Food and Stuff Like That: August 2015

Monday, August 31, 2015

Old-Fashioned Popcorn Balls

Anyone who grew up making popcorn balls will remember fondly the quick, hot work of shaping the sticky mixture into balls that would quickly set up. It’s an old-fashioned treat that we’re bringing back because they’re a 100% whole-grain dessert. That’s right—popcorn is a whole grain, and popcorn balls are an easy way to turn those grains into a sweet, healthy treat for the family.

old-fashioned-popcorn-balls

Old-Fashioned Popcorn Balls
Hands-on: 35 min Total: 45 min

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/3 cup unpopped popcorn
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light-colored agave nectar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add popcorn; cover and cook 3 minutes or until kernels pop, shaking pan frequently. When popping slows down, remove pan from heat. Let stand 1 minute or until popping stops. Pour popcorn into a large bowl coated with cooking spray.

2. Combine sugar and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a medium, heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer registers 300º. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Immediately pour hot syrup over popcorn; toss well to coat. Cool slightly (about 1 to 2 minutes). Carefully form mixture into 8 balls, being careful not to compact too tightly.

SERVES 8 (serving size: 1 popcorn ball)
CALORIES 216; FAT 3.5g (sat 1g, mono 1.5g, poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 1g; CARB 47g; FIBER 1g; CHOL 4mg; IRON 0mg; SODIUM 160mg; CALC 1mg

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Whole Grains Quick and Easy

Photo courtesy of Whole Grains Council

Whole Grains Month kicks off tomorrow, so this is a good time to answer a key question: How can you add whole grains to a busy life, when you don’t have time to simmer brown rice or wheatberries for 45 minutes? Many of us have the impression that whole grains are tricky and time-consuming to cook, but in fact, there are many great easy options that take only minutes, like these:

Bulgur. Think of bulgur as the original Mediterranean fast food. Because it’s made from wheat kernels that have been pre-cooked then dried and broken into small pieces, you can have bulgur on the table in about 10 minutes. Just pour boiling water over the bulgur, cover, and let it become moist and fluffy while you fix the rest of your meal.

Quinoa. Quinoa’s tiny grains take just 12-15 minutes to cook. You can tell they’re done when you see that little tail (it’s actually the germ of the grain). Sauté your favorite vegetables in a little olive oil while the quinoa cooks, then pile the veggies on top for a great grain bowl.

Oatmeal. Even instant oatmeal is a whole grain! But if you like the texture of old-fashioned rolled oats, they take just five minutes. Sprinkle in your favorite nuts and dried fruit, or fresh fruit in summer, and you’ve got a breakfast that stays with you all morning.

Pasta. Whole grain pasta cooks in about 8 minutes, roughly the same amount of time as white pasta. Keep in mind that the fuller, nuttier taste of whole grain pasta pairs best with a flavorful or spicy sauce.

Pita pizza. At our house, it’s a Friday night ritual to make pita pizza, by topping rounds of whole-wheat pita bread with tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella, plenty of vegetables (spinach, onions, mushrooms, peppers) and a little chicken sausage or olive tapenade. We pop them in a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes, then enjoy fresh homemade pizza. Let everyone in the family build their own!

Brown rice. Even brown rice has its shortcuts! Sprouted brown rice – which is healthier too – cooks in 30 minutes. Still too long on a busy weeknight? Look for 90-second brown rice on your grocery shelves; all you need to do is warm it in the microwave. While some grains do need a longer simmer of 45-60 minutes, it’s easy to make a big batch in the evening as you do the dishes and put the kids to bed.

Grains keep fresh for about five days in the fridge – dish some out all week – or you can spread grains on a cookie sheet and freeze them, so you can easily throw some cooked whole grains in soups and make grain salads in minutes.

Quick whole grain choices go on and on. Popcorn… corn tortillas… brown rice crackers… whole wheat wraps… granola bars… Look for the Whole Grain Stamp to help you find whole grains to fit even the most hectic schedule. — by Cynthia Harriman / Director of Food & Nutrition Strategies

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Whole Foods Insider’s Guide: Punch Cards

Credit: Guy Bouchet/Getty Images

A little background before you read Part 7 in my Insider’s Series to Shopping at Whole Foods: I started working for Whole Foods Market in 2007. I worked off and on for the company at multiple stores throughout California until last year. I’m sharing all the tips, tricks, and strategies I learned during my time at the grocery store so you can learn to shop and save there, too.

