Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie

As you know, we grew mint this year.  In fact, had I not asked everyone on Facebook and Twitter whether or not we should put our mint in a pot, and had everyone not warned us that it would grow like crazy, we'd probably have a backyard taken over by mint.  At this point in the summer our mint is no longer thriving (I think we got too much rain), but a few weeks ago, when it was, I made mint chocolate chip ice cream and this mint chocolate chip smoothie (after all, mint and chocolate is my second favorite flavor combination, other than peanut butter and chocolate.).

I put my smoothies in a martini glass because I'm cool like that.  Just accept it.  Yes, this is a virgin smoothie.

Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 Tbsp chia

1-cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 Tbsp. chopped dark chocolate chips

1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup loosely packed fresh mint

1/4 cup chopped ice (optional, but I like my smoothies cold!)

4-6 drops liquid Stevia

Directions

1.  Mix the chia and almond milk in a small bowl, and allow to form into a gel in the fridge.  This should take ~40 minutes.  Be sure to stir every 10-15 minutes.

2.  Mix all the remaining ingredients in a blender or Magic Bullet, from the chocolate chips through the Stevia drops.

3.  After blending the ingredients, add the chia gel and stir until well incorporated (you may also wish to add everything together in a blender and just pulse a couple times).  Garnish with a few extra chocolate chips and some mint if you wish.

**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPS diet you will be happy to know that this is low FODMAPs!

This was just so refreshing out on my back porch one 90-degree day.  I sipped on this for about 30 minutes, and then came in to find chocolate all over my face. It was glorious.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1 smoothie
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights: ~5 grams plant-based omega-3 (from the chia seeds), excellent source of fiber (whoa!), vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and calcium.

Question:  What's your favorite sweet or savory combination of flavors?  I've told you my two favorites; chocolate and peanut butter, and chocolate and mint.  But then there is also ketchup and mustard (Nick thinks I'm crazy to combine the two condiments on things like hotdogs. But I think he's crazy for not combining!).

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Hemp-Crusted Avocado Chicken

Have you ever used hulled hemp?  Me either, until the other day. I'd seen it on the shelves but never really thought to buy an entire bag because I wasn't really sure what to do with it.  I was in the grocery store a few weeks ago and saw it in the bulk section, perfect. I bought just enough to do some experimenting and figured I'd use it as breading in one of my favorite recipes; Avocado Chicken. Why not?!  After all, I typically recommend hemp to vegetarians and vegans as a way to get their omega-3s (~800 mg plant-based omega-3 in 2 Tbsp. hulled hemp) so why not use it as a way to boost my own omega-3?  It's been said that poultry has "too much omega-6 compared to omega-3".....and while I'm still skeptical about whether that statement really means anything at all, I don't think it would hurt to add more omega-3 to a big fat and juicy chicken breast.

Hulled Hemp Seed

And if you're interested in the other nutritional benefits of hulled hemp, read about them here.  And, in case you care to know, the omega-3 found in hulled hemp is not the typical ALA -type, it's actually SDA, which converts to EPA more efficiently than ALA. This, my friends, is a good thing. Read more about that here.

I posted this recipe a few years ago on this blog, but used cornmeal instead of help, which was what the original recipe called for.  The photos were horrific, and didn't give this recipe any justice.  Hopefully these new photos lure you in, and beg you to reproduce this deliciousness.  I truly mean it when I say this recipe will forever be a favorite of mine (and Nicks!).

Hemp-Crusted Avocado Chicken

Modified from a Columbus Dispatch Recipe (1980)

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts -boneless

2 T cornstarch

1 t ground cumin

1 tsp garlic salt **

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 T water

1/3 c hulled hempseed

3 T vegetable oil

1 firm ripe avocado, peeled,sliced **

1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 c plain Greek yogurt

1/4 c sliced green onions **

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  On a hard surface, with meat mallet or similar flattening utensil, pound chicken to 1/2 inch thickness.

2.  In shallow dish, mix together cornstarch, cumin, and garlic salt. Add chicken, 1 piece at a time, dredging to coat.

3.   In small bowl mix egg and water. In another small bowl place hulled hempseed. Dip chicken, first in egg and then in hemp, turning to coat.

4. In large fry pan, place oil and heat to medium temperature; add chicken and cook 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken to shallow baking pan; place avocado slices over chicken and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven about 15 minutes or until fork can be inserted in chicken with ease and cheese melts.

