Healthy: Grilled Pineapple Slices

If you've gone through the trouble of firing up the grill you might as well make a whole meal of it and this dessert recipe gives you a fairly healthy way to do it. It's just pineapple slices with a little oil and sugar to help develop some nice caramelization but if you wanted to you could just cook the pineapple slices plain and keep it healthier. You could go the other direction and serve these pineapple slices over shortbread or ice cream.

Healthy Grilled Pineapple Slices

Serves: 6
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes

Equipment:

• Grill or grill pan
• Knife and cutting board (optional pineapple slicer)
• Mixing bowl and whisk
• Tongs
• Measuring spoons
• Brush (optional)

 Ingredients:

• 1 pineapple
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp ground cinammon

Directions:

1. Heat grill or grill pan as appropriate. 
2. Prepare pineapple. Cut off top and bottom then slice off the exterior completely. Slice pineapple into 1/2 inch thick slices.
3. Combine all other ingredients in a bowl and whisk together to form marinade.
4. Brush or rub marinade on pineapple slices.
5. Place pineapple slices on grill and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. Should be softer than raw pineapple but not quite falling apart.
6. Serve. 

Note: If you sliced the pineapple straight across and left the core be mindful that the innermost portion of the slices may be too hard or tough to eat. A pineapple slicer will remove the core but if you only use a knife you can either cut the core out yourself or let your diners know not to eat the hard core.

Not Healthy: Egg Beaters Hollandaise Sauce

I really enjoy eggs benedict, which is a mostly healthy breakfast made really unhealthy with the addition of hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise is basically egg yolks, lemon juice and butter blended smooth and heated just enough to warm it. It can be tricky because it has a habit of breaking if it isn't blended well enough or allowed to get too hot. This recipe is probably the easiest recipe I've come across. It uses egg beaters (or other egg substitutes) which means it's a lot of egg whites rather than pure egg yolk. It has the benefit of not breaking as easily but it's not quite as rich in flavor or thick as a proper hollandaise. Nevertheless, it's very easy to make--almost foolproof--and useful for those of us who keep egg beaters in the house.

The key technique here is properly mixing hot butter (or margarine) into the egg/lemon mixture to a smooth consistency. Often you want to use a blender or food processor but if you have neither or don't want to deal with cleaning it then you can certainly use a mixing bowl and small whisk. You just need to really work to blend the ingredients to a smooth emulsion.

If you finish the hollandaise too quickly you can keep it warm on a double boiler on the stove for up to ten minutes. It's easiest to make this while meat is resting (if serving on meat) or while your eggs are cooking for a breakfast dish.

Egg Beaters Hollandaise Sauce

Servings: ?? (makes one cup)
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 1 minute

Equipment:

• Mixing bowls
• Kitchen utensils
• Microwave and small microwave-safe bowl (or alternatively small saucepan on stove)
• Blender, food processor or whisk

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp egg beaters
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Black pepper
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine

Directions:

1. Blend together egg beaters, lemon juice and dash of black pepper until smooth. 
2. Melt butter or margarine until it is liquid and hot but before it separates (test every fifteen seconds in the microwave). While doing this continue to blend the egg beater mixture to keep smooth.
3. Pour in melted butter or margarine slowly and continue to blend until smooth.

Not Healthy: Easy Tuna Melt with Flavor

I'm not usually much of a tuna melt fan. I'm not huge on the idea of cheese and fish together to begin with and I've only had a small number that I've enjoyed. Often I find tuna melts go in one of two directions. Bland fish plus an excess of oily cheese results in a soggy sandwich or the effort to overcome the oiliness means the bread ends up rock hard. Just not a pleasant experience. My wife likes tuna melts and we often have canned tuna in the house so I set out looking for a recipe that both of us might enjoy. I landed upon this recipe that is not only easy but tasty. It relies upon canned tuna but you could opt for pouch tuna or even cooking fresh tuna for an even more flavorful sandwich. The recipe calls for provolone cheese but you could opt for a less assertive cheese like Monterey Jack or cheddar if you prefer that option in your tuna melt. You can use one full slice of cheese on each side or split in half as I have in this recipe.

This is a reasonably healthy recipe particularly if you discount the amount of cheese and mayo, but there's still quite a bit of fat in the recipe so I've categorized it in the unhealthy category.

Not Healthy: Easy Tuna Melt

Servings: 1
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes

Equipment:

• Knife and cutting board
• Cooking sheet
• Oven
• Mixing bowls
• Kitchen utensils

Ingredients:

• 1 tomato
• 2 pieces of bread
• 1 5 oz. canned tuna
• 2 tbsp mayo
• 1 tsp chopped red onion
• 1 tsp capers
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• pinch of dried oregano
• 1 slice provolone

Directions:

1. Heat broiler to high and move rack to highest level.
2. In mixing bowl mix tuna, lemon juice, capers, onion, 1 tbsp mayo, oregano, salt and pepper (to taste) until completely mixed.
3. Slice four thin tomato slices.
4. Spread remaining tbsp of mayo on one side of both bread slices. Lay bread slices on cooking sheet, mayo up. Spread tuna mix evenly on both pieces. Lay two tomato slices on each side of the sandwich. Cut slice of cheese in half, placing one half on each side of the sandwich in the middle.
5. Place in oven and broil for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is browned.
6. Remove and put together as sandwich.

Healthy: Greek Style Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

Finding healthy vegetable recipes that give you more than steamed vegetables can be tricky. Most recipes that aren't another round of bland steamed vegetables come along with too much oil (such as the original version of this recipe) or adding unnecessarily amounts of salt. This recipe blends a typical Greek technique and flavors together into a simple and easy recipe that packs a nice punch of flavor. It's decidedly Greek by flavor but it's flexible enough that you can serve it with almost anything. You can spruce up the green beans with some feta cheese and/or kalamata olives. Traditional recipes call for more olive oil but I like this recipe a little leaner as its presented.

Simple recipes really need no more of an introduction so let's get to it.

