato slices. Repeat with the remaining cheese, ham & tomatoes. Pour milk mixture over the top.

6. Bake at 400 for 10 min. Reduce oven temp to 325 and continue to bake an additional 35 min. or until set. Cool 10 min. before serving. Cut into four wedges – serves 4.

This could easily be made vegetarian with the exclusion of the ham, perhaps subbing some “fake” ham or else more veggies. For a side, I steamed some green beans (on their way out, too) and served them with a little knob of lemon butter.

Enjoy!

Print This!

This is easy, cheesy, carby lusciousness . . . 20 minutes to put together and you’re crockin’.  This was adapted from a recipe in Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

Directions

1. Rinse and drain beans. In large bowl combine beans, 2 tablespoons of the pesto, the onion, garlic and Italian seasoning.

2. In a slow cooker, layer half of bean mixture, half of polenta, and half of cheese.  Add the remaining beans and polenta. Cover and cook on the low heat setting 4-6 hours or on the high heat setting 2-2-1/2 hours. Add the tomato, remaining cheese, spinach, and radicchio. Combine the remaining pesto and 1 tablespoon water. Drizzle the pesto mixture on casserole. Let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Print This!

This is quick, a little spicy, nutritious and delicious!

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with the cooking spray.

In a large plastic zip-top bag, combine sesame seeds, flour, salt and pepper. Dip chicken in teriyaki sauce. Add chicken to the mixture in the plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake to coat the chicken.

Place chicken on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle the melted butter over the chicken.

Bake until tender and no longer pink – about 20-30 minutes.

Serves 4.

I served this with chunks of fresh pineapple and steamed broccoli sprinkled with lemon juice. For the starch-eaters in the family, I made thick Chinese wheat noodles tossed with a little sesame oil and soy sauce.

Adapted from the Better Homes & Gardens Dieter’s Cookbook.

Print This!

I do advocate buying organic produce when and if you can, but as a doctor once said to me, “it is better to eat conventional produce, than to eat no produce at all.”

That said, I seek to lower our exposure to pesticides by buying organic when I can – but I do some picking and choosing about what I buy organic when the prices are high, and if organics are unavailable, I use the Environmental Working Group’s great guide.  The guide lists the pesticide residue of 47 fruits and veggies – so when you’re shopping you’ll know which produce to buy organic, and which conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables are okay if organic isn’t available.  You can even download it to your iPhone.

Print This!