Good morning and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Are you planning to blow loads of $$$ as a token of you love? Will you go to a five star restaurant?

The Beatles once sang “Can’t Buy me Love”, but these days it seems Valentine’s Day is all about buying more and more and more.

Here’s an idea that should keep you in budget, gastronomically pleased, and even more in love:

Instead of spending time together consuming dinner at an expensive restaurant tonight, spend the day together and prepare a tasty dinner yourself.

Start the day off preparing your menu by scanning recipes on the gorgeously designed Foodily search engine. Look for recipes with purportedly aphrodisiac ingredients including oysters, figs, asparagus, and honey (see full list here). Don’t forget a good bottle of wine (There are some great tasting wines at less than $15 a bottle).

Instead of your regular supermarket, find a specialty store in your area, or go to Whole Foods Market and wander about, soaking up the scents and sights of fine foods for inspiration.

Weather permitting, instead of driving consider a brisk walk to the grocery store.

Once back home, plan the food preparation so that both of you are in the kitchen together, even if only of you is the dominant cook of the house. Make sure you have great music playing in the background.

Once the preparations are over, don’t forget to dress up both the dining room table and yourselves before serving up your romantic, candle light dinner.

You can thank us tomorrow

What are your creative ideas for today?

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This is a guest post by Lisa Cain, PhD, a.k.a Snack-Girl

So, you like to bake – but you have a problem. Yes, I know that problem well.

You bake a couple dozen cookies and then they stare at you from wherever you have put them. Haunting you…… Just one more, you say, as you eat two more.

I have this rule about baked goods that I only eat ones that I have baked (or that someone I know has baked). These keeps me from eating stale, terrible, supermarket cookies when I see them.

This rule has helped me drop some unnecessary pounds and now I savor my baked goods. BUT, if I have them around I can’t stop eating them.

So, with the help of a reader’s comment, I came up with this handy method of having my cookies without overindulging. Check this out:

I put my finished oatmeal raisin cookie dough into an ice cube tray! And, then I froze them and dumped them out into a freezer bag. Now if I want a fresh baked cookie, I heat up my oven, get out a baking sheet, and bake a reasonable number for my family.

This would be even better if I had a toaster oven because I wouldn’t have to heat my whole oven for such a small load.

I put on my apron when my children get off the school bus and pretend I have been baking all afternoon. Take that – Martha Stewart!! HA! I look like super mom as I serve them fresh baked cookies.

I need a cape (and some cool tights and maybe a pair of kickin’ leather boots).

Try this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe – it is super delicious and fast to make.

How do you deal with the too many cookies problem?

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe
(makes 20 cookies)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup raisins

Soften butter in microwave (or leave out of the fridge if you remember). Mix butter, sugar, and egg in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined. Place cookies in ice cube tray and freeze (about 5 hours). When frozen, take out of tray and put in freezer bag.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place frozen cookie on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light brown. Enjoy!

For one cookie = 73 calories, 2.9 g fat, 10.6 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g protein, 0.7 g fiber, 21 mg sodium, 2 PointsPlus

Lisa Cain, Ph.D. writes about healthy snacks on Snack-Girl.com. She is a published author, mother of two, and avid snacker.

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If you are still figuring out your culinary options for game day tomorrow, here’s an interesting and easy recipe from professional chef Dave Schy – Chili NON CARNE . It has all the body and texture of chili, without the meat.

According to Dave, “It’s Damn Good!”. Visit Dave’s website New Taste, for step by step pictures of this and other great recipes.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion
1 Red, Yellow and Green Bell Pepper
8 Cloves Garlic
2 Tablespoons Dark Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Dry Oregano
1 Pinch Salt, if needed
1 Can or Box Chopped Tomatoes, about 28 ounces
3 Cups Vegetable Stock
2 Chipotle Peppers, canned
1/2 Cup Bulgur Wheat
1/2 Cup Corn Kernels, fresh or frozen
8 Ounces Firm Tofu
1 Can Black Beans, about 1 1/2 cup

Instructions:

Rinse and dry the peppers.

Cut peppers in half; remove seeds and stem.

Peel the onion and garlic.

Cut all peppers into a medium size chunky dice.

Cut onion into a small dice.

Heat oil in a large pot.

Add peppers and onion to the pot.

Cook ingredients over high heat.

Stir the pot every 10 or 15 seconds.

While ingredients are cooking, chop the garlic.

After the vegetables have cooked for a couple of minutes add the garlic.

Cook and stir ingredients for another couple of minutes until peppers and onions soften and just begin to take on some color.

