My mom and I team up in the kitchen every December to tackle the holiday baking, but this year I’m on my own. Crispy rice cereal squares were the first cookies I ever learned to prepare, and these treats are definitely on my list this year. I love the festive dash of food coloring. You can choose red, green or whatever color says “holidays” to you. Better still, this version is lower in fat than the typical butter-soaked recipe. Because this is an egg-free mixture, there’s no harm in sampling as you go along.
Holiday Crispy Rice Squares
Makes 12 squares
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (10.5 ounces) package marshmallows
Red or green food coloring
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 cups puffed rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
Canola oil cooking spray
Red and green sanding sugar (optional)
Spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add marshmallows and salt, and stir with a wooden spoon until melted. Stir in red or green food coloring and remove from heat. Gently fold in cereal until well combined.
Transfer mixture to prepared pan and press down to flatten using parchment or wax paper. Allow to cool and cut into squares. Sprinkle with sanding sugar if desired.
Calories: 132
Fat: 3 grams
Saturated Fat: 2 grams
Protein: 1 gram
Carbohydrate: 25 grams
Sodium: 48 milligrams
Cholesterol: 8 milligrams
Fiber: 0 grams
After I made this dish last week, my 4-year old daughter requested “crunchy cucumbers” at every meal. Serve this light salad at this weekend’s July 4th cookout or bring it along on a summer picnic.
Ingredients:
15 Persian or Kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced (peeling optional)
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Ground black pepper, to taste
4 sprigs dill, chopped
1) Persian cucumbers
These small cucumbers, similar to Kirby, work great in salads and don’t have many seeds. I like to keep the skin on to up the fiber (just wash the outside well); it also gives the dish a gorgeous green color. Cucumbers are an excellent source of vitamin K and a good source of the antioxidant vitamin C.
Lay cucumbers flat on a cookie tray lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and let stand 1 hour. Squeeze one handful of cucumbers at a time and place squeezed cucumbers in medium bowl; discard squeezed juice.
2) Red Onion
Onion adds sharpness to the flavor mix, and the purplish onion color complements the green cucumbers. Onions are an excellent source of the antioxidant vitamin C and a good source of vitamin B-6.
3) Red Bell Pepper
The pepper give this dish sweetness and additional crunch. Did you know a red pepper has more vitamin C than an orange? It does, and the addition helps make this cucumber salad a vitamin C powerhouse!
Add peppers and onion to the cucumber bowl. Set aside.
4) Rice Vinegar
Rice vinegar is slightly milder than other vinegars and adds tangy flavor with few calories. You can find rice vinegar at your local grocery store or Asian market.
In a small bowl, slowly whisk oil into vinegar. Add pepper and whisk until evenly mixed. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers and stir to combine.
5) Dill
This herb works well with vinegar and is commonly used when brining dill pickles. Just a touch gives the dish a distinctly delicious freshness. Plus, it ups the antioxidants with vitamins A and C.
Sprinkle salad with dill. Refrigerate and serve cold.
Nutrition Info:
Servings: 8 (1 cup per person)
Calories: 70
Fat: 4 grams
Saturated Fat: 0 gram
Protein: 2 grams
Carbohydrate: 7 grams
Sodium: 440 milligrams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Fiber: 2 grams
Make extra rice on purpose and use up the leftovers all week. Here are five delicious ways to clean out that fridge stockpile.
Whether it’s regular or instant, choose whole-grain brown rice for extra vitamins and hunger-curbing protein and fiber. Some of these recipes call for other types of rice, but you can trade in brown rice easily.
Fried Rice
Get dinner on the table fast! Already cooked rice makes this healthy take on stir-fry effortless.
RECIPE: Fried Rice With Scallions, Edamame and Tofu
Rice Salad
Rice dishes don’t have to be warm to be delicious. Grain salads make a satisfying lunch that can be served chilled or at room temperature. I use whatever is in the fridge or pantry, and toss with a drizzle of vinaigrette dressing. This recipe adds crunchy apples (in season right now) and chicken breast for a filling meal.
