Cleaning Up: Tuna Risotto (Clean Eating Magazine, November/December 2010)

This was a plate of yummy cheesy tuna deliciousness! I’ve never made risotto, but it does take some time and effort to make it. It was totally worth it!

Tuna Risotto (p.71)

14 oz low-sodium vegetable broth

1-1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup brown risotto rice or other medium-grain brown rice

2 tsp Italian seasoning (or 1/2 tsp each dried basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme) (I used Tastefully Simple Italian Seasoning)

2 oz grated Parmesan cheese

11 oz tuna, pouched, in water

Prepare risotto: Pour broth and 2-1/4 cups water into a 1-1/2 or 2 qt saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. (NOTE: You’ll be holding the liquid at a simmer throughout preparing the risotto) In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil for 1 minute over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in rice, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often to coat rice with oil.

Carefully dip a glass or metal measuring cup into simmering stock and measure out 1/2 cup liquid. Gently pour 1/2 cup liquid into rice, being careful to avoid the rising steam. Let rice simmer for 3 minutes, stirring at least once every minute to help grains release their starches.

Dip measuring cup into stock again and add 1 cup liquid to rice, stir and let simmer for 5 minutes or until rice has absorbed liquid, again stirring every minute. Repeat procedure with another 1 cup liquid. Then add only 1/2 cup liquid at a time, simmer each batch for 5 minutes and continuing to stir rice occasionally. When adding the final 1/2 cup liquid, add Italian seasoning to rice as well.

Remove risotto from heat and gently stir in cheese and tuna.

Fish Fritters (Clean Eating Magazine November/December 2010)

These Fish Fritters were good, very low calorie (380 calories for 3 patties). I was short about 3 oz of fish so these ended up tasting more like broccoli cakes. The actual recipe also includes a Red Pepper and Malt Vinegar Dipping Sauce, but since I am not a fan of peppers I decided to fore go it. I also served this with Porcini & Garlic Mashed Potatoes (p.60).

Fish Fritters with Red Pepper and Malt Vinegar Dipping Sauce (p. 39)

• 1 medium head of broccoli
• 3 jalapeno peppers (I left these out, not a fan of peppers)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 12-oz piece of catfish or tilapia, cut into thirds (I used tilapia)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 oz part-skim mozzarella, grated
• 6 egg whites
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided

Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 c jarred sliced roasted red bell peppers
• 1/4 c malt vinegar
• 1 tbsp nonfat Greek-style yogurt

Prepare dipping sauce: Place all ingredients in a mini chopper or blender and blend until smooth; set aside. (This will be a true test of your food processor. I threw mine out after this recipe. Literally)

Prepare fritters: Place broccoli, jalapenos, and 1/8 tsp salt in a food processor; process until chunky. Add fish, flour, and cheese and pulse 2 or 3 more times, until fish is broken up.

In a large bowl, add egg whites and remaining 1/8 tsp salt. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until they triple in volume and cling to the inside of the bowl when tilted. Add 1/4 cup fish mixture to egg whites and gently fold them in once or twice with a rubber spatula. Add remaining fish mixture, folding gently for 5 or 6 turns as to not deflate egg whites.

Heat 2 large skillets over high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil to each skillet and reduce heat to medium.  Drop fish mixture into skillets in scant 1/4-cup increments, spacing fritters 1 inch apart and cooking in batches if necessary. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, until both sides are crisp and brown. Transfer cooked fritters to a plate and cover with a paper towel. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

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I did not have any fresh thyme so I used dried and Trader Joe’s did not have any dried mushrooms so I used fresh. I still think these mashed potatoes were DELISH!

Porcini & Garlic Mashed Potatoes  (p.60)

• 2 lb Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks
• 8 cloves garlic
• 2/3 c 1% milk
• 2/3 c homemade or low-sodium turkey or chicken broth
• 2 tbsp chopped dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan or small stockpot, cover with cool water by 1 inch and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until potatoes and garlic are very tender, 15 to 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine milk, broth, and mushrooms. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover and set aside.

