My Foodie Call

Author Archives: myfoodiecall

• 

  Zucchini Cheese Casserole

  Posted at 9:00 pm by myfoodiecall

  Sep 3rd

  Zucchini has taken over my house.

  My kids will divorce me for sure if I serve them one more zucchini dish. Add my veggie obsession to mealtime, and I guess I am asking for the heavy sighs. I still occasionally get the rolled eyes, but funny how there were no zucchini shreds left behind.

  Here is one of the things I have been serving up at Zucchini Central. This was breakfast, 2 Sundays ago.

  Zucchini Cheese Casserole
  2 cups shredded zucchini (make friends with your food processor everyone!)
  1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  1 cup shredded light cheddar cheese mix (or non-dairy Daiya cheese)
  1 tsp dried basil
  1 tsp sea salt
  1 cup whole grain pancake mix (I used Buckwheat pancake mix, but any other would work)
  3  egg whites
  4 whole eggs
  2 tablespoons olive oil

  Preheat oven 350F.
  Use cooking spray to coat a medium size round dish.
  In a small bowl combine the eggs, egg whites, olive oil, salt and basil.
  In a larger bowl combine the zucchini, onion, cheese and pancake mix.
  Mix the egg mixture into the zucchini mixture. Mix well and transfer to pre-oiled dish.

  Bake for 45-48 minutes or until cooked through and golden.

  

  Crunchy outer coating. Warm and chewy on the inside.

  Posted in Breakfast, Meatless mealtime | Tagged zucchini
• 

  5 Non-dairy Sources of Calcium

  Posted at 8:47 pm by myfoodiecall

  Sep 2nd

  So I am not into dairy. After reading the China Study 4 years ago, I pretty much swore off cow’s milk, yogurt, and cheeses. Despite my daily routine, I have been known to sneak a piece of pizza (I’ve gotta live.) or indulge in my fro-yo obsession with Menchies (holla!) Overall, I stay away from dairy on my regular day-to-day diet.

  Question I am always asked from milk drinkers…

  “Where do you get your calcium?”

  Surprisingly there numerous ways. Minus the dairy.

  Here are 5 sources you may not have known about.

  1. Blackstrap Molasses

  

  Use this in baked goods or put a tablespoon or two into your oatmeal.

  2. Sardines

  

   

  Don’t be afraid. Sardines in mustard are pretty darn good.

  3. Collards

  

   

  Yes, super-celebrity kale gets a ton of star treatment, but collard greens have 268 mg calcium per cup, while cousin kale has 101 mg.

  4. Tofu

  

   

  Pan-fry, add to smoothies, whip into desserts. Possibilities are endless.

  5. Chia Seeds

  

   

  Protein, calcium, fiber, Omega 3’s….Ok, what does Chia not have??

   

  Also, don’t forget almonds, cooked broccoli, sesame seeds, parsley…

  See? No need to fret.
  Posted in Random stuff | Tagged chia
• 

  Easy, healthier, microwave popcorn

  Posted at 8:23 pm by myfoodiecall

  Sep 1st

  So we all know that microwave popcorn is bad for us right?? And I am not talking about the butter. Buying “light popcorn” does nothing, by the way.

  Why??

  One of the biggest issues with prepackaged microwave popcorn are the PFC’s within the bags. These are  toxic, toxic, toxic. PFC’s are used to coat the inside of popcorn bags to make them more grease-proof. Okay,  so maybe this works, but in the meantime these chemicals just flat-out wreak havoc in the body. And have been linked to cancer. Deal breaker.

  That said, I do like popcorn and I do not have any desire to purchase, store, or deal with a popcorn maker. No thanks.

  Luckily there is an awesome trick that you can do in a snap. Still microwaved, but much healthier.

  

  I am even going to let you in on my go-to topping.

  

  Watch the magic.

  Easy, HEALTHIER, microwave popcorn

  What do you need?

  • Popcorn kernels (duh)
  • Paper lunch bags (remember the ones we had as kids?? yah, those)

  

  My handy-dandy scooper in that jar holds 1 tablespoon.

  

  Drop 5 tablespoons into your bag. Bird’s eye view. If a bird were viewing your kernels.

  

  Fold the top down about an inch.

  

  Fold again. And maybe even a third time. your choice :).

  Put your bag in the microwave. No oil. Nothing. Just put in microwave as is.

  Now for the timing.

