April | 2012 | My Foodie Call

Monthly Archives: April 2012
- Make friends with…Nutritional Yeast
  
  Posted at 10:46 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Apr 25th
  Make this your new BFF. The possibilities are endless!
  
  Yes, yeast. The good kind. Super healthy.
  
  So I mentioned this a while back. Any vegan or health enthusiast knows that Nutritional Yeast is a “nutritional powerhouse” and needs to be a key item in your pantry. But if you are just starting out, you might not know what nutritional yeast is or what the heck to do with it.
  
  I started on nutritional yeast about 4 years ago when I became vegetarian. Mainly because it is an excellent source of B-12, which is often lacking in a vegetarian diet. Although I added it to my diet for health purposes, I really had no idea what I was in store for. This stuff rocks and does not need to be limited to vegetarians.
  
  NUTRITIONAL YEAST BENEFITS:
  - low calories
  - yay on fiber (has my 3+ grams)
  - awesome protein (has my 6 gram rule)
  Check it out. Your taste buds and body will never be the same.
  
  Things I use nutritional yeast for:
  - sprinkling on popcorn (just spritz with olive oil spray and give it a good shake)
  - mixing into spaghetti sauce (perfect place to squeeze 1/4 cup in)
  - as a salad topper (this is how I started my nutritional yeast obsession)
  - mixed in with Annie’s Mac N Cheese
  If I am going to give the My Foodie Call family Mac n Cheese from a box, you had better believe that it will be Annie’s, Organic, and have nutritional yeast stirred in.
  - mixed into salad dressing
  - mixed into salsa and then added to tacos, burritos, quesadillas. Hungry yet?
  Basically anywhere you want a cheesy flavor!
  
  Where do I get this? Most health food stores will have it, but I find it can be pricey. Like everything, I just order online. My nutritional yeast is on automatic delivery from Amazon and comes 4 packages in a box.
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-8-Ounce-Packages/dp/B000EDM8FS
  
  Online shop for this stuff. Way easier.
  
  Besides, it is super fun getting a package in the mail. For real.
  Posted in Make friends with...
- Whole Wheat Blueberry Corn Meal Pancakes
  
  Posted at 8:03 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Apr 18th
  
  Warm blueberry pancakes with chilled cantaloupe on the side? Yes, please.
  
  So this family is never on the same page for breakfast choice. EVER. I really try to vary our breakfasts the best that I can. Some days I’ll whip up some oatmeal, other mornings I’ll bust out the egg/toast combo. Super crazed mornings will be cereal (although when are they all not crazed??) But no, never do I get all three kids to ALL like the same meal and on the same day. Sigh.
  
  With that being said, I have never been the “short order cook” type mom. My philosophy in the morning: “if you do not like it, you know where the fruit bowl is…”.
  
  For this morning, I did pancakes. I usually do not have time for pancakes during the week, but fortunately it is school vacation week and I actually have a little bit more time. Only a little. But this is great because this means: less hurrying, less yelling, and less force feeding because we have 2 minutes to be out the door.
  
  This recipe calls for two whole grains. Fiber, baby!
  
  Whole Wheat Blueberry Corn Meal Pancakes
  
  1 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
  
  1/2 cup water
  
  1 cup whole wheat flour
  
  1/2 cup stone ground cornmeal
  
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  
  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
  1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  
  1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
  1-2 tablespoons honey
  
  1 cup frozen blueberries
  
  Directions:
  
  Pour milk and water into a bowl and mix. Whisk in flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and honey. Whisk thoroughly but be careful to not over mix. Fold in the blueberries.Let batter sit for 5 min to thicken. Pour pancakes onto preheated non stick pan or griddle. Make sure pancakes are cooked evenly before flipping. Serve immediately with pure maple syrup.
  
  Enough for 3 hungry kids.
  
  Important note on breakfast struggles: On the days when I want super rock star status, I will throw in the towel, announce defeat and make super easy and fab Trader Joe’s cinnamon rolls. The kids love me a ~~little~~ lot more, and I love the halo effect it casts over my head.
  