RECIPE: Brown Rice Salad with Apples
Rice Cakes
I love rice cakes — they’re tender yet flavorful. Just pass on the deep-fried kind. Gently sauté them in a nonstick skillet with a small amount of oil. Experiment with various vegetables and spices — bell pepper, shredded zucchini and dried oregano is a great combo. Or give yours a Mexican flair with beans.
RECIPE: Rice & Corn Cakes with Spicy Black Beans
Rice & Beans
This classic combination isn’t only delicious, it’s a great choice for vegetarians and carnivores alike. Together, rice and beans provide all the different types of protein that your body needs. Serve up as an easy side dish, or wrap in tortillas with salsa and grilled veggies for tasty burritos.
RECIPE: Adobo Rice & Black Beans
Chicken & Rice Soup
Or really, any soup will do! As the cold weather sets in, I’m dusting off my soup recipes for the coming months. If you’re pressed for time, make my Speedy Soup with leftover brown rice to replace the whole-grain pasta. When you’ve got more time, prepare this recipe from scratch, and add cooked rice at the end.
RECIPE: Curried Chicken and Rice Soup (shown above)
Washing your hands when you cook, after using the restroom and just in general can keep germs from spreading. Seems simple enough, but many folks don’t do it or do it properly. Here are some hand-washing basics. Read them!
How To Wash Your Hands
It’s not hard, we promise. Just follow these five basic steps:
1. Wet your hands. Turn on the water to as hot as you can stand it and wet your hands.
2. Apply soap. Many folks like to apply soap first and then wash it away when they turn on the water. Soap needs to be used on wet hands to work. You’ll be able to see suds if you’re doing it right.
3. Rub your hands together. Make sure to scrub between your fingers and up your forearm. Some people teach their kids to sing “happy birthday” twice, which covers the recommended, 20-second lathering and scrubbing time.
4. Rinse thoroughly.
5. Dry your hands. No, not on the kitchen towel you use to dry dishes, carry hot plates or clean off the counter! Do that and you’ll dirty your clean hands again. Dry hands on a designated hand towel or use a paper towel.
When To Wash Your Hands
If you’re preparing food, you need to wash your hands properly every time you come in contact with and potentially contaminate them. Remember: you’re hands are your number one kitchen tool and you need to make sure they are clean at all times. Here are some situations when you definitely need to wash those hands:
* After using the restroom (many folks forget!)
* After touching raw foods like meat, eggs, fish
* After talking on the phone
* After taking a break
* After sneezing, coughing or scratching yourself (even brushing your hair away)
* Before and after eating
What About Hand Sanitizers?
Lots of stores sell clear liquid that you can apply to your hands to help reduce bacteria. These hand sanitizers are not meant to replace hand washing. However, you can use them after washing your hands or in a pinch (say, at a picnic with no bathroom nearby). I often use them after I get off the subway or in my car on the way home from work. You don’t want to use hand sanitizers every minute of the day — no more than 8 to 10 times daily is suggested. If you overuse the sanitizer, bacteria can remain on your hands and won’t be killed.
For more info on hand washing, check out this informative CDC video or have your kids watch this PBS Kids video explaining how germs get around.
Is the secret to weight loss determined by your blood type? If you ask some blood-type diet fans, yes. If you ask us, doubtful. Never heard of this diet craze? Here are the basics.
Premise for the Diet
Diets based on blood type suggest that your type (that is, A, B, AB or O) determines your dietary needs and dictates how your body digests food and burns calories. Advocates associate food selections around ancestry and evolution. For example, ancient man supposedly had type O blood and so folks with this blood type are better off eating animal proteins (since meat was a staple in the diet way back when). Grains and dairy (i.e. more cultivated food) were less common, and therefore type O’ers don’t digest them well. These diets also propose that your blood might mean you’re more prone to particular food allergies, aversions, eating habits and even medical conditions. They often offer advice on what types of physical activity are best for your type types.