Healthy Greek Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

Serves: 8
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

Equipment: 

• Knife and cutting board
• Large skillet with lid
• Stovetop
• Measuring cups
• Kitchen utensils
• Grater

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lb. fresh green beans
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 red onions
• 1 1/2 lb. fresh tomatoes 
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare vegetables by mincing garlic, chopping onions, trimming the ends off the green beans and grating the tomatoes (leaving out the core). Chop parsley and oregano.
2. Heat olive oil over medium high heat.
3. Saute onions until soft (approximately 6-8 minutes).
4. Add garlic and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
5. Add green beans and mix thoroughly.
6. Turn down heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 40 minutes. If green beans start to dry out add a small amount of water.
7. Add parsley and oregano and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
8. Turn off heat and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Healthy: Thai Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Often when you think about cooking Thai food the first thing that comes to mind is laborious work chopping vegetables and herbs and building the ingredients that come together in a curry or other complicated dish. However, that's not an accurate portrayal of Thai food. Thai food also includes a large amount of street food that includes grilled meats. This side of Thai cuisine is not built on putting in time slicing vegetables into razor thin strips or chopping up meat into bite sized pieces. Instead, Thai grilling is very similar to any other type of grilling. This can make Thai flavors approachable for those who feel overwhelmed by Thai ingredients or cooking techniques.

This recipe turns regular old chicken breasts into a bouquet of Thai flavors without a long cook or delayed prep time. In fact, this recipe even requires minimal marinade time although you can certainly extend this time period to get more of the flavor into the meat. This grilled chicken recipe can work on a grill or under a broiler so it's easily prepared inside or outside. The recipe below provides broiling instructions but you can grill using the exact same steps just prepare your grill as you normally would to grill chicken breasts.

Thai Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Equipment:

• Broiler or grill
• Shallow dish
• Knife and cutting board
• Mixing bowl
• Kitchen utensils
• Food processor (or blender) 
• Stove
• Small saucepan

 Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 jalapenos
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 tbsp cilantro
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tbsp water

Directions:

1. Heat grill or broiler. 
2. In food processor puree jalapenos (remove stem), 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup cilantro, fish sauce, olive oil, sesame oil and 1/4 tsp salt. 
3. Put chicken in shallow dish and coat with puree.
4. Broil chicken for five minutes. Turn and cook on other side for five minutes or until done.
5. While broiling, chop remaining 1 tbsp of cilantro. 
6. Combine vinegar, sugar, remaining salt in small saucepan and bring to simmer. Simmer for two minutes.
7. Pour liquid in mixing bowl and allow to cool. Add pepper flakes, water and cilantro. Whisk together.
8. Serve chicken breast with small bowl of sauce.

Healthy: Brown Rice Bowl with Curried Cauliflower

Grain bowls are popular dishes these days and range from reasonably healthy to terribly unhealthy. This recipe is actually very healthy minus the large amount of carbs. I went ahead and assigned this recipe to the healthy category because it's easy to control the amount of brown rice you're eating and keep it at an appropriate level for your diet. Like other rice bowls and other grain bowls, this recipe has a lot of components and takes a little time to put together. The good news is that you can easily prepare the whole recipe and save the components separately in the fridge for future meals.You may want to double the recipe to give yourself leftovers.

I picked up this recipe from this Food Network recipe and made a few of changes. The most significant change is taking out the potato sticks in favor of more carrot. I didn't think the recipe needed the less nutritious potato and extra carrot will supply the needed crunch.

Healthy Brown Rice Bowl with Curried Cauliflower

Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes

Equipment:

• Knife and cutting board
• Stove and oven
• Food processor (or blender)
• Mixing bowls, kitchen utensils, measuring cups
• Baking sheet
• Medium saucepan with lid
• Microwave 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups brown rice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cauliflower head
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 roma tomato
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• Jalapeno
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 large carrots
• 1/2 cup cashews
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. Prepare brown rice by bringing 2 1/2 cups of water to boil. Add rice and 1 tbsp olive oil and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 40 minutes.
3. Prepare cauliflower by removing leaves and cutting florets off core. Chop florets to roughly 1 inch pieces. 
4. Mix cauliflower with 2 tbsp olive oil and curry powder. Spread out on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. 
5. While cauliflower is baking chop the tomato into small cubes. 
6. When cauliflower is done add tomato and continue to bake for 5 minutes.
7. While rice and vegetables are cooking continue with the remaining steps. 
8. Microwave peas for 1-2 minutes to bring to room temperature. 
9. Chop carrots into matchsticks.
10. Process spinach, cilantro, yogurt, 2 tbsp water, 1/2 tsp salt and jalapeno until smooth. 
11. To serve mix 1/4 of each ingredient together in a bowl.
12. Store any remaining ingredients separately to retain textures.

Healthy: Greek Grean Beans

Here's an easy recipe for green beans that pair well as a side for Greek dishes as well as other Mediterranean cuisines. It's not so obviously Greek that it won't pair with other dishes. There's no real magic behind these green beans. It's an easy recipe but packs a nice flavor.

Healthy Greek Green Beans

Serving size: 6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

Equipment:

• Knife and cutting board
• Kitchen utensils
• Large skillet with lid

Ingredients:

• 3 lb. fresh green beans
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 lb. ripe tomatoes
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper
• Kalamata olives and feta cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Chop onions, garlic, parsley and tomatoes. Wash green beans and remove ends. 
2. Heat half the olive oil in skillet over medium heat. 
3. Add onions and saute until translucent and tender (about six minutes).
4. Add garlic, tomatoes and the rest of the olive oil. Bring to a boil.
5. Add green beans and mix so the green beans are covered in the boiling mixture. 
6. Turn heat down to low, cover skillet with lid.
7. Simmer for 40 minutes.
8. Add parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix and continue cooking for five minutes. 
9. Serve. Add kalamata olives and feta cheese, if desired.

