Easy Healthy Dessert: Orange Gel n Fresh Fruit

*** Healthy recipe, quick and easy to make in a flash to beat the summer heat - and it's beautiful for the eyes!





From Denny: Want to eat with your eyes along with your taste buds yet want to keep down those calories? This simple dessert is a winner and a refreshing ending to a light summer meal. Serve it in grand style in a martini glass so you get a 360 degree view of this pretty dessert.

It combines the fresh fruit of your choice, what's in season, along with quenching fresh orange juice, gelatin and a little fresh buttermilk.

Fresh fruit choices? Fresh orange segments, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, banana and kiwi - whatever you and your family enjoy the most. You could wait to garnish with the fruit and make this interactive fun, allowing guests to make their own fruit choices and then help you serve the dessert.

You have the option of placing some orange segments in the gelatin - or serve the fruit on top later - or both. The choices are endless.

What keeps the calories low is this dessert is made from sugar-free gelatin. The dessert is 60 calories before you add the fruit topping. And don't worry about using buttermilk as it is not noticeable while it gives body and creamy flavor to the dessert.



Orange Gel Dessert With Fresh Fruit

From: “Healthy Eating the Louisiana Way” Food Focus booklet, produced by The Advocate newspaper


Makes: 4 (1/2-cup) servings

Ingredients:

1 cup pure orange juice
1 (3-oz.) small box, sugar-free orange gelatin
1 cup buttermilk
Fruit of your choice for topping
Vanilla yogurt or Lite Cool Whip for topping, optional

Directions:

1. Heat orange juice to almost boiling, then add gelatin. Remove from heat and stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

2. Add cold buttermilk. Stir thoroughly and pour into 4 glass cups or glasses.

3. Refrigerate and chill until firm.

4. Before serving, top with a spoonful of your favorite fruit and a small dollop of vanilla yogurt or whipped topping.

Note: A 1/2 cup is 60 calories (without the fruit and yogurt topping).



*** Photo by Richard Alan Hannon @ 2 the advocate - online Louisiana newspaper


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Anti-Aging Summer Drinks From CBS and Health Magazine

*** Summer drinks that are healthy and fight aging from Health Magazine.





From Denny: Who ever thought drinking fruit drinks could help to fight the signs of aging? Health Magazine's senior food and nutrition editor Frances Largeman-Roth, a registered dietitian, show us how delicious it can be to take care of your health and look good in the process.

First things first. When the hot summer arrives it's easy to reach for sugary drinks and processed foods. Bad idea. Sugar and processed foods age us, especially the skin. Here are some tasty alternatives to help slow down the clock.

Summer is a great time to pay special attention to our health and utilize fresh produce from local farmers markets and grocers. "You can stay away from processed foods all summer because of all this stuff that's ripe and accessible -- no reason to grab stuff in a package," Largeman-Roth says. "If it's processed, most processed foods will have preservatives and are high in sodium, which we know we should cut back on."

Who can benefit from these anti-aging drinks? Well, everyone. Why wait until you are middle-aged before deciding to take care of your skin? Actually, Health Magazine developed these recipes with the average female reader in mind of the age range of 35-50 years old. Largeman-Roth adds, "But they could be great for anyone, young or old, male or female. They are a refreshing and healthy way to get more whole foods into your diet."

These ingredients are recommended to be eaten or drunk at least once a day to receive maximum benefit. "The caveat with beverages is that people tend to over-consume," according to Largeman-Roth. "We try to keep the portion size smart. You don't want to drink your calories, so make sure this is part of your daily calorie intake."




Watch CBS News Videos Online



From CBS, About Health Magazine's anti-aging drinks:

1. Tropical Treat Smoothie

Active anti-age ingredient: MATCHA.

Why it's good for you: Rich in nutrients, antioxidants and chlorophyll, the health benefits of matcha exceed those of other green teas-drinkers ingest the whole leaf (in powdered form), not just the brewed water. One glass of matcha is the equivalent of 10 glasses of green tea in terms of nutritional value and antioxidant content. Also it has no calories.

The powerful antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) in matcha green tea is 137 times greater than the amount of EGCG in regular green tea.

The ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of antioxidants within matcha green tea is exponentially higher than other foods known for their high antioxidant levels such as blueberries and spinach. The ORAC rating of matcha is 1300 units/g, compared to 105 units/g for pomegranates and 91 units/g for wild blueberries.