Drain potatoes and garlic and return mixture to pot. Add milk-mushroom mixture, thyme, salt and pepper and mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Garnish with additional thyme leaves, if desired.

Wii: Rebounder + Wii

Ok, first: Rebounder = mini trampoline.

I have a friend who has a Rebounder – in fact, I helped her do the research to buy one a year or so ago. But at that time, it did not occur to me that I would ever have a use for one…until I started using my Wii Fit and Wii EA Active again. I noticed that the Wii Fit and Wii EA Active had some walk/run modules. I live on the 2nd floor of a condo so walking and/or running is not exactly being a good neighbor. Besides, I’m pretty much against giving my joints the pounding that running would give them. In the last week or so, it finally clicked that I could actually do the walk/run modules without pissing off my neighbors and giving my joints a pounding. Viola! Rebounder!!

What a workout!! Oh, and it’s FUN. I also just purchased the Wii EA Active More Workouts, which also has a nice long step aerobics routine and a cardio mix routine with walking, running, and high knees set in a fabu tropical locale. Wii + Rebounder = pumping up  my cardio workouts!

Cleaning Up: Tilapia Citrus Couscous Salad

Another summer fabulous meal! Light and citrus-y, this refreshing recipe was my first foray into couscous. Guess what? I really liked it! I accidentally grabbed a white onion instead of a yellow onion so the onion flavor was a little more overwhelming than it should have been. I’m not a big fan of onions anyway so I might choose to leave them out altogether next time.  I don’t like red pepper so I left it out.

Tilapia Citrus Couscous Salad

1 cup dry whole grain couscous

Olive Oil cooking spray (I used my Misto with Olive Oil)

1/2 lb tilapia fillets (4 small or 2 large) skin and bones removed

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

1 stalk celery, ends trimmed and finely diced

1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced

Zest and juice 1 lime

Zest and juice 1/2 lemon

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

Cook couscous according to package directions.

Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Spritz with cooking spray and reduce heat to medium-high. Place tilapia in skillet and cook for 2 minutes per side. Remove tilapia and let cool for 5 minutes before flaking with a fork.

In a large bowl, combine couscous, tilapia, carrots, celery, onion, and bell pepper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together lime zest and juice, lemon zest and juice, Dijon, oil, garlic and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper. Pour dressing over tilapia-couscous mixture and stir well until combined. Garnish with additional parsley, if desired. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 day.

Cleaning Up: Arugula, Asparagus, & Salmon

This summer fabulous recipe was on the glossy cover of Clean Eating Magazine (July/August 2010, p. 36). I’ll let the picture speak for the recipe…

Arugula, Asparagus, & Salmon

12 oz wild-caught salmon

Olive Oil cooking spray (used my Misto with Olive Oil)

2 cups asparagus tips

2 cups blackberries, divided

2 tsp raw honey

4 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

2 tsp dark sesame oil

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

6 cups arugula

4 large scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide salmon into 8 equal-sized pieces. Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place salmon on baking sheet and bake for about 18 minutes. (When done, salmon will flake but still stay together.) Remove from oven and let cool

Set a steamer basket…blah, blah, blah. Got a microwave steamer? Save yourself some time and trouble. That’s what I did. 2 minutes was perfect. Rinse with cool water and refrigerate.

Take 16 blackberries and put them in a small bowl; set remaining blackberries aside. Mash 16 blackberries, then add honey, soy sauce, oil, and orange juice. Stir to combine (berries will remain chunky).

On 1 of 4 salad plates, arrange quarter of arugula, then top with quarter of asparagus, quarter of scallions, 2 pieces of salmon, and quarter of reserved blackberries. Drizzle with blackberry-soy dressing, dividing evenly, and serve. If desired, garnish salad with orange zest.

LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS!! This recipe turned out to be a perfect, light summer meal!

Cleaning Up: Hubba Hubba Homemade Hummus

I made my own hummus tonight. That’s right, folks, you heard it here first. Have you met me? I’m not the hummus-making type. I’m more the hummus-buying type. Take that, Wonder Woman. Feeling a little  like the bomb.com right now.