Healthy: Spring Rolls with Thai Basil

I'm always surprised by the prices listed for spring rolls in restaurants. It's basically herbs and cabbage rolled together. Spring rolls are labor intensive and require a certain technique but once you make five or six bad rolls you'll be able to turn them out in no time. The real trick is understanding how to work with the rice paper so it is appropriately pliable and doesn't explode when rolled. Today I'll give up a really easy recipe and plenty of tricks to make it as easy as possible.

What makes spring rolls time consuming is dealing with the vegetable and specifically I mean the cabbage. To get the right consistency in a spring roll you need to grate the cabbage rather than try to chop it. Grating a whole head of cabbage is really, really time consuming and a PITA. If you have a food processor with a grating attachment then you can take a PITA process and make it really easy. Just chop the cabbage head in quarters, cut out the core and then break down the head into pieces that will fit in the food processor's feeding tube. If you're bold enough to hand grate cabbage then you want to go the other way. You need the core to hold the whole thing together while you rip it up with the grater. You may need to quarter the head and work one quarter at a time. The core makes a good handle and once you've grated off all the good parts from the core then just toss the core in your trash or compost. However, it's a messy PITA and I would suggest as an alternative to buy pre-shredded cabbage and carrots made for cole slaw. You have to grate carrot anyway so it's just saving you an extra step.

While we're dealing with chopping and grating, let's also talk about the chiles and herbs. In a good spring roll each bite should have the flavor of all the components. You don't want one bite to be full of mint and taste like an after dinner mint and the next to have a big chunk of chile and obliterate anything else you might want to taste. To do that you need to get a good mix of ingredients and the only way you will get that is to make sure everything is chopped down to a small size. Slice the chiles thin and chop the basil, green onion and mint down to roughly the same size as the cabbage.

Rice paper. If cabbage soaks up the labor making spring rolls then rice paper soaks up all the technique. Dry it has the texture of vinyl if vinyl was brittle and shattered. Wet it's like a giant sheet of wet toilet paper. As it dries from being wet it gets gummy and then firm but tacky. The problem is that you have to deal with it wet when they are at their worst. They only take a minute or two to get the right softness so at least they have that going for them. You want to soak them one at a time and use them right away. If you soak a stack of them then they will stick together and tear when you try to peel them apart. If you soak and then dry them then you won't be able to get them to roll correctly.

Here's what you do: Fill a pan or plate partially with water. It needs to be big enough to soak the whole sheet of paper at once. Then lay the paper in the water and push it down so it gets fully submerged. Leave it for five or so seconds. It will come out somewhat stiff and slippery. Lay it down on a surface large enough for it to lay flat. A slightly damp towel over the surface is helpful because it will let you lift up the edges of the paper. After 1-2 minutes the paper will go limp and transparent. You can leave the paper in the water until it gets to this consistency but then it is much harder to get it to lay flat and not wrinkle or stick to itself. Once transparent you will stuff and roll.

Making a roll is pretty much the same as rolling a burrito. You don't want to overstuff it because it will cause the paper to burst. You don't want to understuff it and only taste rice paper on the ends. Half a cup of your cabbage mixture is usually sufficient but if you like a plumper roll try getting closer to 3/4 cup. You want to place the filling in the middle towards the bottom. Think about the rice paper like a big yellow smiley face. You want to place the filling on the rice paper like you're trying to rest it on top of the crescent of the smile.

The filling should span the width of the roll but not the width of the rice paper. Have about 1.5 inches on each side. Then roll the bottom of the rice paper (where the smile is) over your filling and gently squeeze in the filling so it forms a uniform shape. Then fold in the sides up to the sides of the filling so the paper has a rectangle-like shape. (Don't tuck in the top.) Then roll forward until the entire rice paper has been rolled. Set it aside on a clean, slightly damp surface (like another towel) and do not let it touch another roll. As the rice paper dries it will get sticky and seal the roll closed. If it's touching another roll they will glue together and you'll likely tear one or both getting them apart.


You will probably have a few screw ups. Everybody does. It's okay. It will still taste good. Just keep making rolls and adjusting your technique. Eventually you will make them perfectly each time.

This recipe omits any meat. You can easily add meat to the filling such as shrimp or various ground or shredded meat. Play around with the herbs if you add meat. Mint doesn't always work with all proteins.

Spring rolls are typically served with one or more sauces. Peanut sauces are great as are garlic-chile paste-based sauces. These sauces can make the spring rolls less healthy so choice accordingly.

Spring Rolls with Thai Basil

Servings: 12 rolls
Prep time: Up to 1 hour
Cook time: None

Equipment:

• Knife and cutting board
• Mixing spoons and bowls
• Grater (or grater attachment for a food processor)
• Large pan
• Two clean towels
• Small saucepan with lid 
• Strainer (optional)
• Mortar and pestle (optional)

Ingredients:

• 12 rice paper wrappers
• 4 oz. vermacelli noodles
• Juice from 4 limes
• Ground pepper
• 2 carrots
• 4 cups napa cabbage (approximately 1 head)
• 4 green onions
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1/3 cup spearmint
• 1/2 cup thai basil 
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 serrano peppers

Directions:

1. Grate cabbage as explained above. Grate carrots.
2. Finely chop cilantro, mint, basil, serrano and green onions. 
3. Mince garlic.
4. Heat 2 cups water to reach boil.
5. Break or chop vermacelli noodles into 2-4 inch pieces. It does not need to be exact.
6. Once the water is boiling, take off heat and add vermacelli noodles. Let rest for two minutes and then use the lid (or a strainer) to strain out the water.
7. In a large bowl combine carrot, cabbage, cilantro, mint, basil, noodles.
8. In small bowl (or mortar) combine lime juice, serranos, garlic, 1/2 tsp ground pepper and sugar. Use blunt end of a kitchen utensil (or pestle) to mash the ingredients into a paste. 
9. Add paste to large bowl of other ingredients and mix well.
10. Add water to pan for rice paper.
11. Submerge rice paper individually into water and remove as explained above.
12. Add filling and roll as explained above.