2. Very Cherre Spritzer -- (Not available elsewhere online) -

Active anti-age ingredient: CHERRY JUICE.

Why it's good for you: Inflammation inside your body leads to premature aging and illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. That means foods that fight inflammation-like tart cherries-could add years to your life. In a recent study, researchers found that giving whole tart cherries to lab rats reduced two common markers of blood vessel inflammation by up to 50 percent. The cherry eaters also gained less weight and experienced big drops in cholesterol.

3. Double C Smoothie

Active anti-age ingredient: VITAMIN C

Why it's good for you: This smoothie has 158mg of vitamin C, which is more than 100% of the RDA. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and helps fight free-radical damage-both inside the body and when applied to the skin.

4. Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

Active anti-age ingredient: PEANUTS (RESVERATROL). The first major (and all-natural) anti-aging phytochemical.

Where you'll find it: We've all heard about the benefits of resveratrol in wine, but that's not the only source. The roots, stems, leaves, shells, and seeds of peanut plans Are also high in this antioxidant. Peanut butter is a great source!

Why it's good for you: Preliminary research suggests that resveratrol can lengthen the lives of mice. Will it work for you? It's too soon to know, but red grapes (plus mixed berries, peanuts, and a little red wine) are the best sources of this promising ingredient.

This magic phytochemical shows signs of preventing damage to blood vessels, reducing "bad" cholesterol, and preventing blood clots.

5. Blackberry-Banana Slim Down Smoothie

Active anti-age ingredient: BANANA

Why it's good for you: Bananas aren't just for making a bowl of bran cereal less boring. They are rich in vitamin B-6 something your body may need more of as you age, especially if you're a woman. Researchers found that women of childbearing age, particularly those taking oral contraceptives, are much more likely than men to have inadequate amounts of vitamin B6. The nutrient is necessary for estrogen metabolism, researchers say, and the Pill adds more estrogen to your body.

B6 is also vital for red blood cell function, a healthy immune system, and normal brain activity; low levels can lead to a form of anemia. Another B benefit: Research in the journal Neurobiology shows that boosting B12 intake could reduce the risks of Alzheimer's. Bananas, baked potatoes, and chicken are good sources of B6; eggs, meat, and milk are high in B12. Bonus: Bananas help keep you full with resistant starch!


ANTI-AGING DRINK RECIPES:


Tropical Treat Smoothie

Prep: 7 minutes.
Yield: Makes 1 smoothie (1 1/4 cups)

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or frozen unsweetened pineapple cubes (such as Dole), plus a pineapple wedge for garnish
1/2 cup soft silken tofu
1/2 cup coconut sorbet
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons cold water
Matcha tea (1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon to taste)

Preparation:

1. Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a chilled serving glass, and garnish with pineapple wedge; serve.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 310
Fat: 6g (sat 3g,mono 0.0g,poly 1g)
Cholesterol: 5mg
Protein: 11g
Carbohydrate: 58g
Fiber: 3g
Iron: 2mgs
Sodium: 95mg
Calcium: 89mg





Very Cherre Spritzer

Ingredients:

4 oz. Very Cherre Juice
Plain Seltzer
Fresh cherry

Preparation:

1. Pour 4 oz. Very Cherre juice into glass. Top with plain seltzer and garnish with fresh cherry. Serve with or without ice.
2. Add champagne or other alcohol to make your favorite cocktail.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 67






Double C Smoothie

Prep: 10 minutes.
Yield: Makes 1 smoothie (about 1 cup)

Ingredients:

1 small (9-ounce) papaya (preferably strawberry variety), peeled and chopped
1/4 cup vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt or kefir
1 1/2 tablespoons light agave nectar, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 chopped peeled kiwifruit, divided

Preparation:

1. Purée papaya in a blender with frozen yogurt, 1 tablespoon agave nectar, and lime juice. Pour into a chilled serving glass.
2. Rinse blender, and purée kiwifruit, reserving 1 slice, with remaining 1/2 tablespoon agave until smooth. Spoon on top of papaya mixture, and garnish with kiwifruit slice; serve.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 307
Fat: 3g (sat 1g, mono 0.0g, poly 0.0g)
Cholesterol: 33mg
Protein: 6g
Carbohydrate: 67g
Fiber: 5g
Sodium: 35mg
Calcium: 194mg






Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

Yield: serves 3 (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced ripe banana
1 cup one percent chocolate low-fat milk
1/2 cup vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt
2 tablespoons natural-style peanut butter
1 (8-ounce) carton vanilla low-fat yogurt

Preparation:

1. Place banana in freezer; freeze until firm (about an hour). Remove from freezer; let stand 5 minutes. Combine banana and remaining ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 201
Fat: 5.9g (sat 1.7g, mono 2.5g,poly 1.3g)
Cholesterol: 6mg
Protein: 8.5g
Carbohydrate: 31g
Fiber: 1.8g
Iron: 0.5mg
Sodium: 113mg
Calcium: 222mg






Blackberry-Banana Slim Down Smoothie

Prep: 10 minutes.
Yield: Makes 2 servings (serving size: about 2 cups)

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen blackberries
1 small banana, sliced
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preparation:

1. Process blackberries, banana, coconut milk, yogurt, lemon juice, honey, and lemon zest in a blender until smooth.
2. Divide the mixture evenly into 2 chilled glasses, and serve.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 250
Fat: 5g (sat 3g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g)
Cholesterol: 4mg
Protein: 6g
Carbohydrate: 52g
Fiber: 9g
Iron: 2mg
Sodium: 61mg
Calcium: 161mg



*** Photo from CBS

*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

Chef Rocco Dispiritos Cheap Yet Healthy Comfort Food

From Denny: The Early Show on CBS runs this segment called "Chef on a Shoestring" where the challenge is to prepare a three course meal for four people that costs under $40.

Celebrity Chef Dispirito has appeared on "Dancing with the Stars" TV show and has a new best-selling cookbook called "Now Eat This: 150 of America's Favorite Comfort Foods, All under 350 Calories." When we think of comfort food we usually don't think of the word "healthy." Well, Chef Dispirito will prove comfort food can be healthy with fewer calories and a lot less expensive! His cookbook is already topping the New York Times sales charts.

Recipes featured from his cookbook:

Wedge of Lettuce with Bacon and Blue Cheese
Charred Beef Burgers with Baba Ghanoush
Sweet Potato Fries
Peach and Blueberry Cobbler With Ginger And Cinnamon







Discounted over at my Amazon book store - Now Eat This: 150 of America's Favorite Comfort Foods, All under 350 Calories by Chef Rocco Dispirito



Watch CBS News Videos Online



Food Facts from Epicurious.com:


Baba Ghanoush: A Middle Eastern puree of eggplant, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. It's garnished with pomegranate seeds, chopped mint or minced pistachios and used as a spread or dip for or Middle Eastern Flat Bread.

Blue Cheese: This genre of cheese has been treated with molds that form blue or green veins throughout and give the cheese its characteristic flavor. Some of the more popular of the blues include dana-blu , gorgonzola, roquefort and stilton. Blue cheeses tend to be strong in flavor and aroma, both of which intensify with aging.

Heirloom seeds (heirloom tomato): The advent of mega-agriculture in America has seen the gradual depletion of ancient varieties of native non-hybrid plants. Unfortunately for those who appreciate full-flavored fruits and vegetables, produce-seed conglomerates focus only on those strains that have mass-market appeal - which means they're beautiful and hardy, but not necessarily the best-tasting.

Fortunately, about 25 years ago some dedicated individuals began saving what they could of the remaining open-pollinated (without human intervention) seed varieties, which have become known as "heirloom seeds." Among the many heirloom fruits and vegetables grown today are beets, carrots, corn, dried beans, lettuce, potatoes and tomatoes. As the public becomes more aware of these wonderful alternatives, farmers are also becoming more interested. Heirloom produce can be found in some specialty produce markets and farmer's markets.





Wedge of Lettuce With Bacon and Blue Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

1 small head iceberg lettuce
1 small red onion, sliced very thin
1 large heirloom tomato, cut into large dice
3/4 cup of 3-Grams-of-Fat Blue Cheese Dressing or Bolthouse Farms Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
6 tablespoons crumbled reduced- fat blue cheese, such as Treasure Cove
6 tablespoons real bacon bits, such as Hormel Real Bacon Bits
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


DIRECTIONS:

Cut the iceberg lettuce into 4 wedges. Place 1 wedge on each of 4 salad plates, and top each wedge with some red onion and tomato. Drizzle each wedge with blue cheese dressing, and top it with crumbled blue cheese and bacon.