It’s punch time. In case you didn’t know already, Whole Foods is full of punch cards—buy ten burritos or sandwiches from the prepared foods counter and get your next one for free. When you buy $100 worth of 365 supplements, you get $10 off of your next purchase. Some stores also have sushi and coffee cards.

If you happen to go out to lunch often, why not pick up a sandwich or burrito from Whole Foods and work your way to a free lunch? Or if you are an avid supplement buyer, that $10 off can really come in handy.

The next time that you find yourself in Whole Foods, go to Customer Service or ask your cashier what punch cards are available. Typically, you can only receive a punch card when buying that particular item, but it’s always good to know what your options are beforehand. And if you know that your store offers cards for whatever you are buying, but your cashier doesn’t give you a card—just ask. Nicely.

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New York’s “Healthy Happy Meals” Plan Could Improve Nutrition for Children

Credit: Jamie Grill/Getty

It’s been a year since New York City Council Member Ben Kallos proposed setting standards for nutritional content in fast-food meals aimed at children. The so-called “Healthy Happy Meals” bill, which is still winding its way through the city’s political process, would limit the calories, fat, and sodium in a meal served with a child’s toy and also require such meals to include a serving of fruit, vegetables, or whole grains.

As written, the law would require meals featuring toys to contain:

• no more than 500 calories;
• no more than 600 mgs of sodium;
• fewer than 35 percent of calories from fat;
• fewer than 10 percent of calories from saturated fats;
• and fewer than 10 percent of calories from added sugars.

Researchers at New York University wanted to know if the proposed law would produce healthier results. Brian Elbel, PhD, MPH, an associate Professor and chief of section on Health Choice, Policy, and Evaluation at NYU’s School of Medicine, reviewed data from a previous study conducted in 2013 and 2014. In that study, researchers collected data on purchases for 422 children made by 358 adults from multiple NYC and New Jersey locations of three fast-food restaurant chains, Burger King, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s.

If all the children’s combination meals purchased from those restaurants had met the proposed criteria, children would consume 9 percent less calories, 10 percent less sodium and 10 percent fewer calories from fat than those meals included a children’s combination meal.

“While 54 calories (9 percent) at a given meal is a small reduction, small changes that affect a wide number of people can make a large impact,” Elbel said. “Passing the bill could be a step in the right direction, though no single policy can single-handedly eliminate childhood obesity.”

Cities have targeted fast-food children’s meals featuring toys, including New York. The most successful to date is in San Francisco. The city passed a law in 2011 that banned toys in meals that didn’t meet certain nutritional guidelines. McDonald’s, for example, stopped giving away the toys for free and instead offered them to parents for a dime.

A subsequent study found the law successful in reducing calories, sodium, and fat in kid’s meals, though maybe not as directly as planned.

New York’s law may not ultimately be successful—either politically or as policy. Elbel and his co-authors point that such policies may result in restaurants removing meals with children’s portions and forcing kids to order off the adult menu.

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Whole Grains for Breakfast

There’s no better way to start the day than with a good workout followed by a healthy breakfast. Why? You get your metabolism active, and your brain ready to take on the day. Chock-full of fiber and nutrients, these whole-grain recipes are the perfect option for breakfast. Not only do they keep you fueled throughout the morning, but they also set you up for success in choosing healthy foods all day as well. From a comforting bowl of oatmeal to weekday-perfect pancakes, here are my 5 favorite whole-grain breakfasts from Cooking Light.
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PB&J Stuffed Multigrain Pancakes: Pancakes don’t have to be reserved for just the weekends anymore with these inside-out hot cakes. These delicious bites pack in my favorite flavors of peanut butter and strawberry, and they’re perfectly portable! What could be better than that?
Orange, Pumpkin Seed, and Smoked Almond Granola: This granola is everything—crunchy, filling, slightly salty, and sweet. Whether you throw it in a baggie to enjoy on the go, sprinkle on creamy Greek yogurt, or enjoy as cereal, you’ll love having a batch of this on hand throughout the week.3. Spinach and Feta Quiche with Quinoa Crust: The crunchy quinoa crust gives heartiness to the light and fluffy quiche inside. This is a great recipe to make on the weekend for a crowd or to enjoy throughout the week.4. Steel Cut Oats with Warm Berry Compote: It’s always amazing to see how 5 simple little ingredients can create something so satisfying. Brimming with antioxidants and packed with 41g whole grains per serving, this breakfast tastes like a sweet treat, yet packs a hearty dose of nutrients for less than 220 calories.