Add chopped tomatoes, stock, chili powder, cumin and oregano to the pot.

As the liquids come to a boil, mince the chipotle peppers.

Add peppers to the pot.

Boil ingredients for a couple of minutes.

As ingredients begin to boil, gather remaining ingredients.

Cut tofu into a medium size dice.

Remove beans from can; rinse and drain.

Measure bulgur and corn.

Place ingredients onto a large plate as seen in the photo.

After the ingredients in the pot have boiled for a few minutes, add the above ingredients and mix in a few times.

Bring all ingredients to a boil.

Boil for a quick minute.

Cover the pot and remove from the heat.

Let pot rest, off of the heat, for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the cover and mix a few times and serve.

Can be garnished as you like with red onion, cilantro, lime…..

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This is a guest blog post by Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD

Getting your fruits and vegetables may be the last thing on your mind on Superbowl Sunday. Don’t give it another thought. These winning munchies are so delicious that your family and friends may forget they’re good for you, too. Serve the dips with baked snack chips or toasted whole wheat sandwich wraps broken into chips.

All recipes appear in MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better, by Elizabeth M Ward, MS, RD

Snack #1: Salsamole

Makes 2 cups.

Simple, nutritious, and delicious. Use as a dip or sandwich spread.

1 cup fresh tomato salsa

1 cup fresh guacamole

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions: Combine all ingredients in medium serving bowl.

Per serving (1/4 cup): 94 calories; 6 grams carbohydrate; 3 grams fiber; 8 grams; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams protein; 229 milligrams sodium; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 20 milligrams calcium.

Snack #2: Mango and Black Bean Salsa

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

High in fiber, and pretty to look at, this salsa tastes even better the next day.

2 cups diced fresh mango

2 cups black beans, rinsed and drained, if canned

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.

Per serving (1/4 cup): 69 calories; 14 grams carbohydrate; 4 grams fiber; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 3 grams protein; 199 milligrams sodium; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 10 milligrams calcium.

Snack #3 Crispy Chickpeas

Makes 4 servings.

Beans are the vegetable with the most protein and fiber, which makes them a perfect snack.

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, tossing to coat beans completely.

3. Spread beans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Stir beans, and cook for another 20 minutes. Allow beans to cool before eating.

Per serving: 185 calories; 24 grams carbohydrate; 5 grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 grams protein; 314 milligrams sodium; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 30 milligrams calcium.

Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., R.D. is an award-winning author of several books, including her latest, MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better. She writes about nutrition and health for WebMD.com, USATODAY.com, and Men’s Fitness.

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To counter our processed-food bashing and ensuing depression, we like to showcase healthy, tasty recipes here on Fooducate.

With the Superbowl coming up, you may be tempted to Dorito-fy your household. STOP! We want to show you how easy and fun it is to prepare finger foods that are both tasty and healthy. If you’d like to submit a recipe for consideration, please comment below or email info at fooducate dot com. We’ll publish one or two of the best recipes ahead of the big game.

Here’s an interesting and easy recipe from professional chef Dave Schy. Visit his website New Taste, for step by step pictures of this and other great recipes.

Today – Persimmon-Avocado Nachos using baked blue corn tortilla chips

Here’s what Dave says:

I recently demonstrated this recipe at a Farmers Market and it was a hit. I actually saw my friend, Chef Andie doing a very similar version at another farmers market the week before and “borrowed” the idea from her, with her permission.  

2     Persimmons
1     Avocado, large or 2 medium size
1     Jalapeno
1/2  Red Onion, medium-small one
1/4  Cup Chopped Cilantro
3    Tbs. Lemon or Lime Juice
1/2  tsp. Dark Chile Powder, maybe a bit more
1/2  tsp. Ground Cumin
1/2  tsp. Salt

5     Blue Corn Tortillas
2     tsp. Olive Oil

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash and dry the persimmons.

Peel the onion and cut in half.

Wash and spin dry the cilantro.

Cut jalapeno in half; mince one half and cut the other half into thin round slices.

Rub a few drops of oil onto one side of each tortilla.

Stack the tortillas and cut them into quarters.

Place tortilla quarters onto a half sheet pan.

Bake in the oven for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and turn each chip over.

Bake for another 8 minutes.

Remove and let cool on the same sheet pan.

Cut persimmons into 1/4 inch thick round slices.

Cut persimmon slices into a small dice.

Small dice the onion and avocado.

Mince the jalapeno half.

Chop the cilantro.

Gather and measure spices.

Place all fresh ingredients plus spices into a mixing bowl and toss together.

Place a large spoonful of the salsa onto a chip.