5. Top chicken with sour cream, dividing equally; sprinkle with green onion.


**NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet  omit the garlic salt and use a tuscan or garlic olive oil instead of vegetable oil (to get the flavor of the garlic). Also, use the green portions of the green onion only (not the white portion) or simply omit the onion.  Lastly, stick to only a couple slices of the avocado, as avocados contain FODMAPs when consumed in portions of more than ~2 Tbsp (or 2 medium slices).

Estimated Nutrition Facts Using 4-ounce raw chicken breasts
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  ~ 500 mg omega-3, good source of fiber, and iron, excellent source of calcium.

Ok, ok, I know what you're thinking "wowza, that's a lot of fat!".  True, it is, but remember this is an estimate, and the entire recipe is still less than 500 calories and only 257 mg sodium, which is still likely better than what you would find at a restaurant!  Seriously.  Remember, you can always modify this to reduce the fat; use low fat pepper jack cheese, use less cheese, use less chicken (such as a 3-ounce portion) and/or reduce the amount of oil to 2 Tbsp.

I actually enjoyed the hemp crust better than the cornmeal from the original recipe.  We get enough corn in our life, don't you think!?

QUESTION:  Have you ever cooked with hulled hemp? Hemp Milk? Hemp oil? What do you think?  I'll be posting a hemp, berry and chia parfait soon.  I recently saw it on another blog and can't wait to make it for myself!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy your Thursday.

The Candid Rd

Simple Pasta with Scallops, Zucchini and Tomatoes

What's your favorite type of seafood?  For me, hands down, it's scallops.  Typically I like the larger scallops (aka "Sea Scallops") but I thought I'd experiment with the smaller ones this time (aka: "Bay Scallops). Both types of scallops are extremely nutrient dense (ie: they provide many nutrients per calorie) and are extremely versatile.  The recipe below is one that I will be making for years to come.  Not only was it delicious (and Nick-approved) but it was simple. Yes. Simple. Very simple. And as you know,  I love simple (and I'm willing to bet you do too).

Pasta with Scallops, Zucchini and Tomatoes

Slightly modified from a recipe found on AllRecipes.com

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 pound spaghetti of your choice (I used a whole wheat variety) **
3 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped **
2 large zucchini, chopped or sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 pound Bay Scallops
2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

Directions

1.  Cook your pasta according to the directions on the box.

2.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat your oil and add the garlic, cooking until tender.  Next, add the zucchini, salt, red pepper flakes, and saute for 10 minutes (NOTE:  If you decide to use dry basil instead of fresh, add that here too, but....use fresh!).

3.  Add chopped tomatoes, bay scallops, and fresh basil (if using) and simmer for 5 minutes, or until scallops are opaque.

4.  Pour sauce over cooked pasta and serve with grated parmesan cheese.

So pretty, no??

**NOTE:  If you follow a low FODMAPs diet use gluten free pasta, and omit the garlic.  If you still want the garlic flavor (which, who doesn't?!), use a garlic-infused or tuscan olive oil.

Ok, you caught me, I used the parmesan cheese from a canister with holes, or in other words not so fresh, and pretty highly processed.  I forgot to buy a fresh block of cheese at the store!  It really didn't make a difference, but I'm sure this would have tasted that much better with freshly grated parmesan (naivety is bliss sometimes).

Don't you just want to dive into this?!

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/8th of recipe

Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights: Under 300 calories (not bad!), good source of calcium, vitamin A and iron, excellent source of vitamin C.  Also, this recipe provides ~100 mg EPA/DHA (this is per 2 ounces of bay scallops. If you want more scallops, add more!)

Nick and I both topped our pasta with extra ground pepper.  In this household we add saltiness and other favors/tastes the following ways; serving our food hot (yes, hot food has more volatiles, therefore giving it more flavor), adding fresh pepper, adding sriracha or red hot (it's true, we use this often) or adding fresh mint, basil, dill, or rosemary from our garden. BAM!

Can you tell which one of the two dishes is mine?


If you guessed the one with extra veggies, you're right.

This recipe could easily be made with any type of protein, or other fish (I was thinking shrimp would be mighty tasty).  The clean-up was fast and it was enjoyed by all!  

Question:  Which do you prefer, bay or sea scallops??

Any fun plans for the weekend?  I'll be working on Saturday, as usual, then I'm off on Sunday.  I'm having a small dinner party with a good friend of mine who just moved back from Florida.  Tacos, guacamole, quinoa salad and strawberry goat cheese ice cream on the menu.  Yes, all recipes will be on the blog soon!  Happy Friday everyone.