Not Healthy: Simple Greek-style Baked Fries Recipe

Today's post is an easy baked french fry recipe with a Greek spin. It's simple recipe and works well with all sorts of dishes. They are flavorful enough to hold up to a unique burger but no so overwhelming that they will clash against bold flavors.

Simple Greek-style Baked Fries Recipe

Servings: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

Equipment:

• Kitchen utensils
• Knife and cutting board
• Oven
• Baking sheet
• Foil (optional)

Ingredients:

• 1 russet potato
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 2/3 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano 
• Dash of pepper and salt
• 2/3 tsp diced garlic
• Cooking spray 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cut potato into wedges.
3. Combine potato with all other ingredients except cooking spray.
4. (Optional) Line baking sheet with foil.
5. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Spread out potatoes on baking sheet.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. 

Thai food for people allergic to coconut

NOTE: I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. This information should not be treated as medical advice. I don't know your particular allergic conditions or the severity of your allergy. You should use this information as an opportunity to explore the issue with your allergist or other qualified medical professional.

I really enjoy Thai food. It's a blend of so many things I love to eat. Unfortunately, it's also full of coconut. I love the taste of coconut but my body hates it. I have a severe allergy to it. It's not quite peanut allergy bad but if I eat a chunk of raw coconut my throat gets incredibly itchy and starts to close. For me any kind of raw coconut is asking for trouble but the flesh is the worst. That means a lot of Thai food, German chocolate cake and all sorts of other coconut desserts are not an option for me. For a long time I feared any coconut would risk death so when I made Thai dishes I had to substitute out the coconut cream and coconut milk for other products. One time I tried making a curry with coconut milk and as it turns out I can eat food with cooked coconut milk or cream. I've tried cooked coconut flesh (like coconut flakes or grated coconut) and can handle it in very small amounts without a problem. However, some people may have an allergy that isn't abated by cooking the coconut so these are some options to consider.

Coconut adds body, sweetness, fat and aromatics to Thai food in a way that is hard to truly replicate but it's not an ingredient that can be completely omitted from most recipes. In my opinion unsweetened soy milk is as close as you can get to coconut milk in terms of adding body and fat to the recipe. It lacks the subtle sweetness and aromatics of coconut milk but it will at least get you to the right texture which I think is truly important for a curry. If you also have a soy allergy then you might try an unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk but I think the nutty flavor is too assertive. Cow milk could be an option but you would probably have to boil it down to get it to a thicker consistency. It's absolutely the wrong flavor so I would not use cow milk unless I absolutely had to.

Coconut cream is also used in Thai food in a way that magnifies the coconut character in the dish. It is sweeter, fattier and more intensely aromatic than coconut milk. That makes it tough to replicate with a substitute. The closest option is probably slowly simmered down sweetened soy milk. You might even need to add some sugar to match the sweetness of coconut cream. Some people suggest using condensed cow milk, which is sweetened, which gets the right consistency and sweetness but is even more distant from the coconut cream in terms of flavor.

Personally I do not think there is a great substitute for coconut cream and if the recipe calls for a small amount I might just omit it rather than introduce an unwelcome flavor. Otherwise I would opt for cooking down sweetened soy milk. Fortunately there are a lot of Americanized recipes that do not contain coconut cream so if you can't find a good substitute for a recipe calling for coconut cream then maybe look at a different recipe that only uses coconut milk (far easier to find in American grocery stores) might be a better option. If you need to use coconut cream then how it works in the recipe would guide my preference for a substitute. For coconut cream in a curry paste I would opt for either condensed cow milk or simmered down sweetened soy milk. If it is used as a singular component in a curry or other dish then I would definitely opt for simmered down sweetened soy milk because it's as close to the right flavor as it gets. Condensed milk is fine where it is used mostly as a thickener and sweetener in a small amount, such as a curry paste, but cow milk flavor just doesn't belong in Thai food.

Coconut flesh is the toughest substitute because it is a solid food with a particular texture and flavor. It's sweet but not as sweet or fatty as coconut cream. Flavor-wise the closest is coconut milk but it's going to miss the texture and may need to be reduced to avoid adding additional liquid. Coconut milk is roughly five times as much volume (due to the liquid) as grated coconut and I would adjust the recipe to account for the flavor added by the coconut flesh to an equivalent amount of coconut milk and reduce the coconut milk to avoid the excess liquid. If you feel like you need the texture of coconut some options for you are to soak a solid ingredient in coconut milk (or maybe reduced coconut milk) to convert the flavor. Puffed rice or shaved almonds would be good options. I've seen various other suggestions, including well-rinsed sauerkraut, but I'd opt for the rice or almonds myself. If the coconut flesh is going uncooked then I would have to omit it myself but you could make some substitutions based on your own allergy.

The big problem with all of these substitutes is that they lack the aromatics of coconut. Some people have suggested using coconut extracts or artificial flavors to add the coconut flavor. Coconut extracts made from actual coconut provides no help for a coconut allergy because it's likely to produce the same allergic response. It is, after all, still coconut. Artificial coconut flavors might work for uncooked options but often artificial flavorings for fruits and nuts break down into less than ideal flavors when cooked, especially at high heat like a stir fry or curry. It is worth a try if you just can't settle for a substitute that lacks the flavor of coconut and cannot consume coconut even when cooked.

If you have some other ideas on great coconut substitutes that worked for you then feel free to add a comment and let me know what worked for you. I'm still searching for the perfect substitute to enjoy German chocolate cake.

Healthy: Pan fried rainbow trout with crispy skin

Growing up most of my fish consumption came in the way of burnt fish sticks. Not just fish sticks, which are bad enough, but fish sticks baked in the oven past their prime so they were hard and dry. Disgusting. I still harass my parents about it. One time when I was nine we visited my grandparents in New Mexico and my grandfather took us out fishing in the middle of a lake where we caught some rainbow trout. Some of it came home with us where my dad fried it up for us. It was one of the few times we ate fresh fish. It was wondrous. It was a really nice memory of grandparents and I think about it every time I see rainbow trout.