What Does Your Blood Type Mean?
The book Eat Right For Your Type, by naturopath Dr. Peter D’Adamo, breaks down the specifics. The main focus of the diet is to eat whole foods (no processed junk allowed), but there are laundry lists of foods that allowed and forbidden. There’s also a painfully long list of the vitamin, mineral and herbal supplement he thinks you need. Here are some of the what-to-eat highlights:
Type O: Lots of animal protein but only small amounts of grains and dairy
Type A: Lots of grains, fruits and vegetables but very limited amounts of meat and dairy
Type B: Most foods in moderation; breads and pastas are limited
Type AB: No wheat, gluten and read meat and only dairy in moderation
Does It Work? Is It Safe?
With this diet, you can forget about enjoying many (or most) of the foods you’re used to eating — especially the junky stuff. By drastically alter your eating habits, there’s a good chance you’ll eat less calories and therefore lose some weight, but this has nothing to do with your blood type. Taking in too few calories is not only bad for your metabolism, but it usually ensures that you will gain the weight back when you revert to your old ways. Cutting out large groups of food puts you at greater risk for serious nutrient deficiencies, and taking on a complicated supplement regimen can be extremely dangerous — especially if you’re on prescription medication.
Bottom Line: A blood-type diet may focus on healthy foods, but overall it is way too complicated and restrictive to be realistic or good for you.
Experts say the biggest contributors to global warming are travel (our cars, planes and shipping needs) and electricity demands, but food production doesn’t tread lightly either. Food is responsible for one-third of global greenhouse emissions!
You may not fix the world’s problems by yourself, but making small changes and setting a good example can’t hurt — and what better time to start than Earth Week. Here’s what it means to go low carbon.
What do you mean “low carbon”?
There’s a lot of jargon in the eco-world (”carbon footprint,” “go green,” “climate change”) and throwing “low-carbon diet” into the mix just adds to it, we know. But hey, think of this as a new way of “cutting the carbs”! The idea is to reduce your direct effect on the environment by being mindful of how your actions — specifically your food choices — increase carbon dioxide emission and support dirty industries.
Food has an impact?
Yep, it does. According to a 2008 Carnegie Mellon study, 83% of carbon emissions came from the growth and production of food itself; 11% of that alone is from its transportation — a.k.a. “food miles,” which refers to moving food between the grower, seller and eventual consumer. Most low-carbon diet advocates endorse eating local foods to reduce “food miles” (so hit up your farmers’ market), but choosing different foods can also have an effect.
One example is cutting down on meat. Don’t worry — we’re not saying we all should be vegan; just try limiting it more. Production of livestock such as cows and sheep accounts for 18% of the world’s total greenhouse gases according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Even President Obama has promoted “Meatless Mondays” in the White House as a way to help out. And don’t forget that milk and other dairy counts in this, too.
Factor your own food footprint
You might be skeptical of how much you alone can do, but it’s still interesting to look into. I enjoyed figuring out my carbon emissions using this interactive calculator from Eatlowcarbon.org. According to it, a chicken sandwich is much better for the environment than a tofu curry (massive soybean production is problematic), and a bowl of lentil soup is beneficial to my body and the environment. Yes, it can get confusing — or even frustrating — to keep track of what’s okay and what’s not, but doing a little here or there is a good start.
This is only some basic info to introduce the idea of low-carbon eating. If you want to learn more, check out this article from Environmental Science & Technology or this background info from Circleofresponsiblity.org.
* READ MORE:
* Tips for the Farmers’ Market
* Choosing Organic Foods: Dos & Don’ts
* Is It Worth It To Join a CSA?
