Veggie Paella

Paella in the making!

Quick, easy and delicious! Paella is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its modern form on the east coast of Spain.
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 ounces seitan strips (vegetarian "white meat")*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups butternut squash cubes (frozen)
1 cup yellow squash (1 medium)
1 cup zucchini (1 medium)
1 cup carrots, chopped (2-3 carrots)
1 cup asparagus, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 can diced tomatoes (14-ounce)
2 cups green beans (frozen)
1/8 teaspoon all-spice
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

*Or substitute 8-ounces of chicken sausage!

Directions:
1. In a large pot or skillet heat oil and add seitan, garlic and garlic powder.
2. Add butternut squash, yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, asparagus, peas, tomatoes, all-spice and paprika. Simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add rice and vegetable broth and cook for 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
4. Season to taste and serve!

Strawberry and Mango Juice Smoothie Recipe!

This is a cooling and refreshing drink/smoothie to make during a hot summer's day or under humid weather.


What you will need:   
A cup of frozen strawberries
A mango
1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt and 100ml pineapple juice
A cup of crushed Ice

Method
1. Rinse and peel the mango, discard the pit and cut into slices.
2. Rinse the strawberries, remove the leaves and caps and cut into halves
3. Put frozen strawberries, mango slices, yoghurt, pineapple juice and crushed ice into blender and blend till smooth
4. Pour mixture in glass and serve.

Benefits:
Strawberries are a high source of vitamin C which helps beautify our complexion. It also helps protect our body from common illnesses such as flu and influenza. Strawberries keep our gums strong and prevent gum bleeding as well.

Mangoes are rich in vitamin A, which improves our eyesight and beautifies our complexion. It also contains potassium which strengthens our muscles and improves our nervous system. Mangoes also contain a host of other minerals that prevent the hardening of arteries so that our blood pressure won't increase.

Yoghurt, it is a good source of calcium and vitamin D, which are both necessary for maintaining healthy bones. They also contain probiotics which are good for our intestine lining and digestion.




Tips:
Strawberries are fragile fruits and should be handled with care as the y bruise easily. Choose strawberries that are firm, shiny and brightly coloured. They should have an intact bright green cap with fresh green leaves as well.

As strawberries have thin surfaces, they tend to lose moisture to surroundings easily. I suggest placing strawberries in an air tight container while storing them in the refrigerator to minimize contact with surrounding air so they remain fresher for a longer period.

Choose mangoes with a yellowish orange peel with brownish spots on it. The mango should also be smooth and firm as you touch it to ensure it is ripe and fresh.
Remember that mangoes have a short shelf life and should be stored in room temperatures so that it can remain fresh longer.

Take note:
 Frequent consumption of fruits that are high in potassium such as mangoes (including bananas) may lead to excessive potassium in the body. Therefore, our kidneys will need to remove these excess potassium from our body. People with weak kidneys should try avoid consuming fruits or juices that have high potassium content so as not to put strain on their kidneys
Enjoy and take care!

Antioxidant Monsters

Today I celebrated National Nutrition Month with 4-year olds, making antioxidant rich monsters: cookie monster, elmo, and oscar! The photos were made by little hands. Below are the instructions so you can make your own fun monsters out of fruit and vegetables!

While they were making the snacks, we talking about the health benefits from colorful fruits and vegetables:

Red: lycopene, helps the heart!

Orange/ Yellow: beta-carotene, help the eyes!

Green: colored by chlorphyll, broccoli has indoles which prevent certain types of cancer!

Blue/Purple: Anthocyanins, help promote memory!


Cookie Monster
For the face: Blueberries
For the mouth: Blackberries
For the eyes: Two small cups with vanilla yogurt and a blueberry for the center

Elmo
For the face: Watermelon
For the nose: Cantaloupe
For the mouth: Blackberries
For the eyes: Two small cups with vanilla yogurt and a blueberry for the center


Oscar the Grouch
For the face: Broccoli
For the mouth: Sliced black olives (pits removed)
For the eyebrows: Yellow and red pepper strips
For the eyes: Two small cups with ranch dressing and an olive for the center


Then after the snacks were made all of the little ones snacked! YUM!

My Favorite Fruit: Mango

If I had to choose a favorite fruit, it would be mango! It is absolutely declicious and full of flavor.