INSTAGRAM

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Need More Fiber? Enter the Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Summer Smoothie!

It took me a while to get on the chia bandwagon, but now I'm here to stay.  The New York Times Well Blog recently highlighted chia in an article, and posted some great recipes to share with their readers.  Today I'm sharing how I have recently been including chia in my own diet.  First, I've been adding it to my Greek yogurt breakfast in the morning (it's pretty cool, until they get stuck in your teeth, be sure to always check your teeth in a mirror after eating and before leaving for work!) and second I've been adding them to smoothies, as you'll see below.  Third? Granola.  That chia recipe will be shared next week.

Create a chia gel by adding 2T chia seeds to 1 cup water, and allowing to sit for 15-30 minutes.  Be sure to stir about 2-3 times during that time, so the chia seeds don't clump together.  You can also add the seeds to a flavored water or juice.  Then, add your gel to smoothies or soups, or even Greek yogurt.

So what are the benefits of chia?  Here are a few;

• They expand in water to form a gel, therefore theoretically aiding in their satiety effect (since they expand in your stomach and sort of slow down digestion by creating a viscous gel, and also making you feel like you ate more than you did!)

• In 2 Tbsp they provide;
• An excellent source of plant based ALA omega-3 (~2.5 grams!) ** It is recommended that you get ~1.6 grams a day **
• 3 grams of protein (complete!)
• 6 grams fiber (excellent source)
• 10% DV calcium and 8% DV iron

Strawberry Basil Summer Smoothie

Serves 1 (makes ~1.5 cups)

Ingredients

3 large frozen strawberries

1 small frozen banana (slice the banana and put on foil to freeze)

1/4 cup fresh pineapple (or canned, but strained well)

1/4 cup chopped basil

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Chia Gel (see below)

Create a chia gel by adding 2T chia seeds to 1 cup almond milk, and allowing to sit for 15-30 minutes.  Be sure to stir about 2-3 times during that time, so the chia seeds don't clump together.  

Directions

Combine everything but the chia gel and blend until smooth.  Mix in the chia gel until incorporated well.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  This is a low FODMAPs recipe.  While almonds should be eaten in limited quantities on a low FODMAPs diet, almond milk is mainly water so it should be tolerated well.

Estimated Nutrition Facts
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  2.5 grams omega-3 (a day's worth of plant-based ALA Omega-3!), excellent source of fiber, calcium and vitamin C, good source of vitamin A, iron, and protein

And, it's pretty, no?  Nick took one look at this and said "I'm not eating that".  Come on, just because it's got green specks doesn't mean it's going to taste like a salad.  I thought this was the perfect summer smoothie, and thanks to the chia gel it was was filling, very filling.

QUESTION:  Have you ever made a chia gel? What do you do with yours?? I've seen recipes for chia gel soups too.  I think that may have to be a winter experiment.

I hope you had a nice weekend.  Did you hear, I got to meet Alton Brown yesterday!? Yeah, I will probably talk about the experience for the rest of my life.  He made an Asian-inspired low country boil for us. Pretty amazing.  Now I have to go back to work and just have a normal day. What's that all about?!  Oh well, I'll make it special somehow.

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Gingery Salmon Burgers (salmon-hater approved!)

Nick hates salmon.  When I told him I was making salmon burgers one night for dinner, he gave me this look like, "that's fine, but what am I going to eat?".  "Eggs", I told him.  That's always the backup plan.  But of course, I was going to make him try the salmon burgers! Muahaha

Thankfully on this particular night I was amazing in the kitchen (and, by the way, it was really late when we ate so the photos aren't so great....yeah, I need one of those nifty picture boxes or white screens.  One day). How do I know I was so amazing in the kitchen? Because Nick actually agreed to taste one of these salmon burgers, and even more amazing was that he actually ENJOYED them! Of course, when I asked him if he would eat them again he sort of gave me this look as if I was pushing my luck.  Oh well, I'll definitely make them again for me, at least.

Gingery Salmon Burgers
(Source: Martha Stewart)
Serves 5

Ingredients

16 ounces salmon (wild salmon, if possible)
1/3 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs, plus ~3 T **
3 T minced ginger
1 T Dijon mustard
1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped **
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
pepper to taste

Directions

1.  In a food processor, pulse the salmon (skin off) for about 10 seconds (be sure not to make a puree, ewww!).  You want the salmon to be coarsely chopped.  Transfer the salmon to a bowl and add 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs, ginger, mustard, chives, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Form into patties and then coat each patty with additional panko (divide the 3 T by 5 patties).