I enjoy rainbow trout although it's not always easy to find. It works well with a number of sides and it's a fairly lean fish so it is a good option for a healthy diet. It's also easy to cook and holds up to everything from frying to baking to grilling. My favorite way is pan fried with the skin crisped with a little oil. It's such an easy way to cook the fish but pan fried fish with crispy skin always looks like it took impressive skill. It's actually not that hard to do as long as you can commit yourself to not messing with the fish while it cooks. All you need to do is put the fish down and flip it once. Then it's done. I like rainbow trout with just a little salt and pepper but you can be adventurous with it and play with different herbs and spices.

When you buy rainbow trout it may or may not have been descaled. Personally I like to descale the trout if it hasn't been descaled ahead of time but the scales on trout are not so unpleasant that it is an absolute necessity. It's not impossible to eat like salmon scales but I think it makes the texture of the skin more enjoyable.

Pan Fried Rainbow Trout with Crispy Skin

Serving size: 4
Prep time: 5-10 minutes (30 minutes if trout needs to warm to room temperature)
Cook time 4-5 minutes

Equipment:

• Cutting board and knife
• Pan
• Fish slice or spatula
• Stovetop

Ingredients:

• 4 rainbow trout fillets
• salt
• pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Use a sharp knife to descale the fillets (optional) by holding up the fillet by the tail end and running the knife down the fillet at a 25 degree angle. Rinse.
2. Let trout come to room temperature
3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan over medium-high heat.
4. Pat trout fillets dry and rub skin side of fillets with a light coating of olive oil.
5. Place trout skin side down in pan. Gently slide the fillet in the pan to make sure it isn't sticking.
6. Season with salt and peper.
7. Leave fillet alone for 3 minutes, 4 if the fillet is thick.
8. Flip over and fry for an additional minute. 
9. Remove and serve.

Healthy: Cauliflower Tots

One of the tough things for me about eating a cleaner diet is that I have to give up rice and potatoes completely. It makes me sad because those are two of my favorite things to eat. I like the taste and I like the texture. The next best thing is gently boiled cauliflower, which has a slightly starchy flavor and a similar density but with a fraction of the carbohydrate load. That has inspired many people to create recipes that emulate rice and potatoes using cauliflower, such as this cauliflower tots recipe inspired by this post. These cauliflower tots are not terribly far off from potato-based tots, especially with a little ketchup. Without the ketchup they are plenty tasty but the cauliflower taste is more identifiable. These tots are about 25 calories apiece so it's not too bad when you are feeling that need for something that reminds your stomach of a less healthy meal.

This recipe is fairly easy to make, especially with a couple process alterations I made to the original recipe. The toughest part is the time involved chopping down the cauliflower to small pieces so it has that tater tot texture. You might feel inclined to implement a food processor or similar device to help along the way. The problem with that approach is that cauliflower will quickly turn into a puree in a food processor (which is another great way to use cauliflower instead of potatoes) and you won't be able to chop the cauliflower down to the right size without pureeing some of it along the way. If your food processor has a grater attachment then that might work.

You can play with the ingredients to create interesting flavors. A little jalapeno or cayenne pepper powder could add a spicy dimension. You can add seasoning to go different directions. You can also play around with the cheese. You could abandon the cheese for a healthier avenue but I think you need that cheese for binding and flavor. A mild cheese works in this recipe but a more aggressive cheese like sharp cheddar could promote a cheesier flavor if  you want that.

Healthy Cauliflower Tots Recipe

Servings: 4 (of 6 tots)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

Equipment:

• Kitchen utensils, measuring cups 
• Large mixing bowl
• Knife and cutting board
• Baking pan
• Foil (optional)
• Medium sauce pan with lid
• Steamer basket (optional)
• Stove and oven
• Piping bag or freezer bag (and scissors)
• Grater

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup egg beaters (may need additional 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup white onion
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1/2 cup of Colby or other mild orange cheese
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• Salt and peper
• Cooking spray
• Water

Directions:

1. Add 1/4 inch of water to the sauce pan and heat over high heat until boiling. If you have a steamer basket, place it in the sauce pan. 
2. If the cauliflower is a full head then chop the cauliflower head into quarters so it will fit in your sauce pan.
3. Once the water is boiling add the cauliflower and steam for 5 minutes. You want the cauliflower to be tender and moist but not mushy. While the cauliflower is steaming, chop the onion and grate the cheese using the large holes on the grater.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F.
5. Drain the cauliflower and return to cutting board. Chop cauliflower into fine pieces. The closer you are willing to get to rice-sized pieces the better you will emulate the texture of potato in a tot.
6. Combine the cauliflower, 1/4 cup of egg beaters, onion, garlic, parsley, cheese, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper (to taste) in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. If the mixture is not binding well then add up to an additional 1/4 cup of egg beaters until the mixture binds together.
7. Line a baking sheet with foil if desired. Spray the baking sheet with cooking spray.
8. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or freezer bag. If using a freezer bag you will need to cut off one bottom corner of the bag to pipe the mixture. Cut the corner so it creates a hole approximately the diameter of a quarter coin. 
9. Pipe the mixture into tots on the baking sheet. They should be approximately two inches long. 
10. Once the oven is preheated place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. You may turn them after 15 minutes to ensure crispy exterior on all sides.

Healthy: Moist Baked Chicken Breasts

Chicken breasts are a staple protein source for healthy diets (at least non-vegetarian diets) for their high protein and low fat content and versatility in almost any cuisine. The problem, however, is that chicken breasts are merciless when it comes to cooking them. The second the moisture cooks out they will turn dry and develop that dry, stringy texture that has to be gnawed on for hours. The easiest way to cook chicken without overcooking it into that awful texture is to add fat. Fat will regulate the temperature and keep the meat moist. Unfortunately you can't cook the chicken in fat and then magically remove it from the plate. At least some of that fat is coming with the chicken.