* Decoding Eco-Food Labels
* Pick Safe, Sustainable Fish
Diners are a fave for weekend brunch or a late-night meal. The wide variety of foods means there is something there for everyone, but the options usually aren’t the healthiest. There’s no need to just settle for a plain salad or cottage cheese, however.
Old School Diners
When browsing the main items or specials, you might be tempted by the triple-decker sandwiches, bacon cheeseburger, omelets, mayo-drenched coleslaw or other fatty appetizers. There are some smarter choices in the mix, but also a few booby traps. For example, avoid falling for the “deluxe” package (just more food and calories). Most diners have “healthy” menu sections; usually, they list cottage cheese, a bun-less burger or a plain chef salad — all a bit boring. Don’t fall for those 80s-style “diet” plates that come with fruit salad. More often than not they feature canned fruit in syrup (extra sugar and calories!).
Brunch
Popular for weekend breakfasts, diners offer up morning classics from scrambled eggs to pancakes to challah French toast. All these items are made on the same grill, which is typically (and repeatedly!) topped with oil or butter. Ask for poached or boiled eggs instead — they’re cooked in water without added fat. Add an English muffin and fresh fruit on the side, and you’ve got yourself a basic balanced breakfast.
Here are some more things to keep in mind for those breakfast favorites:
Food: Omelets
Problem: Super-sized portions and gobs of cheese
Solve It: Forgo the cheese, pile on the veggies and split large portions with a friend. (Skip the home fries, if possible.)
Food: Pancakes, French Toast
Problem: Large portions and high-cal toppings such as syrup and butter
Solve It: Choose one to two slices of French toast or pancakes. Skip the butter and measure out two tablespoons of syrup. Add on fresh berries (if available) to boost the flavor.
Food: Waffles
Problem: Enormous sizes and a topping overload of syrup, butter, ice cream and/or chocolate sauce
Solve It: Stick to half a waffle, top with fresh fruit and one to two tablespoons of syrup.
Soups & Salads
Soups can be healthy choices. Just watch out for the creamy ones! Don’t automatically assume the pea and carrot soups are lower calorie. Many use heavy cream to help thicken them so be sure to ask. Some good soup options include chicken and rice, chicken noodle, vegetable, minestrone and black bean.
At a diner, salads don’t automatically equal the smartest choice. Before selecting a salad, read the menu carefully. Check for various high-fat meats (bacon is a common addition), cheeses and eggs. You’ll probably spot a salad with all these packed into one dish, then topped with tons of Thousand Island, ranch or other creamy dressing. Instead, look for tons of veggies and tell the server to hold most of those toppings (choose one or two that you like). Ask for a vinaigrette dressing or oil and vinegar on the side. A grilled chicken salad or house salad with added chicken and dressing on the side are other good options.
Sandwiches & Burgers
I sometimes indulge in a hot, juicy burger on my trips to the diner, but I always swap out cheese and mayo for extra veggies and Dijon mustard. As for the ever-popular side of fries or onion rings, 10 fries (a small handful) typically satisfies a craving or swap in a baked potato and only eat half if it’s one of those monster ones.
Just because it’s a fish sandwich, don’t think you’ve found a healthier choice. Ask how it’s cooked. A fried fish sandwich can have more calories than a moderately sized burger! Be wary of those obnoxiously thick deli sandwiches, too; they pack three to four times more cold cuts in between those slices than a simple sandwich from home. Get your money’s worth by taking off half the meat and request to have it wrapped up to go. You can make yourself another sandwich at home the next day. Better sandwich choices include grilled chicken, sliced turkey (with two slices of bread, not three) or a veggie burger.
Desserts
Who can miss those display cases with the cookies, chocolate cakes, rice pudding and ever-present cheesecake? I love desserts but typically skip them at diners — they rarely taste as good as they look and aren’t worth the extra calories or money. If you’re craving sweets, try a small frozen yogurt topped with fresh fruit, or split a small chocolate milk or milkshake instead.
TELL US: What do you order at a diner?