A modified crock pot recipe for honey garlic chicken

A major purpose of this blog is to take common recipes and redo them to cut out salt, fat and sugar. Here’s a perfect example, a recipe for honey garlic crock pot chicken I found on diethood.com.

To start, substitute chicken breasts for the thighs listed to cut fat substantially. Next, instead of soy sauce use Mrs. Dash salt-free teriyaki, or a similar salt-free brand. I’ve tested several, click here to read about them.

The Pandemic has seen many salt-free products disappear from supermarket shlves, so you may ahve to shop online to find any of these right now.

I’m not sure how high the sugar content is from using honey, if you worry about sugar, use less honey.

I’d also substitute a low-salt, low-sugar ketchup for a regular brand.

Here’s the recipe, with my substitutions noted:

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September 30, 2021 1

5 tips to make your lunch salad more than just lettuce

I eat salad for lunch almost daily. That started back in 2012 when a nutritionist told me lettuce was basically all I could eat because of my heart issues. She tossed out five pages of my favorite foods I’d brought to show her as all too high in salt, fat and sugar.

MY salad ingredients and the final product

Eating salad every day can get boring fast, lettuce is little more than water in a green form, after all. So, over the years, I’ve come up with some ways to make my lunch salad more than just lettuce with olive oil and vinegar.

The chief hacks I use:

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September 29, 2021 1

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Pineapple Salsa — Try it Before Winter Hits

If you’re in a northern climate as I am, your outdoor grilling season is slowly coming to a close. So, before it’s too late, try this wonderful mahi mahi recipe on your grill. It was quick to make (the salsa prep takes more time than the fish).

My grilled mahi mahi, served with corn, broccoli and the salsa called for in the recipe.

This recipe comes from Readyseteat.com, a site I hadn’t visited prior to this.

Here are the details:

INGREDIENTS

Grilling Spray

1 can (10 oz each) diced tomatoes & green chilies, drained [Ileft out the chillies]

1-1/4 cups fresh pineapple, diced

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided [leave this out, it’s not needed]

2 tablespoons vegetable oil [use olive oil instead]

4 mahi mahi fillets (about 4 ounces each), thawed if frozen

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September 22, 2021 0

Poached salmon that surprised me with its flavor

I normally don’t like poaching proteins, I find it makes them taste a bit water-logged and bland. So I was pleasantly surprised by this poached salmon recipe I found on Tasteofhome.com.

The recipe is called Chilled Salmon with Cucumber-Dill Sauce and, as the name says, it’s designed to be served chilled, perfect if you want to make it ahead and serve it the next day. The recipe also calls for light sour cream in the sauce, the only kind I use to cut down on my fat consumption.

The ingredients list is long, but its for the salmon and the sauce:

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup white wine or chicken broth
4 green onions, sliced
10 whole peppercorns
4 salmon fillets (5 ounces each)

Dill sauce:
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup chopped peeled cucumber
4-1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill or 1-1/2 teaspoons dill weed
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt (omit the salt)
1/8 teaspoon pepper

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September 18, 2021 0

A quick and easy grilled salmon recipe

*My grilled salmon with lemon, dill, olive oil and garlic.*

We recently had friends over, a rarity during the pandemic but we were all vaccinated, for a Saturday football game at Northwestern and a meal at our house after.

Because they had to leave relatively early, I searched for recipes I could make a day ahead and serve cold. This grilled salmon from wellplated.com was one of the entrees I made and it went over well, so I’d recommend it to you too.

You basically start with slices of lemon and fresh dill on the bottom of a large piece of aluminum foil. Next, baste your salmon with olive oil (the recipe calls for butter, but I substituted the healthier fat in olive oil).

Then top the fish with more lemon, dill and garlic, wrap it all up and grill it for about 14-18 minutes in a 400-degree gas grill (or oven if you’re cooking inside). That’s for a pound and a half or so of salmon.

It is quick, easy and tastes great served cold the next day,

I cooked mine on a cedar plank to add a bit more flavor too. If you try that, be sure to soak the plank in water first or you’ll have burnt wood salmon.