I went to Sam’s Club yesterday and saw a giganto container of Sabra Spinach and Artichoke Hummus. Seriously, like a vat of hummus. I thought “I can make that!”. AND if I make it, I can make it (mostly) organic…and in a human-sized portion. I looked for a Spinach and Artichoke hummus recipe on the interwebs and found one on the RachelRayShow.com that I thought sounded good (Uh, it had cheese in it – duh, it has to be good). It turned out great! I used a low sodium tahini paste, but next time I might use a regular tahini paste. I had to add a little extra salt for taste. I also used organic fresh spinach (the recipe calls for frozen), organic chick peas, and organic black beans.

I also found a Black Bean Hummus recipe on TheDailyGreen.com (GREAT website – you should check it out). FAB.U.LOUS! I just tried a small taste of it but it was delish! It’s a very lovely color of light purple, too. C’mon people, purple food just can’t be bad.

Now I’m all stocked up (and then some) for hummus this week!

Let me know what you think when you try these recipes.

Cleaning Up: Holy Macaroni and Cheese Batman!

MOTHER OF GOD. This was so good it made smack my own ass. Seriously GOOD. Yes, I ate the entire bowl. And the BBQ chicken. I might even have dessert. So there. Take that, Monday.

Uh, do you SEE the cheese?

Clean Mac N Cheese (Clean Eating Magazine, May/June 2009)

• 2 1/4 cups whole-wheat elbow macaroni (I used shells instead)
• olive oil flavored cooking spray
• 1/4 cup stone-ground whole-grain brown rice flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup skim milk
• 3 ounces light swiss cheese, finely shredded
• 5 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese, finely shredded
• 1 tablespoon whole-wheat panko
• 2 tablespoons reduced fat parmesan cheese

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions.
2. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
3. Lightly mist an 8-inch diameter (1 1/2 qt) casserole dish with cooking spray.
4. Spoon flour and salt into medium bowl and slowly whisk in enough milk to form a paste.
5. Then add remaining milk, whisking as you do, making sure that no lumps remain.
6. Place a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add flour-milk mixture.
7. When milk is warm, add Swiss cheese and stir quickly and frequently with a wooden spoon until cheese is completely melted and incorporated.
8. Add cheddar cheese and continue stirring until cheese is completely melted and mixture begins to thicken slightly.
9. Stir in cooked macaroni, then transfer mixture to casserole dish.
10. In small bowl, stir together breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
11. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over top of macaroni12
12. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned.
13. Allow to stand 5 minutes. Serve.

I made BBQ Shredded Chicken in my Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker in less than 10 minutes. AWESOME. Place chicken in the bottom of the baker and cook in the microwave on high for 7 minutes. Remove from the microwave and drain the juice. Cover with BBQ Sauce (I used Annie’s Naturals) and cook for an additional 1 minute and 30 seconds. Shred chicken and serve. Fabulous and Fast.

Cleaning Up: Healthy Beauty Products

Ladies, think about all the beauty products you have under your bathroom sink, in your vanity drawers, or in your linen closet (is it just me?). Ever wonder what is in all that stuff? No? Me either…but now I am more open to the idea that not everything advertised on television is GOOD for you.

I am finding that the changes I am making to what I put IN my body has led me to question what I am putting ON my body (as well as the products I am using in my home but that is another blog for another time). Alicia Silverstone has a new book out called “The Kind Diet”. I admit it, I haven’t read it. But I have been keeping up with her blog, The Kind Life. She has several posts on organic/natural beauty products she has tried and likes. It is on her site that I learned about Skin Deep, a database which rates the toxicity of beauty products. Interesting stuff. The site rates an item’s toxicity from 1 to 10 (0-2=Low Hazard, 3-6= Moderate Hazard, 7-10= High Hazard). Here is how a few of the products that I use every day rate:

• L’Oreal Infallible Never Fail Makeup, SPF 18: 5
• Redken Body Full Plump Treat: 9
• Murad Acne Clarifying Cleanser: 6
• TIGI Catwalk Root Boost: 5

Needless to say, I was pretty shocked.