Garnish with a jalapeno slice and serve.
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This is a guest post by Lisa Cain, PhD, a.k.a Snack-Girl

Raise your hand if you like steamed broccoli with nothing on it! One, two…..TWO of you

I’m just being silly. I am sure many of you can just chomp away on broccoli with zero added and make the rest of us who like it drenched in olive oil look bad.

Broccoli is a SUPER food. Play theme music here: One small serving of broccoli includes 225% of your daily value of Vitamin C, and 8% of your daily value of Calcium and Iron.

Do NOT give up on broccoli.

So, how to you get kids and picky adults to eat broccoli? Use peanut butter. I know it sounds crazy, but it works.

The sauce below is a take on a Thai peanut sauce that you would find with a satay. The key to making it palatable for everyone might be to leave out the spicier components (garlic and ginger powder).

For children, this recipe can be a lot of fun because they can make the sauce themselves. My 6 year old can now measure out tablespoons of liquid and had a great time stirring this sauce.

I had her taste it before we added the garlic and ginger. SHE decided to add in the spicier components and ate about 1/2 pound of broccoli with zero prompting from me (hurray!).

This is also a great party snack, and is gluten-free (if you use Tamari instead of soy sauce), fast to make, and really delicious.

You can use frozen broccoli and any other nut butter that you prefer (almond, sunflower, cashew, etc.). In addition, you can use regular vinegar if you don’t have rice vinegar (but you should add a little more sugar to combat the sourness).

This makes a great side dish, lunch, snack, or even breakfast. That is right – broccoli for breakfast!

Broccoli and Peanut Sauce Recipe

(serves 6)
2 pounds broccoli
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (unseasoned will work)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 minced garlic clove (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

Separate broccoli into stems and florets. Peel and chop stems. Steam broccoli in a steamer over boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes (or your favorite way to cook broccoli). Mix peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, minced garlic, and ginger in a small bowl.

If you keep your peanut butter in the refrigerator, you will probably need to heat it for 30 seconds to get it to mix with the other liquids. Stir vigorously until combined. Serve broccoli with peanut sauce in small bowl on the side. Enjoy!

For one serving = 123 calories, 6.0 g fat, 13.9 g carbohydrates, 7.3 g protein, 4.6 g fiber, 372 mg sodium, 3 PointsPlus

Lisa Cain, Ph.D. writes about healthy snacks on Snack-Girl.com. She is a published author, mother of two, and avid snacker.

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This holiday season, we are featuring some healthy, tasty recipes from professional chef Dave Schy. Visit his website New Taste, for step by step pictures for this and other great recipes.

According to Dave, this is his most popular internet recipe. It is perfect for the holiday season as well as anytime of the year. Dave made the recipe for a friend who is on a gluten free diet and it found its way onto a bunch of GF sites.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 Cups Stock, chicken or vegetable or water
1 Cup Millet
1 Cup Quinoa
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Parsnip
1 Carrot
1 Celery Stalk
1 Potato
1/2 Onion
6 Mushrooms, button
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. Thyme, fresh or dry
1/2 tsp. Rosemary, fresh or dry
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper. coarse grind
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 Cup Garbanzo Beans, (optional) canned
3 Tbs. Chopped Parsley
3 Tbs. Craisins
2 Tbs. Nuts, Pistachio or Pumpkin Seeds or Sunflower Seeds

Note:
Both the quinoa and millet should be placed into a small strainer and rinsed with cold water for about a half minute before cooking.

Heat Oven To 375°

Place stock / water into a pan on the stove.
Bring liquid to a boil; add millet.
Turn heat way down to a low simmer.
Cover pan and cook millet 8 minutes.

After 8 minutes, remove the cover.
Add quinoa, mix a couple times and cover the pan.
Cook millet & quinoa together another 16 minutes.

Remove cover and remove pan from heat.
Use a small spoon to mix and fluff the grains a couple of times.
Let grains cool in pan as vegetables finish cooking (next step).
Stir a couple of times as they cool.

As soon as the grains begin to cook you can start on the vegetables.
Rinse and peel (if you like) the carrot and parsnip.
Peel the potato, onion and garlic.
Wash the celery, green pepper and parsley.
Wipe the mushrooms clean.

Cut all of the vegetables into manageable size pieces.
Cut all of the pieces into a small dice.
Chop the parsley and mince the garlic.
Place all diced vegetable ingredients, minus the parsley, into a large mixing bowl.
Add thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Add olive oil and toss ingredients together.
Pour ingredients onto a half sheet pan.
Bake vegetables in the oven for thirty minutes.