The trick to cooking a moist chicken breast without adding a lot of fat by way of oil or cream is to bake or grill it really fast and really hot. Most oven baked chicken breast recipes call for a long bake at a lower temperature but even pulling the chicken at 165F and letting it rest results in drier chicken than a shorter but hotter bake. Pan frying chicken breasts might be the higher cuisine technique but it's going to require more fat (oil or butter or both). Baking chicken gives up the nice sear and added flavor but it's also a cleaner recipe and you can season the chicken to make up for it. This recipe omits the seasoning and leaves it up to you to decide what you want to add. The chicken that comes out will be moist and actually have some flavor so you don't need to overwhelm it with sauces or breading to make it taste like something.

Healthy Moist Baked Chicken Breasts

Servings: As many as you want
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: Up to 35 minutes

Equipment:

• Knife and cutting board
• Baking sheet
• Foil (optional) 
• Oven
• Kitchen utensils

Ingredients:

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Cooking spray (or oil)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. While the oven is heating, trim the chicken breasts to discard fat, skin and other unwanted trimmings.
3. Season chicken as desired.
4. Cover baking sheet with foil if desired.
5. Spray foil/baking sheet with cooking spray or coat with a thin layer of oil.
6. Place chicken breasts on sheet and place in oven.
7. Bake 15 minutes and then turn breasts over. Place back in oven for 10 minutes.
8. Check temperature. Should be 165F.
9. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Suggestion: Cook time will depend upon the size of the breasts. For the large 10-12 ounce breasts I buy at the store 25 minutes is usually enough time in the oven. For smaller chicken breasts in the 8 ounce range (more common for organic and free range chicken breasts) you probably only need 10 minutes on each side.

Healthy: Thai Broiled Chicken Breasts with Cilantro Sauce

Thai food isn't always the easiest to eat on a clean diet between the use of salt-laden fish sauce and fat-rich coconut. However, Thai cuisine includes grilled meats that cuts down the abundance of either in favor of a lean cut of meat that can be garnished with a reasonably healthy sauce. This recipe puts chicken breasts together with a flavorful sauce that is easy to cook but packs big flavor. If you end up with excess sauce after eating all the chicken it works well as a salad dressing.

Healthy Thai Broiled Chicken Breasts with Cilantro Sauce

Servings: 4
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 15 minutes

Equipment:

• Mixing bowls
• Cutting board and knife
• Food processor or blender
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Baking pan
• Meat tenderizer
• Small saucepan

Ingredients:

• 1 serrano pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp cilantro
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil (or use 1/2 tsp sesame seeds plus 1/2 tsp oil)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp water
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Chop cilantro and keep portions divided.  Mince 2 cloves of garlic. Remove tops of peppers.
2. Add 1/2 cup cilantro, 2 unminced garlic cloves, peppers, fish sauce, olive oil, sesame oil and 1/4 tsp salt to food processor or blender and puree to a smooth texture. 
3. Lightly pound chicken breasts so the breasts are an even thickness.
4. Combine chicken breasts and puree and coat chicken breasts. Let marinade in the fridge for one hour.
5. Heat boiler 10-15 minutes before the hour of marinating chicken breasts has ended. 
6. While oven is warming, heat a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add vinegar, sugar and remaining salt and bring to a simmer. 
7. Transfer liquid to small bowl and add minced garlic, 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro, red pepper flakes and water. Mix well and set aside.
8. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and place chicken breasts on sheet. 
9. Broil for 5 minutes. Turn and broil 5 more minutes or until cooked through.
10. Serve with dipping sauce.

Healthy: Greek-Style Pork Chops

When I was growing up eating pork meant eating pork chops coated with Shake and Bake and overcooked into a dry and crumbly mess. Needless to say, I didn't have a good impression of pork. It wasn't until my mid-twenties before I was offered a pork chop free from Shake and Bake and to my surprise, flavorful and juicy. Since that experience I have tried to overcome my mental impression of pork as those dried and flavorless frisbees I was served as a kid. This recipe is among the handful of recipes that have helped me break into the world of eating pork, even to the dismay of Muslim friends.

Pork is a great protein option for healthy eating. Sure, there are fatty cuts but like pork chops and tenderloin, many cuts are as lean as chicken and turkey breasts. Like chicken breasts, it is brutally unforgiving without fat or bone to help retain moisture. Thin, boneless chop cuts--the kind used in this recipe--must be cooked like chicken breasts: fast and at high heat to keep the moisture on the inside but hit the safe temperature for consumption.

This recipe loads up vegetables and a moderate amount of fat around a flavorful but lean pork chop. It's a great healthy recipe because it's low on carbs but filling. You could eat pita bread or another carb source with it but I like to load up the vegetables with this meal for an extremely lean but filling meal. You may find the volume of vegetables too much. If you do, just cut back proportionally.

Healthy Greek-Style Pork Chops

Servings: 4 (approximately 240 calories per serving)
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 10 minutes

Equipment:

• Mixing bowls, cups and spoons
• Large ziplock bag
• Knife and cutting board
• Skillet or grill pan
• Tongs
• Tupperware
• Fork

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless pork chops
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp fresh dill
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cucumber
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Mix 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic, 1 tsp olive oil and pork in a ziplock bag. Shake bag to ensure good coating of the marinade on the pork. Let rest for one hour.
2. Meanwhile, chop onion, tomatoes and cucumber. Mix together. Add 1/2 tsp salt. Store in tupperware.
3. Chop dill. Mix dill with remaining 1 tsp red wine vinegar, yogurt and 1 tsp olive oil in a small container with a fork until well mixed. Taste. Adjust flavor if necessary.
4. Once pork has marinated, heat a skillet or grill pan on medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray.
5. Cook pork for 4 minutes. Flip and cook for 3-4 additional minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for two minutes.
6. Serve each pork chop with 1/4 yogurt mixture and 1/4 vegetable mixture.