Mango selection tips: If the mango feels a little bit soft to the touch, it's just right! If it the mango feels firm, then you will have to wait a few days for it to ripen.

How to prepare a mango: First wash the mango. Then carefully slice the two 'cheeks' off from the fruit (pictured to the right). Next slice the fruit into strips, with the peel. Then take a teaspoon and slip the peel away from the fruit and serve in long strips or cube into bitesize pieces.

For a time saving tip: Look for bags of frozen mango, which are perfect to adding to smoothies, salsas, or yogurt.

Click here to try my yummy mango smoothie recipe! A perfect start to the day.

Oscars Party Planning

Are you hosting or going to an Oscars party? Here are some simple party planning strategies.

1. Strategically place light party foods throughout the house like: fruit platters, shrimp cocktail, air popped popcorn, trail mix.
2. Put away the candy dishes. One ounce of m & m's has 140 calories, mindless snacking from candy dishes can pile up the calories in a hurry!
3. Have a 90/10 rule: 90 percent healthy items, 10 percent splurge! This will still allow for plenty of delicious goodies.
4. Lighten-up party heavy weights. For example: instead of chicken wings, make baked chicken fingers and serve with hot sauce, barbecue sauce, or light ranch dressing. And have plenty of sliced carrots and celery on the side for dipping!
5. Try a new recipe! Grab my Wasabi Avocado Dip with Crispy Wonton Chips recipe.

Last but not least, focus more on spending time with your guests and take some of the emphasis off of food!

Cooking with Kids - Try it!

My tip of the day is if you have kids in your life, cook with them! The kitchen can surely get a bit messy but it is totally worth it. Frequently I cook with our three and one year old and we make everything from oatmeal at breakfast to quinoa for dinner. Five of the best parts:
1. You get to spend time with your children.
2. It makes meal preparation more eventful.
3. It will get them excited about the meal.
4. They will be more likely to eat what you make.
5. You can answer 1000+ questions about the foods (e.g. where does oatmeal come from?).

Need a recipe to try? Grab my Grilled Asparagus and Quinoa Salad recipe.

The only downside is more cleanup but get them to help with that too! Share your cooking with your kids story with me via my Web site, click here.

dinner recipe for tonight!

Looking for an idea of what to make for dinner tonight? Check out a delicious Baked Ham, Gorgonzola & Apple Sandwich! My husband is actually the one to credit for this yummy recipe.
You can watch me making it: http://www.olums.com/UserFiles/videos/hamsandwich.mov

For side dishes to go with the sandwich I would suggested baked sweet potato fries and a handful of fresh baby spinach drizzled lightly with balsamic vinegar & extra virgin olive oil.

Let me know if you try the recipe and like it, email me: molly.morgan@gmail.com

mediterreanean holiday entertaining

This weekend I was in Virginia doing a holiday entertaining segment featuring recipes with a Mediterranean Flair for a client of mine, Creta Farms. Check out the Segment in the viewer below or copy & paste this link: http://www.wdbj7.com/global/Category.asp?c=168438&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=4322279&flvUri=&partnerclipid=

quick dinner recipe, perfect for fall

Here is a tasty dinner recipe that is quick and perfect for fall. What you'll need: 1 package soba noodles (Japanese style noodle made of whole wheat and buckwheat), 1 medium butternut squash (baked), 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and prepared garlic sauce. What to do: Prepare the soba noodles per the package instructions. Cube up the baked squash into 1/2 cubes. In a wok add the sesame oil and then cook the squash for about 2 - 3 minutes. Add in the soba noodles (drained) and then add in garlic sauce, to taste. Note, garlic sauce tends to have a kick so be careful how much you add!

Another addition to this dish could be cubed chicken! Just cook the chicken first and then follow the recipe as above.

homemade applesauce

Fall is the perfect time of year (especially if you live in New York State) to make applesauce! Here is my super simple recipe. I just made my first batch today! Can't wait for dinner tonight... yum!

Super Simple Homemade Applesauce

Ingredients:
15 apples
1 cup of water

Directions:
1. Peel most (not all) of the skin from the apples and cube into large pieces.
2. Place the apples with about 1 cup of water in a large pot.
3. Bring the water to a boil and then cover and simmer until apples are tender (about 15 minutes) & until they easily mash just by stirring them.
Ready to enjoy!