2.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Spray the pan with a little oil and cook each patty for about 4 minutes on each side.  Serve the burgers on an English Muffin (or on your favorite bread/bun) and top with light mayo or any other condiment of your choice.



** NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet try to find some gluten free bread crumbs that aren't seasoned with garlic or onion.  Or, perhaps you're like me and you can handle a small amount of wheat (I just used regular whole wheat panko and wasn't bothered at all).  Also, use the green part of the chives instead of the white part.  The green part is free of FODMAPs.

Source: CalorieCount.com
Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1 burger (1/5th of recipe)

Nick had his with a 100-calorie english muffin:  ~300 calories total
And if you want a double decker on an english muffin:  ~500 calories total

Nutrition Highlights:  OMEGA-3!  Each burger contains approximately 1000 mg EPA/DHA (per 3 ounces raw wild salmon). 

INSTAGRAM!

This picture was taken very late, sorry about the color! 

This is Nick's double-decker salmon burger. Can you believe it? Double decker!!  Salmon that he will eat?  I gotta make these more often.

QUESTION:  Do you live with any salmon-haters?  Or, are you a salmon hater? Will you try this recipe?!

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Ginger-Lime Seared Tuna with Spinach

I guess it's not a secret that Nick and I are thinking of having children (or at least, a child) at this point in our lives.  I mean, we're both thirty (or.....above, ahem....) and we've been together for a while and are ready for that next giant step!  That being said, no, I'm not pregnant, and nor do I plan to be in the really near future (although life never really goes as planned, right?!).  However I've been thinking about all of the foods that I'll have to limit (or omit) once I do get pregnant (and drinks.....wine, coffee, wahhhh!!!).  Tuna, one of my favorite types of fish, will definitely have to be an "every once in a while food", check out the mercury levels of your favorite fish (including tuna) in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Appendices.  And if you're pregnant and want to know how much tuna (and what types) you can and can't eat, check out AmericanPregnancy.org's recommendations.  

And of course we can't forget what the Monterey Bay Aquarium has to say.  If you would like more information, visit their website.  Here is the information on Ahi Tuna.

Source: MontereyBayAquarium.org
Basically when it comes to buying tuna, or any fish for that matter, it's best to know where your fish is coming from and how it was caught.  This may not be necessary all the time, but it's especially true if you're pregnant, have young kids who eat fish, or if you eat a specific type of fish on a regular basis.

Anyway...... because tuna tends to be higher in mercury, I'm getting my fill before I decide to start thinking about getting pregnant.  Next week I'll be posting a Clean Eating Magazine recipe for sesame seared tuna and carrot salad.  But today it's all about the ginger and lime!

Ginger Lime Seared Tuna with Spinach

Source  

Serves 4

Ingredients

1.5 pounds tuna steak, cut into 4 even pieces (use a high to sashimi grade if you're cooking it rare to medium rare)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lime juice

2 garlic cloves, minced *

1 piece of ginger (thumb-sized)

course salt and ground pepper to taste

1/2 Tbsp. butter

4 handfuls of fresh spinach

** NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet omit the garlic and replace the garlic taste by using a tuscan or garlic olive oil instead of regular olive oil.

Directions

1.  Mix olive oil and lime in a mixing bowl.  

2.  Crush ginger and mince, then mince garlic and add them with the salt and pepper into the bowl with the lime and oil.  Whisk thoroughly.

3.  Place tuna pieces in bowl, turn them over in 10 minutes (basically you are marinating each side for about 10 minutes)

4.  In hot skillet, melt the butter and then place tuna pieces in, pouring the rest of the marinade over them, about two to three minute son each side to sear to medium-rare.

5.  Place a handful of fresh spinach on each plate, then plate a tuna steak on each bed of spinach.  Use the leftover marinade and butter in the skillet to drizzle over the tuna and spinach.

Estimated nutrition facts for one serving

Nutrition Highlights: Under 500 calories, excellent source of protein, vitamin A and vitamin C, good source of iron.  Also, based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines, this recipe provides ~200-400 mg EPA/DHA.

The original recipe called for rice, but I thought spinach would be a better choice.  First off, it's a vegetable, and second, it's lower in carbohydrate so you can leave room for a dessert ;)

QUESTION: Do you like tuna??  What's your favorite kind and how do you like to prepare it?  I really love the lazy dinners of pouched tuna on top of a salad.  I don't do this often, but it's nice to have as an option sometimes. 

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.