Healthy: Chicken Tagine Recipe with Green Olives and Lemon Preserves

Admittedly I am in no way an expert in Moroccan food. I've had a little of it and really enjoyed it which sent me down the path of searching for a great chicken tagine recipe. I came across many recipes proclaiming to be authentic but most lacked the complexity that I've found in dishes served in restaurants. It was frustrating because Moroccan food largely relies on ingredients easily accessible to American grocery stores thanks to its proximity to Europe but the recipes capturing Moroccan flavors are tough to find. I finally settled on this recipe that I borrowed from a cookbook although unfortunately I don't have the cookbook or know what it is called. I should have bought it when I had the chance. At any rate, this is as close as I have found to a really solid tagine recipe.

Although I am not an expert in Moroccan cuisine it does share in many of the same techniques employed in other non-Westernized cuisines that I have more familiarity with, such as Indian and Thai. However, Moroccan food has its own distinct flavor profiles that blends southern European, middle eastern and African influences together. Discounting the heavy use of coconut in Thai food, no other cuisine so effectively uses sweet fruit in combination with meat. Chicken tagine is hardly chicken tagine without lemon although it is easy to find recipes with apricot, prunes, dates and other dried fruits. This recipe omits dried fruit but you could easily add dried apricot for a satisfying sweetness.

The great thing about this recipe is that all of the ingredients are easily accessible at most grocery stores without the need to track down an African grocer except for one. To make a legitimate chicken tagine you need preserved lemons. You can make preserved lemons easily at home (and here is my recipe) or you can buy them at a specialty grocer. It does make a difference. The flavor of preserved lemons is different from fresh lemon or lemon juice.

Another note on the ingredients is about the green olives. When you buy green olives you do not want to buy the pimento-stuffed variety. Instead, look for whole or pitted (but unstuffed) green olives. I find both in the Latin American section of my local grocery stores. Removing the pit from green olives is a messy pain if you lack an olive pitter but sometimes it's the only way to find green olives free from the pimento.

Otherwise this recipe is fairly simple to make although it takes time to come together. It is absolutely worth it. Although you can eat tagine with rice it is a stew and not meant to be served over rice. Instead it should be served with flat bread.

Chicken Tagine Recipe with Green Olives and Lemon Preserves

Servings: 4-6
Prep time: 2 hours
Cook time: 50 minutes

Equipment:

• Stove
• Cutting board and knife
• Large dutch oven, stock pot, or tagine
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Large bowl
• Blender or food processor

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 preserved lemon
• 2 medium white onions
• 1 small chile pepper 
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup and 2 tbsp cilantro
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley (or 1 tbsp dried)
• 1/2 tsp saffron
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 lb. chicken (your choice of cuts--breast for healthier option, thighs for less healthy)
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 2 medium white potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup green olives

Directions:

1. Prep ingredients: chop garlic, ginger, onions, chile, cilantro, parsley, tomatoes and potatoes, keeping all separate. Divide out 2 tbsp of cilantro from the remaining cup. Soak the saffron in 1/2 cup hot water. Coarsely chop 1/2 preserved lemon, removing the flesh (keeping the rind). Chop chicken into bite sized pieces. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, 1/2 preserved lemon, 1 onion, chile, paprika, cumin, salt, 2 tbsp cilantro, parsley, saffron (with water), olive oil and bay leaves to food processor or blender. Process until well blended.
3. Combine the marinade and chicken and let sit for 1-1.5 hours. During the last half hour soak the green olives in water to remove the brine flavor. Discard the water.
4. Heat dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add remaining onion, tomato and potato. Scoop out 2-3 large scoops of the marinade and add to the dutch oven/pot. Add 1 cup water and toss to combine. Let cook for five minutes. 
5. While the tagine is starting to cook, dice the remaining preserved lemon, removing the flesh in the process. 
6. Add the chicken with the rest of the marinade to the tagine. Top with remaining cilantro, olives and preserved lemon.
7. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 50 minutes.

Not Healthy: White Gravy Recipe

White gravy is a staple of southern cooking where it is served with or on various other staples of southern cooking such as flaky biscuits, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and in some people's eyes, anything else. It is a simple recipe although surprisingly you can find bad representations that taste to milky, too floury, too salty or worst of all, burnt. I've been served bad gravy in Texas a few times too many.

White gravy is essentially the same thing as bechamel sauce although southern versions deemed white gravy or cream gravy differ from bechamel one way or another. Bechamel is always made with butter as a source of fat although white gravy is classically made with meat pan drippings instead of butter. You will notice that this recipe uses butter. If you have pan drippings available for your white gravy then I would encourage you to go that route but use 2/3 as much pan drippings as butter. It's easier to get that pasty white color with butter but a far better flavor for white gravy out of pan drippings. Another key difference in bechamel and white gravy is that bechamel is often seasoned with nutmeg while I would be surprised if you could find any southern white gravy recipes containing even a single fleck of nutmeg. Instead, white gravy judiciously uses black pepper for a clearly peppery flavor. The good news is that if you know how to make bechamel then you already know how to make white gravy. But let's say you don't know how to make bechamel or white gravy. It's really not that hard as long as you pay attention to a few details.

The beginning of white gravy is making a white roux. Roux is wheat flour and fat mixed together under low heat. Low heat is important and constantly stirring the roux will help avoid the dreaded scorch. Personally I prefer to use a small whisk even if the roux tends to form a ball within the whisk. (Burnt roux makes for a terrible anything.) For a white gravy you don't need to cook down the roux to a darker color although I like to get just a little toasting on the roux to the color of browned butter (butter that has melted and just started to brown). Don't let the butter (or pan drippings) brown before mixing in the flour. Just get it liquid and start mixing. This is the only tough part of making white gravy or a decent roux.

White gravy is all about consistency. You don't want a milky soup nor do you want a thick cream that hangs like a lump on your spoon. Instead you want to capture that perfect density without scorching the gravy. This is accomplished, just like the roux, by continuous stirring and low heat. It takes longer to develop the gravy at a lower temperature but it's worth not scorching the gravy. Burnt gravy is unpleasant. At the right consistency the floury taste from the roux goes away along with the raw milk taste. That's your goal.