September 17, 2021 0

Some Berry, Berry good advice on storing berries

With summer drawing to a close, fresh berries seem to be everywhere in food outlets these days. You can find them from farmers’ markets to your local supermarket, often on sale at the larger outlets. And if you’re hardy, you may even be picking your won at a local farm.

So here’s a guide to keeping those berries fresh as long as possible from Myrecipes.com.

Some tips surprised me — like don’t wash them all as soon as you get home. Wash them as you use them. And don’t store in air-tight containers or zip-lock bags.

I’m not a berry eater myself, but my wife has them every morning with her Greek yogurt, so I buy them weekly for her. Here are some raspberries I bought today, on salt 2 containers for $3.

September 14, 2021 0

Wondering what to do with your basil? Here are 87 recipes that use the tasty herb

Growing your own herbs is something you can do inside or out, adding a variety of nee flavors to your food so you won’t miss all the alt you don’t eat any longer. We have an indoor herb garden in winter and big pots of basil outside in summer. So I was happy to see this piece in Epicurious, 87 Basil Recipes, Because You Can Only Eat So Much Pesto Pasta.

*Some of the ways I use basil, keeping it simple and delicious.*

The headline appealed to me because I actually don’t like pesto because of the nuts in it, so I’m always looking for other ways to enjoy my basil.

You can see some of my choices in the photo gallery here — basil-topped, thin-crust, low-sodium pizza; basil topped chicken breast with tomato and low-fat mozzarella; and a simple basil and tomato salad.

Let me know your favorites, and which of the 87 you try out.

September 7, 2021 0

As you harvest your garden, here’s how to save your veggies and fruits

This past spring, we doubled the amount of space we devote to growing vegetables at our house. Chalk it up to Covid and looking for joy in small tasks such as raising my own tomatoes and green beans.

*We added a second raised garden for tomatoes and green beans this spring. The harvest is starting to come in! The tomatoes are acherry tomato variety.*

If you’re a food gardener like me, you’re harvesting about now and wondering how to preserve some of your crops. So this piece, How to Preserve Every Type of Summer Fruit and Veggie from Cooking Light magazine should be a big help.

It mainly talks about vegetables. There is a section on melons and watermelon. I’ve never have been able to get those to grow in our northern climate, but if you live somewhere that has the type pf weather they like, this article is for you too.

September 4, 2021 0

Give iceberg lettuce a break — it’s ok to like it

Iceberg lettuce tends to get a bad reputation in foodie circles as not as nutritious and healthy as greener types of lettuce like Romaine. But it still has its benefits and so shouldn’t;t be written off, states this article from Eatingwell.com.

My wonderful salmon salad. — *My salmon salad, made with leftover salmon. A salad is my lunch daily these days.*

“Iceberg lettuce also has a lot to offer when considering the roster of vitamins and minerals it contains. From immune-supporting vitamin A to bone health-supporting magnesium and calcium, it would be a stretch to claim that this lettuce is nutrient-free, as some folks on the internet claim,” the article states.

I tend to buy whichever lettuce I can get on sale during any given week. Iceberg has been featured quite a bit this summer as a sale item by several supermarkets. I buy it because I like it too, and because too many leafy greens mess with the blood thinner I take for a heart issue.

If you can, mix it with greener, leafier types of lettuce in a salad to add texture and a needed crunch to the mixture. If you have to eat a salad every day for lunch as I do, at least make it fun. Enjoy!

September 2, 2021 0

Month: September 2021

A modified crock pot recipe for honey garlic chicken

5 tips to make your lunch salad more than just lettuce

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Pineapple Salsa — Try it Before Winter Hits

Poached salmon that surprised me with its flavor

A quick and easy grilled salmon recipe

Some Berry, Berry good advice on storing berries

Wondering what to do with your basil? Here are 87 recipes that use the tasty herb

As you harvest your garden, here’s how to save your veggies and fruits

Give iceberg lettuce a break — it’s ok to like it

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