Remove pan from the oven.
Add parsley, craisins and nuts to the quinoa pan.
Add garbanzos if you are using them.

Add cooked vegetables to the quinoa pan.
Use two long spoons to mix everything together.
Mixture should still be very hot.

Note:
You can also let ingredients cool to be heated and served at another time.

Pour mixture into a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.
Pat them down a bit to form one even layer.

Bake in oven for ten to twelve minutes.
Turn oven off and turn broiler onto high.
Broil stuffing for a few minutes to give the dish some color.
You can broil for a very long time to form a great crust but you should not add the nuts until it is out of the oven, as they will burn.

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Happy Friday folks. We’re taking a break from healthy recipes to bring you a … weird recipe.

30 Rock fans will appreciate. Others will be disgusted. Here’s the full recipe.

Hat tip to Fooducate community member Monica, who thought we might find this recipe “interesting”. Says Monica:

I literally laughed out loud when I realized they were actually making a buffalo chicken milkshake. Although it sounds totally gross, I’m thinking the idea of savory milkshakes might be worth checking out…

What do you think? Is there room for savory shakes in moderen cuisine?

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This is a guest post by Lisa Cain, PhD, a.k.a Snack-Girl

Snack Girl must confess to a certain dislike of squash. The season is NOW and the fresh squash is rolling in around here so I am trying to change my ‘tude.

Acorn, butternut, delicata, spaghetti, calabaza, and kabocha, are names of squash varieties that I can pick up for ONE dollar per pound or LESS from my local farmers.

What to do? Well, when I have a food conundrum, I don’t know about you, but I consult the internet. I decided to take on acorn squash because it is so freakin’ cute! Check these babies out:

And who do we find at the top of search results? Paula Deen! She actually has an entire video devoted to roasting acorn squash here: Paula Deen Roasts Acorn Squash.

My favorite line is when she says, “That looks like two tablespoons of butter right there, dudn’t it?” Ahem. Paula, that looks like about 4 tablespoons but who’s counting?

Actually, I am counting and that is why I think I am the polar opposite of Paula Deen who is famous for things like deep frying bacon-wrapped macaroni and cheese squares!

She takes comfort food to a whole new level and my butt wouldn’t comfortably fit in a chair if I followed her recipes. Okay, enough Paula bashing – I found one similarity – we both like the University of Georgia Bulldogs for our college football pick.

I decided to take her idea – butter and sugar – and use it for roasting some acorn squash.

An ENTIRE acorn squash (without butter) will only set you back 172 calories and you get 32% of your daily value of Vitamin A, 17% of your daily value of Iron, and 79% of you daily value of Vitamin C.

These squash are nutritional powerhouses and if you can start to love them – they are SO easy to cook and cheap.

My kids hated my roasted acorn squash. I thought the butter and sugar would do the trick. oh well.

But my husband and I loved it! Yes, this tasted like pie to me and I couldn’t get enough.

This holiday season, we are featuring some healthy, tasty recipes from professional chef Dave Schy. Visit his website New Taste, for step by step pictures for this and other great recipes.

Today – Oven Roasted Root Vegetables. Talk about getting a bang for your buck. Root veggies are cheap and full of nutrients.

Here’s what Dave says:

Everybody should have a root vegetable recipe in their rotation. This recipe is great to serve as a holiday side dish. I chose blue potatoes today because they looked good at the store. Please use any kind of potato that you like.

Before you begin: Heat Oven To 375°

Ingredients:

1    Parsnip, large
2    Carrots, medium
2    Rutabaga, medium
1    Golden Beet, large
1    Red Beet, large
2    Potatoes, blue or just regular russets

3    Shallots
7    Cloves Garlic
3     Sprigs Rosemary, fresh
1/2  tsp. Thyme, dry
1/4  tsp. Ground Pepper, coarse
2     Tbs. Olive Oil
Pinch of Kosher salt at the end.

Instructions:

Peel all of the vegetables, minus potatoes. [optional]
Cut vegetables into long, somewhat narrow pieces. I like to compare this cut to a large French fry.
Place vegetables into a large baking dish.
Peel garlic and shallots.
Cut shallots into quarters.
Add to the baking dish.
Sprinkle pepper and thyme over the vegetables.
Add the olive oil and rosemary.
Mix everything together.
Place baking dish into the oven.
Bake vegetables for a total of 80 minutes.
Gently mix vegetables every 20 minutes.

To Serve:
Remove cooked vegetables from dish and place onto a serving platter.
Take the roasted rosemary and break up the cooked leaves; Sprinkle over the vegetables.
Add a pinch of Kosher salt and serve.

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