One last caveat is to be careful about the salt. The roux will be a little salty from the butter or if you use pan drippings it may already be quite salty. As you cook down the gravy you will concentrate the saltiness. There is no way to take back salt from a gravy so you have to be really careful about adding too much. It's easier to add the right amount once you hit the right consistency. I like a very peppery gravy but like salt the pepper concentrates with everything else in the gravy so it is easy to add most of the pepper right before serving.

People disagree on the right milk or cream to use in a gravy. Personally I do not fear using skim milk or 1% milk but a true southern white gravy is more likely to use full fat milk if not a little cream. Go with what you like.

White Gravy Recipe

Servings: Varies
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Equipment:

• Small saucepan
• Small whisk or fork
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Stovetop

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 4 tbsp white flour
• 4 tbsp of butter (or 2 2/3 tbsp pan drippings)
• Salt and pepper 

Directions:

1. Bring milk out of fridge and all it to start to warm to room temperature. 
2. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. 
3. As soon as the butter is melted add all the flour at once and stir until it forms a paste. You may keep the roux heating until it reaches a golden brown color but you must continue stirring it.
4. Add 1 cup of milk and stir into the roux until the roux starts to dissolve into the milk. Continue adding the milk by 1/2 cups and mixing until the full volume of milk has been added.
5. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and increase temperature to medium-low until gravy starts to steam but do not let boil. If it starts to approach boil then turn the temperature down.
6. Stir continuously as the gravy simmers down to the right consistency. Reduce heat to warm. Once you are happy with the consistency then taste and add salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Book Review: Eggs for Breakfast by Donna Leahy

I received an advance copy of Eggs for Breakfast: Delicious, Healthy Recipes to Jump-Start Your Day by Donna Leahy. You can tell from the title this is a book about eggs for breakfast. It doesn't disappoint. Donna Leahy is a chef who formerly owned a county inn where she also ran the kitchen. So one hopes if you're stuck at a small hotel in the middle of nowhere that you can at least get a decent breakfast. Most people think of eggs as either a boring pile of rubbery protein or a runny goo of protein slid on top of some other protein or carb. As Chef Leahy explains, eggs are cheap and versatile and do not deserve such a bad wrap. The book explores eggs as a breakfast item from the simple boiled egg or scrambled egg to more integrated dishes in which the eggs remain a key element. The recipes are mostly easy to prepare with ingredients readily available at most supermarkets.

The book is broken up into sections based upon the technique and companion ingredients. The book starts with a section on basic egg cooking techniques that are reused throughout the book but can be put to use for a simple egg. The book's next section discusses classic egg dishes like eggs benedict, French omelets and eggs in a basket. The next section turns to what is labeled "simply eggs" which mostly includes eggs mixed with vegetables and/or cheese to produce a wide range of both expected and unexpected dishes. Next comes eggs with meat and then eggs with seafood. These sections include a wide range of dishes across cuisines that range from the expected egg dishes like frittatas and souffles to less expected dishes like lentils with prosciutto and eggs or asparagus and sweet onion tart. The book wraps up with a catchall section of recipes for companion ingredients that include baked goods, sausages and sauces. Overall the recipes are extensive and could easily satisfy breakfast or brunch crowds at home.

I like the book and I expect to try my hand at a number of recipes in the book but I had a couple criticisms about it. First, I disliked the way some of the recipes were written. Sometimes the instructions were bunched into paragraphs that had to be dissected because there are several steps of the process in single paragraphs. This is uneven through the book so some recipes are harder to read than others. I would probably find myself rewriting the recipes so I'm not hunting around in blocks of text for the next step. Second, I really disagree about the book's label "Healthy" for these recipes. These are generally not recipes I consider healthy. There's heavy cream, loads of cheese, whole milk, potatoes and loads of carbs across most of the recipes. Some of the recipes are very healthy but most of these recipes do not count as healthy for the average health-conscious home cook. I would have liked to have seen more healthy recipes in the book but these recipes will make for some nice cheat breakfasts. Overall I think the book is good value at it's current ebook price ($6.99) and offers up plenty of recipes to win over your family on breakfast that isn't made up of doughnuts or Lucky Charms.

Healthy: Apple Cider Slaw

I know the last recipe posted was another cole slaw recipe but what can I say, I like a good slaw. It's a nice way to get vegetables on the plate with some good flavors and some crunch without eating another pile of raw vegetables. It works well as a side dish or mixed in with a protein or a sandwich. They can range from heavy and sweet to acidic and light. Overall, I find slaws don't get the love they should.

Today's slaw recipe is another recipe on the healthy side without the use of mayo or copious amounts of sugar. It's a light recipe that pairs well with summer dishes. It clocks in at approximately 100 calories per serving but you may find my rendition is a little too acidic for your preferences. If so, feel free to add more sugar. The original recipe that this came from used 1/3 cup of sugar and quotes 130 calories per serving but I like it with a little less sugar. This recipe is best consumed fresh as the apple will lose some of its crispness over time but you can prepare this slaw and eat it over the next few days.

Healthy Apple Cider Slaw

Servings: 16
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: None

Equipment:

• Knife and cutting board
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Grater 
• Large mixing bowl and large spoon
• Small mixing bowl
• Whisk

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head of cabbage (or 1/2 head each of red and green cabbage)
• 2 apples
• 2 large cucumbers
• 1 medium onion
• 1 15 1/4 oz. can of whole kernel corn
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Chop onion, cucumbers and apples.
2. Shred cabbage, leaving behind the stem.
3. Whisk together olive oil, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper in small mixing bowl.
4. Mix cabbage, apples, cucumbers, onion and corn in large mixing bowl. Drizzle sauce into large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. If you find the recipe too acidic then add more sugar. If you find the recipe too dry then add more olive oil (up to another 1/6 cup).