Category: Healthy Recipes

Seasonal, simple, delicious, nutritious recipes

Seriously amazing gluten-free high-protein waffles

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

I recently stumbled across this recipe for high-protein waffles, made with just 4 ingredients.  While Liew’s recipe is genius in its own right, if you’re willing to throw a couple of extra ingredients into the blender, you can take it to the next level.  Honestly, it’s hard to imagine ever making regular waffles again.

 

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 cup cottage cheese (2% milkfat)
1/2 cup unflavored whey protein powder
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 medium banana
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whole flax seeds (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat waffle iron. (You want that sucker HOT.)
  2. Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender in the order listed and blend until smooth.
  3. Brush or spray hot waffle iron with oil and pour in batter.  (For an 8-inch square iron, use half the batter.)
  4. Sprinkle flaxseeds (if using) evenly over the batter before closing the iron.
  5. Cook until crisp and browned.

Tip: If cooking extra to freeze (highly recommended) cook them just till golden.

Serving suggestions: They’re great with butter and maple syrup–although this obviously adds more sugar and calories. But they’re also amazing spread with peanut butter or topped with warmed applesauce.

 

Note: I have an 8-inch square, small-dent waffle iron and this recipe fills it twice.  If you’re using a Belgian waffle iron, well, we can agree to disagree on the correct size for a waffle dent. But I’m not sure how many waffles you’ll get out of the recipe…maybe 3? (Someone let me know in the comments.)

 

Easy Microwave Popcorn Recipe

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Tip: I’ve found that the “bow-tie-guy” brand and the organic popcorn from my health food store seem to pop up better than the cheaper generic brands.  Even when you spring for the premium kernels though, it’s still a bargain compared with packaged microwave popcorn!

You’ll need:

Instructions:

  1. Add 3 tablespoons of kernels to paper bag. Fold down the top ½ inch of the bag, two or three times.
  2. Place bag on its side in the microwave and hit the “popcorn” setting.  Stay close to the microwave and stop it as soon as popping slows. (Popcorn burns quickly.)  Immediately dump the popped corn into a large bowl.
  3. Repeat with the rest of the corn, using the same bag.
  4. Meanwhile, drizzle the oil (or oil-and-butter mixture) over the popped corn. Toss to mix and salt/season to taste.

*If using popcorn jug, you can pop all the popcorn in a single batch.

Makes: 1 large bowl of popcorn

Pumpkin Spice Scones (vegan, grain-free, low-glycemic)

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

picture of scones on cooling rack

This genius recipe was developed by my good friend Jed Gaylin. In addition to his many other talents, Jed is a gifted cook who loves to create recipes that work for his vegan, low-glycemic diet. I recently sampled one of these scones at his house and talked him into letting me share the recipe with you.

Makes 15 scones

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or oat milk
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
  • 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • 1 3/4 cup almond flour
  • 3/4 cup chickpea flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup avocado, grape seed, or canola oil
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup coconut or white sugar
  • ½ cup dried currants or raisins
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice (or make your own combo of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove)
  • Grated zest of one large orange or 1 tsp dried, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat over to 350 degrees and line la baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl, gently warm almond milk (about 30 seconds in microwave) and stir in flax seed and vinegar. Let stand at least 5 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and pumpkin spice. Mix in currants or raisins and orange zest (if using)
  4. Drizzle the oil over the flour mixture and mix lightly with spoon until a bit clumpy
  5. Stir in the liquids, mixing just until combined
  6. Form into golf-ball sized balls and arrange on parchment paper. Do not flatten
  7. Bake for 15 minutes and cool on a wire rack

Store cooled scones in fridge and warm briefly before serving.

 

 

Pumpkin Avocado Pie Recipe

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Avocado and almond milk replace evaporated milk in this healthy take on a holiday classic. But this nutritional upgrade can be your little secret…no one will be the wiser.

Pumpkins are super high in beta-carotene and recent research shows that adding avocado to carotene-rich veggies not only boosts absorption of the nutrient but also aids in their conversion to vitamin A.

As an experiment, I replaced the evaporated milk in the standard pumpkin pie recipe with a blend of almond milk and ripe avocado and served it to guests without tipping them off. Not only were they none the wiser, but the superior flavor and light, mousse-like texture of the filling prompted several requests for the recipe.