  Here is where you may have to experiment a tiny bit. 5 tablespoons in our microwave takes 2 minutes 3 seconds. Odd I know. Not 2 minutes 2 seconds. 2:03. No popcorn setting. Just 2:03 and then push start.

  But…your microwave may be different. Play around a bit. You might burn a batch or two. It’s all good. Or have a few botched bags with un-popped kernels, but eventually you will figure out your golden number.

  

  Voila. A healthier, microwave popcorn.

  Now that the my-foodie-call family has our exact timing down, we have our popcorn kernels and paper bags on stockpile.

  

  A quick nighttime snack. My nine-year old makes this most nights.

  For the topping?

  • Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (a soy sauce alternative)
  • Nutritional yeast

  

  We keep Liquid Aminos in the pink squirt bottle.

  How to top your popcorn?

  1. Spray your kernels lightly with the liquid aminos.
  2. Shake a tiny bit of nutritional yeast on the moistened popcorn.
  3. Shake the bag to move kernels around
  4. Keep repeating steps 1 and 2 until you have reached desired taste.
  Posted in Small changes, Snacks | Tagged nutritional yeast
• 

  An easy tempeh salad

  Posted at 10:34 am by myfoodiecall

  Aug 31st

  So remember that post about tempeh?

  

  Say hello your newest friend.

  Here is a fast and simple salad to add to your rotation. Thought for sure that the my-foodie-call kids would balk at the miso dressing. But surprisingly, things were a-okay.

  

  The aforementioned dressing.

  

  A fast fix. Seriously. I was pool-side for two hours before whipping this up.

  Miso Tempeh Salad

  Serves 5 hungry peeps.

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon grated, fresh ginger (or sub 1/8 teaspoon dry ground ginger)
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons miso
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 (8 oz) package tempeh
  • 2 (5 oz) bags baby spinach leaves (or mixed greens)
  • 4 carrots, shredded (or about 2 cups store-bought shredded)

  What you do: 

  1. Cut and cube your tempeh
  2. For your dressing: Mix together the first 7 ingredients blending well. Your best bet is to use a blender (or Vitamix), but if you have mad skills, go ahead and use a whisk.

  

  Your dressing. These 7 ingredients. (yes, that is a ginger chunk on top of the miso)

  

  Nice creamy result. Blender is best.

  3. Use your food processor’s shredding blade to grate those carrots.

  

  Really not hard. But you can save time by buying pre-shredded carrots.

  4. Distribute the greens equally on the plates. Sprinkle carrots evenly over your greens. Add your tempeh. Drizzle with your dressing.

  

  Looks pretty healthy, right?

  

  Fast and fantastic.

  Posted in Salads, Soups, and Sides | Tagged salad, tempeh
• 

  Make friends with…Tempeh

  Posted at 3:48 pm by myfoodiecall

  Aug 30th

  What the heck is tempeh??

  

  Tempeh cut into cubes.

  Tempeh is a pretty fantastic protein source. For all. Not just us lone vegetarians.

  But what is it? 

  Put simply, tempeh is just soybeans cooked down and slightly fermented. Do not let the word fermented scare you. The soybeans are usually combined with other grains such as barley or brown rice for a firm and hearty texture. I like it plain, sliced on a salad, but you can marinate it with barbecue sauce and make some pretty tasty sandwiches as well.

  Why tempeh?

  • Firm, unlike tofu (for all you tofu haters out there)
  • One serving has a whopping 18-20 grams of protein and about 10% of your calcium needs for the day

  

  This is what Trader Joe’s tempeh looks like, but there are many others out there.

  How do you eat it?

  • cut it, slice, cube, crumble it, marinate it, pan fry it…..

  Where do you find tempeh??

  • where the tofu, vegetarian meats, dairy free cheeses are at any large grocer. Stop whizzing by that section and take a look!

  Try this simple swap: Replace tempeh in place of ground beef in your next spaghetti  meal. Simply crumble, pan fry for a few minutes, and add to your sauce.

  Remember: one simple health swap a week can add up to long-term change.

  Posted in Make friends with... | Tagged tempeh

• You missed a call?

  • Make friends with…Bean Pasta.
  • Whole Wheat Flax ‘N Apple Muffins
  • Small changes…Eat what’s in season.
  • Whole Wheat Broccoli Mac N Cheese
  • What I pack my kid.

• Categories

  • Breakfast
  • Desserts
  • Make friends with…
  • Meatless mealtime
  • Pancake Day
  • Random stuff
  • Salads, Soups, and Sides
  • Small changes
  • Snacks
  • What I pack my kid.

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