Wow! In checking out the Skin Deep site for this blog post, I also noticed they have a printable Shopper’s Guide for beauty products which tells you what ingredients to avoid. They also have information on tons of other subjects like Green Cooking and Eating (right up my alley), Produce Pesticides (yep, there’s an app for that!), and Health Tips (who doesn’t need that?).

Alicia’s blog recommends some great products, most of which I have found at Whole Foods so they are fairly accessible. However, in the spirit of not being wasteful, I feel that I should use up the stuff I already have! But if it is harmful, then maybe I should stop using it? #lifesbigdilemmas

What natural/organic products (beauty, home or otherwise) have you been using that you like?

Been a while since I’ve blogged…been kinda busy, but here’s a recipe for ya! This was really good…but they should add salt and pepper to the ingredients. It was a little bit bland. I LOVE tuna casserole so I was thrilled to find this clean eating tuna casserole recipe. Bon Apetit!

Healthy Tuna Casserole (Clean Eating Magazine September/October)

6 slices whole-wheat bread

8 oz whole-wheat macaroni pasta

olive oil cooking spray

2 stalks celery, diced

1 medium yellow or white onion, diced

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp whole-wheat flour

2 cups skim milk

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 carrots, peeled, cooked and diced

2 6-oz cans tuna packed in water, drained

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 Tbsp fresh dill, finely minced

1 Tbsp low-fat Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast bread in oven for 15 minutes or until just browned and crisp. Leave oven on at same temperature after removing bread. In a food processor fitted with a standard cutting blade, grind bread into breadcrumbs. Remove 1/2 cup for use and reserve remainder for another recipe.

Bring a large stockpot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat another large stockpot over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Mist with cooking spray and add celery and onion. Saute for 2 minutes or until onions become translucent.

Add oil and flour and whisk briskly. Add milk whisking in 1/4 cup at a time (this will create a roux or thickener, for your soup). Reduce heat to medium. Whisk in Dijon. Then stir in drained pasta, carrots, tuna and peas. Add dill. Remove from heat.

Pour tuna pasta mixture into a large 8-to 10-cup casserole dish. Top with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned on top.

Nutrients per 1 cup serving: Cal 230, Total Fat 3g, Sat Fat 0.5g, Carbs 32g, Fiber 6g, Sugars 9g, Protein 20g, Sodium 250mg, Cholesterol 15mg.

Cleaning Up: Mayonnaise and Sweet Pickle Relish

Ok, so I’m still an Eastern Shore gal at heart and I like my tuna fish salad with mayonnaise and sweet pickle relish. I have extra cans of tuna hanging around the house and tuna salad is fairly inexpensive to make (trying to cut back that clean eating budget) so I thought it might be great for a few lunches this week. On a pita with some lettuce and maybe some carrots and hummus on the side. YUM.

Anyhoo, I was pretty sure that whatever mayo I had in the fridge was not going to pass muster for Clean Eating so I looked to the almighty interwebs for inspirational alternatives. When I looked up “Clean Eating Mayonnaise” what I found were many recipes on how to make your own. WHAT?! Seriously? Have you met me? Probably not going to happen, even though the recipes seem very simple. IDK why, but it grosses me out a little. I compromised with Trader Joe’s Organic Mayonnaise. For now. Who knows where this clean eating thing will take me?

On to the Sweet Pickle Relish. I had a jar in the fridge from my Pre-Clean Eating (PCE) days and since I already had the mayo, celery and tuna in the bowl, it was getting used. However, I did decide to check out the label since I have been pretty shocked by some of the ingredients in my favorite foods. High Fructose Corn Syrup was the 2nd ingredient. Unbelievable. In Sweet Pickle Relish? Seriously??? Ugh. I suppose I will add Sweet Pickle Relish to my list of standard fridge items to replace…

Any other “condimental” issues you want to share?