Here’s my recipe for Pumpkin Avocado Pie. The fact that it contains nutrient-boosting avocado (or that it has 25% fewer calories and 40% less sugar than the standard recipe) can be your little secret.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 ripe avocado
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 inch piece of ginger root (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
  • 1 9-inch pie shell (unbaked)

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 4250F.
  2. Combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cloves in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
  3. Place almond milk, avocado, vanilla, and ginger into blender and blend on high speed until smooth.
  4. Add eggs to blender and blend on low speed until combined.
  5. Add avocado mixture and canned pumpkin to sugar mixture and stir until combined.
  6. Pour mixture into prepared pie shell and bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
  7. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes. Pie will be slightly jiggly but set.
  8. Cool on a rack and serve with whipped cream if desired.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 220, Total fat 10g, Saturated fat 2.5g, Cholesterol 45mg, Sodium 310mg, Total carbohydrate 28g, Fiber 3g, Sugar 14g, Protein 4g.

 

Carrot Avocado Soup Recipe

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

This soup tastes rich and creamy but only has 100 calories per bowl. Avocados boost the absorption of the beta-carotene in the carrots and also help your body convert it into vitamin A.

Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 pound carrots, roughly chopped (about 3 cups)
  • 1 quart low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ripe avocado (plus more for garnish, if desired)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in large saucepan until shimmering and add onions. Cook over low heat until golden (5-10 minutes).
  2. Add spices and cook until fragrant (1 minute)
  3. Add carrots, stock, and soup and simmer gently until carrots are tender (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  4. Transfer soup to blender along with avocado, cover and blend until smooth. (Use caution when blending hot foods!)
  5. Taste and add salt, if needed. If your carrots weren’t very sweet, you may also want to add a teaspoon of honey or other sweetener.
  6. Serve warm or chilled, garnished with plenty of fresh cilantro and a thin slice or two of avocado, if desired.

Serves 6

Nutritional comparison of plant-based chicken

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN
image of chickens in a grass yard
Photo by Thomas Iversen on Unsplash

In an recent episode of the Nutrition Diva podcast, I talked about the pros and cons of plant-based chicken.

As  a supplement to that episode, I’ve put together a comparison of key nutrients and ingredients in several leading brands of plant-based chicken (as well as actual chicken).

The first table compares breaded nuggets, which is the most common format.  The second compares the one brand of unbreaded plant-based chicken I could locate with boneless, skinless chicken breast (cooked).

Note: The values in these tables may not match the numbers that you’ll see on the Nutrition Facts labels of these products. That’s because the manufacturers’ serving sizes ranged from 2.5 ounces (70g) to 3.5 ounces (95g). In order to make the comparisons fair, the tables below show the nutrient values for 3 ounces (85g) of each product.

Plant-based chicken nuggets (breaded)

Plant-based chicken vs chicken (plain)

Are decorative pumpkins and gourds edible?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

pumpkins-1708769_640

Jessica writes:

“We just threw out the pumpkins we had on our porch as decoration, and it made me wonder whether we could have eaten them. I bought them at the grocery store after all! 

Can you eat/cook any type of pumpkin? (I had a mix of regular, Cinderella, and maybe Yokohama.) If you can eat them, how long after you put them on your porch will they be edible? I’ve only used canned pumpkin to date, is the process of making your own challenging?”

Continue reading “Are decorative pumpkins and gourds edible?” >

How to make Socca

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Socca is a flatbread made from chickpea flour and is one of our favorite weekday suppers.  Grain and gluten free and rich in protein and fiber. You can top it however you like or just eat it plain.  Here’s a quick video tutorial.  (Instructions below.)

 

Instructions

Combine 1 cup chickpea flour, 1 cup water, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1 teaspoon each salt and fresh ground pepper.  Whisk until blended and let sit for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, slice 1-2 onions, toss with olive oil and and place in a cast iron or ovenproof skillet. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Pour the batter over the onions, turn up the oven to 500 degrees and return the pan to the oven. Bake for around 15 minutes, or until it’s starting to brown at the edges.

Slide the socca onto a cutting board and gently flip it over. At that point, you can cut into pieces and serve as an appetizer or with soup or salad. Or, slide it back onto the pan, top with veggies and cheese and run it under the broiler to melt the cheese.