  Posted in Pancake Day | Tagged breakfast, corn meal, pancakes, whole wheat
- Healthier Ranch Dressing or Dip
  
  Posted at 6:48 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Apr 12th
  For the ranch addicts
  
  So I am not going to pretend that this recipe will taste exactly like your store-bought bottle of ranch. But I’ll tell you what? It’s pretty dang good. Minus all of that artery clogging goop.
  
  Made with soybean oil and has insane calories in just 2 tablespoons (140 cal). Who the heck only uses 2 tablespoons? Certainly not me.
  
  On to the recipe:
  
  Start with a pint of plain greek yogurt
  
  Loads of calcium, no sugar.
  
  Recipe 1: 10 minute recipe
  - 1- 16oz container plain, greek yogurt
  - 2 tablespoons organic dill, finely chopped
  - 4 teaspoons organic parsley, finely chopped
  - 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  - 2 teaspoon sea salt
  - 2 teaspoon celery salt
  - season with pepper to taste
  Mix well in a separate bowl. Creamy baby!
  
  IF THE ABOVE IS A LITTLE TOO AMBITIOUS FOR YOUR HOUSEHOLD, THERE IS STILL HOPE. SEE BELOW:
  
  Recipe 2: 1 minute recipe
  - 1-16 oz container plain, greek yogurt
  - 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
  Mix well in a separate bowl. Easy.
  
  Right near the croutons at your grocery store. No excuses. Oh and skip the croutons. Those will sabotage your salad.
  
  Place this on your table with a pile of cut up veggies and I guarantee people will be munching.
  Posted in Salads, Soups, and Sides, Small changes | Tagged dip, healthy ranch
- Whole Wheat BBQ pizza (vegetarian)
  
  Posted at 6:32 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Apr 6th
  Whole wheat pizza dough. Delicious base for pretty much anything. One of those staple items that appears on our weekly grocery list. Tonight I decided to switch up the routine a bit and do a southwestern style pizza, minus the chicken.
  
  Who doesn’t like pizza for dinner??
  
  The goods
  
  Tomato+bean+corn= healthy topping
  
  The cheese: I used Daiya, a non-dairy alternative, but any shredded cheese will do. I won’t judge. Promise.
  
  Basic ingredients: BBQ, Corn Meal, Pizza Dough. Nothing sketchy that you can’t pronounce.
  
  On to the recipe…
  
  Whole Wheat BBQ and Black Bean Pizza
  
  Ingredients
  
  1 tomato, diced
  
  1 cup canned black beans (rinse those babies. Get rid of the goop!)
  
  1 cup frozen, then thawed corn kernels
  
  1-2 tablespoons cornmeal
  
  1 package store-bought whole wheat pizza dough (Mine is from Trader Joe’s. Most stores sell them. Just be sure the first ingredient says “whole wheat” and not “enriched wheat”. Enriched= bad.)
  
  1/3 cup barbecue sauce (Find one without HFCS. High fructose corn syrup= evil.)
  
  1 cup shredded cheese of choice (I used Daiya because I like to keep it dairy free, but any cheese would work. Cheddar, mozzarella…it’s all good.)
  1. Preheat oven to temperature on pizza dough directions. Spray pan if using a non-stick pizza pan.
  2. Combine tomato, beans, and corn in a medium bowl.
  3. Sprinkle cornmeal onto pizza pan.
  4. Spread dough onto pan.
  5. Spread barbecue sauce on the dough. Top with the cheese and tomato, bean, corn mixture.
  6. Cook for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven and desired “crisp” needs.
  Spread it.
  
  Top it.
  
  Cook it.
  
  Cut it.
  
  Devour it.
  
  By the way, this pizza is fabulous cooked on the grill. I would have fired it up, but mine is out of commission. Wagh.
  Posted in Meatless mealtime | Tagged pizza, vegetarian, whole wheat pizza dough
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