NOTICE!! There isn't any need to add sugar. If you feel your sauce needs a flavor boost try a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Tip: If you have a little ones, like me, drop applesauce (once cooled) into ice cube trays. Freeze for a few hours and then break into a storage bag or container. Then in minutes you thaw a few cubes can have applesauce ready to go for a snack or to serve with a meal.

skinny version of mornay sauce

Tonight I made a skinny version of Mornay sauce.This tasty recipe invention is thanks to my husband! He's great at adding new flavors to old recipes. Someday maybe it will be on the menu at his restaurant? The skinny version has less cheese, less butter, than traditional Mornay sauce recipes and I made it with low fat milk. It was YUM! Here's the recipe:

Sun Dried Tomato Mornay Sauce
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups fat free or low fat milk
dash of salt (optional)
1 ounce of grated Parmesan cheese
3 ounces sun dried tomatoes

Directions:
In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter. Once the butter it melted, add the flour and mix well.

Add the milk and whisk. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.

Once it comes to a boil, let it bubble one minute more, so it thickens.

Then stir in the cheese and tomatoes.

Serve over grilled chicken breasts! YUM!

simple drink recipe

Looking for a thirst quenching drink to keep on hand? Try my homemade lemonade recipe that has less sugar than any pre-mixed type and is tasty!

Molly's Homemade Lemonade
Ingredients:
1 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 gallon water

Combine the ingredients in a pitcher and mix until sugar dissolved!

Serving suggestion: Mix 1/2 lemonade with 1/2 unsweetened iced tea. That is my favorite drink actually (and Arnold Palmer's too)!

recipe for dinner tonight

I'm trying a new recipe for dinner tonight! Thought you may want to try it too, check it out:

Mixed Up Cobb Salad
Ingredients: 1 cup of corn, 2 slices of bacon (crispy & broken up), 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese, 1 small red bell pepper diced, 1 avocado into small pieces, and 4 ounces of Creta Farms Turkey Breast (diced into cubes)
Directions: Mix up all the ingredients and serve with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar & extra virgin olive oil over a bed of baby spinach!

tasty meatloaf recipe

Tonight my husband and I made our favorite meatloaf recipe. Try it!

Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef, 1/2 cup shredded carrots, 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion, 1 egg beaten, 1/4 cup beer, 3 tablespoons ground flax seed, 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs (panko preferably)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients together. Press into a 9 X 9" baking dish and bake in a pre-heated oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until it is thoroughly cooked.

Serve with a drizzle of barbecue sauce!

To complete the meal serve with corn on the cob, beets, and green beans!

Simple Soup

It's freezing cold throughout the country! I think it's around zero here tonight! Yikes! Here is a simple soup recipe that will keep you warm:

Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup of milk (low fat or fat free)
1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1. Melt the butter over medium heat, add garlic & saute for one minute. Stir in flour.
2. Add milk. Stirring occasionally, bring the milk to a boil. Once it's boiling, boil one minute more.
3. Stir in the can of crushed tomatoes and heat thoroughly.

Simple as that! enjoy!

Farmer's Market Recipe

This morning I was at a Farmer's Market in my area and was so excited to see how beautiful the fruit and veggies looked! This is the perfect time of year for summer squash & zucchini. Enjoy this simple way to prepare summer squash and zucchini: Wash and slice (about 1/4" thick). Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Grill in a grill basket until tender or saute on the stove in a skillet until tender. Serving suggestion: Serve over a bed of fresh baby spinach. Enjoy!

Tasty Recipe for the Weekend!

This recipe is delicious and simple. Stop at a local farmers market and pickup the ingredients and in just a few minutes you'll have a tasty side dish to enjoy this weekend!

Creamy Tomato Salad
My Grandma's Recipe

Ingredients
2 medium cucumbers
2 medium tomatoes
1 large sweet onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 vinegar (white)
1/4 cup sugar

Directions
1. Wash and slice all the veggies.
2. Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar. Blend with a spoon until mixed well.
3. Pour the dressing over the veggies.
4. Chill and serve.
Note: This even tastes better the second day when all of the flavors combine!

Have a great weekend.