Season the salads with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.





Charred Beef Burgers with Baba Ghanoush

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium eggplant
2 tablespoons 5% Greek yogurt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole-Grain Flourless Burger Buns
Nonfat cooking spray
12 ounces 90 percent lean ground beef, formed into 4 patties
1/2 cup "Russian Island" Dressing or store bought reduced-fat Russian dressing
4 slices heirloom tomato
4 slices red onion
4 leaves romaine lettuce, broken in half


DIRECTIONS:

Char the eggplant over an open flame, rotating it often to cook evenly, about 20 minutes. The skin should be completely blackened and the flesh should be cooked through.

Place the eggplant in a bowl, cover it tightly with plastic wrap (to steam off the skin), and set it aside for 5 to 10 minutes. Then remove the charred skin with a paper towel, leaving the flesh behind.

Chop the eggplant with a knife until it is a thick and chunky puree. Mix the eggplant and the yogurt together in a bowl, and season it with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat a grill or grill pan over high heat.

Split the buns in half, and spray the split surfaces lightly with cooking spray. Season the burger patties with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the buns, cut sides down, and the burgers on the grill. Allow the buns to char slightly, and then transfer them to a platter. Cook the burgers for about 2-1/2 minutes per side for rare.

To assemble the burgers, spread the bottom buns with some of the eggplant mixture. Place the burgers on top, and then top each burger with some of the Russian dressing. Pile the tomato, onion, and lettuce on the burgers, and set the bun tops in place. Serve.





Sweet Potato Fries

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
Salt
Nonstick cooking spray
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Sweet paprika
Cayenne pepper


DIRECTIONS:

Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut the slices into 1/4-inch-wide sticks. Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and sprinkle generously with salt. Let stand for about 20 minutes to release some of their moisture.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet, and set it aside.

Spread the potatoes out on paper towels to absorb any excess moisture. Then place them in a large bowl, and spray them with cooking spray. Sprinkle with the thyme and salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne to taste. Spread the potatoes out on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the fries until they are golden and tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve immediately.





Peach and Blueberry Cobbler With Ginger and Cinnamon

INGREDIENTS:

Nonstick cooking spray
4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated Splenda
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Bisquick Heart Smart baking mix
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar, such as Sugar In The Raw


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Spray a 7 X 11-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray, and set it aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the peaches, blueberries, the 1/4 cup Splenda, and the 1 tablespoon baking mix. Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons Splenda, the remaining 3/4 cup Bisquick, and the ginger, cinnamon, and milk. Stir until the mixture forms a soft dough. Drop spoonfuls of the dough evenly over the fruit mixture. Sprinkle the sugar over the dough.

Bake the cobbler until the fruit is tender and the biscuit topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.





Breaking down the cost of the meal:

Steakhouse Salad

iceberg lettuce $1.99
red onion $.80
blue cheese dressing $1.49
blue cheese $2.99
bacon bits $1.99
total $9.26

Beef Burgers & Fries

eggplant $1.69
Greek yogurt $1.33
burger buns $3.19
ground beef $2.49
russian dressing $1.00
heirloom tomato $2.99
red onion $.80
romaine lettuce $1.49
sweet potatoes $1.49
thyme leaves $1.29
total $17.76

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

peaches $2.24
blueberries $2.50
splenda $3.29
Bisquick baking mix $1.19
ginger $.25
turbinado sugar $2.49
total $11.96

His grand total: $38.98







Discounted over at my Amazon book store - Now Eat This: 150 of America's Favorite Comfort Foods, All under 350 Calories by Chef Rocco Dispirito


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

Recipe: Dennys Tapas Style Brownies

Dennys Tapas Style Brownies: "Want your chocolate brownie but also want a healthier yet tasty version? Read on!

For the past twenty years or so the American brownie has grown to gargantuan proportions. One brownie really could serve four people! The trend has been to undercook the batter to a gooey center. Well, folks, read that as why Americans have gotten so fat."

From Denny: I started flipping through my various dessert cookbooks, took a look at the past decade long trend of huge and gooey American desserts and charted another healthier course. But I wasn't about to give up my blessed chocolate, a gift from God! :)

I'm particularly proud of this latest recipe I developed. Enjoy!

Photo by Denny Lyon