5. Pumpkinseed, Date, and Tahini Bars: Say goodbye to fast food for good and whip these up instead! Barley, oats, and quinoa shine in these scrumptious whole grain snack bars. At less than 150 calories per bar, they are perfect paired with a banana or apple for those busy mornings when you just have to get out the door.

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Sunday, August 30, 2015

Starbucks and Panera Say Sayonara Artificial Ingredients in Pumpkin Spiced Lattes

Photo Courtesy of @therealpsl Instagram

This article originally appeared on allyou.com.
By Kate Geraghty

Pumpkin spice flavored food and drinks have become just as much a part of fall as colorful leaves and cooler weather, and one product towers high above the rest in popularity: the pumpkin spice latte.

While the “PSL,” as we mega-fans call it, is justly beloved for its sweet mix of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove, one ingredient has long been missing from the famous Starbucks drink: actual pumpkin. That all changes this fall, as Starbucks recently announced that they’ll be swapping out the caramel coloring that used to give the PSL its signature orange hue for real pumpkin puree. The changes come from growing consumer concerns over health risks associated with artificial additives, like caramel coloring, in many processed foods.

Panera also announced big changes to their version of the seasonal drink. While the pumpkin spice latte at Panera has “long been made with real pumpkin and without artificial caramel color,” according to Panera’s Head Chef, the new version of the latte will be free of all artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives. This is in line with Panera’s announcement earlier this year that it would be removing nearly 150 artificial ingredients from its recipes.

You can pick up a new and improved pumpkin spice latte from Panera starting September 9, 2015. Starbucks has not yet announced when their new version of the PSL will be available.

What do you think of this change? Will it affect whether or not you order a PSL this fall?

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Taste Test Award Winner: Kerrygold Soft and Creamy Dubliner Cheese Wedges

Kerrygold Soft & Creamy Dubliner Cheese Wedges

I honestly don’t consider myself much of a snacker. Not because I’m opposed to the idea of munching in between meals, I’m just not really all that into the commonly accepted “snack” foods. Granola bars, trail mix, mixed nuts, and even candies don’t really do it for me. I’ve learned from experience that keeping a bag of any kind of salty, crunchy chip-like snack at my desk is a disastrous idea.

But then, there was cheese.

We encountered these rich and creamy snacking wedges from Dubliner during the consideration process for this year’s Taste Test Awards and I, along with the majority of the table, was smitten. They’re slightly nutty-sweet, delicately tangy, indulgently creamy… and portioned into satisfying little wedge-shaped packages that weigh in at only 45 calories each. Savored with fruit, crackers, or even by its lonesome, a single wedge is an ultra satisfying mini meal. And with a straight-up lovely texture and rich flavor, a wedge also makes for an awesome addition to lunchtime sandwiches or toast.

This recent release from Kerrygold provides a little touch of something special that makes snack time a moment to stop and enjoy. Learn more about the Dubliner Soft and Creamy Cheese Wedges (available now on grocery store shelves nationwide) at Kerrygold’s website.

Kerrygold Soft and Creamy Dubliner Cheese Wedges is one of 24 snacks we awarded a Taste Test Award. See all the winners–and find out if your favorite brands are among them–in our 2015 Taste Test Awards.

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10 Tips to Grocery Shop Like an Expert

Credit: Dan Dalton/Getty

Grocery shopping is super time consuming—or it can be if you don’t have a plan. We test kitchen folk spend a lot of time shopping for groceries, not because we aren’t good at it, but because we test a lot of recipes. Over the years, I’ve gotten pretty good at getting in and out of the grocery store efficiently, and here are my top tips and tricks:

Make a habit of going to the same store for all your groceries; eventually you will learn where everything is.
Don’t make grocery lists by type, ie: international, canned goods, fish, frozen, etc… Grocery stores don’t really organize their stores like this…
Instead, make your list based on the aisle or area. For example, my store has the deli counter and specialty cheese right in the produce section. On my grocery store app (more on that later) I have Gruyere cheese, rotisserie chicken, and lemons all under the “produce” area.
You don’t have to bag all of your produce, GASP! Lots of people have handled your produce before you decided to put it in your cart. Your hands and the cashier’s hands are just the end of the line.
Avoid the big, oversize carts if you can. Smaller carts keep you nimble and quick on your feet. They also keep you from overbuying, and you don’t have to put your food in carts used as miniature jails or personal go-carts for kids.
Find an grocery shopping app that you like. There are lots available, and several will remember your normal list and auto-fill for you. I’ve been using Buy Me a Pie for years and love it.
Skip the store during busy hours. This is not always possible, of course, but immediate time savings are gained starting from the parking lot through not having to hunt for the “short line.”
Don’t push your cart everywhere you go. Leave it at the end of the aisle before searching the aisle for what you need.
Pile your fresh ingredients on the top or on one end of your cart, and place your raw meat on the bottom or other side. Food safety starts at the grocery store.
If you need something special from the meat or seafood counter, go there first. While they prepare your order, continue shopping for the rest of your list.

Anything we left off? What’s your favorite way to save time when you shop?

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Sunday Strategist: A Week of Healthy Dinners — August 31 – September 4

Every Sunday, we publish a week of Cooking Light dinner plans filled with our favorite recipes—both from current issues and classics. Each meal is designed to be ready and on the table in 45 minutes or less so that you have more time to enjoy the food you’ve prepared and the company of those you’ve prepared it for.

If you like having a healthy meal plan but want something customized to your dietary or caloric needs, check out The Cooking Light Diet. It’s a calorie-driven weekly meal plan—breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner—based on your dieting goals and food preferences.

The Plan
Monday: Grilled Farmers’ Market Sandwiches + Spinach and Radicchio Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Tuesday: Greek-Style Chicken Breasts + Rosemary-Parmesan Polenta
Wednesday: One-Pan Broccoli-Bacon Mac ‘N’ Cheese + Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Rind
Thursday: Spicy Beef and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry + Double-Sesame Rice
Friday: Roasted Shrimp with Mushrooms, Broccolini, and Foaming Chive Butter Sauce + Lemon-Orange Orzo
Happy Hour Bonus: Blackberry-Vanilla Vodka Lemonade

Monday: Our hefty Grilled Farmers’ Market Sandwiches are great for Meatless Monday and make a perfectly elegant late-summer supper. Feel free to swap in any of your other favorite veggies for the eggplant and zucchini—like maybe yellow squash and portobello mushrooms, or even broccolini (which tastes great grilled). If you don’t feel like lighting up the outdoor grill, just use a stovetop grill pan. Round out the plate with easy-peasy Spinach and Radicchio Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette; the bright dressing pairs well with the rich, smoky sandwich. Roll up your sleeves, ’cause it just might get deliciously messy.

Grilled Farmers’ Market Sandwiches

Sept 15: various recipes for Dinner Tonight

Spinach and Radicchio Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Tuesday: You’ll love how the simplest quick sauté of onion, garlic, tomato, and olives brings on maximum flavor in Greek-Style Chicken Breasts. And a good sprinkling of feta cheese never hurts. It’s a saucy dish, so serve over Rosemary-Parmesan Polenta so that none of the tasty juices go to waste.

Greek-Style Chicken Breasts

Rosemary-Parmesan Polenta

Wednesday: What’s the best way to counter the midweek blues? Maybe with a big ol’ pan of creamy comfort. That’s exactly what our One-Pan Broccoli-Bacon Mac ‘N’ Cheese delivers, plus it’s absurdly easy to make (you don’t even have to drain the macaroni!). While you’ll feel good knowing there’s butternut squash puree amping the nutrition and boosting the color, not everyone else needs to be in on the secret. Get in even more veggie goodness with a side of Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Rind.

Sept 15: Good Food Fast Let's Cook Recipes and steps

One-Pan Broccoli-Bacon Mac ‘N’ Cheese

Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Rind

Thursday: You’ve almost made it to the weekend—just hang in there! Let’s make dinner lightning-fast and super-easy. Spicy Beef and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry gets you there; it’s saucy, packed with flavor, and done in less than 20 minutes. And all you need to wrap up the meal is Double Sesame Rice—and to keep with our easy/fast theme, start with a pouch of precooked, unseasoned brown rice.

Spicy Beef and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry

Double Sesame Rice

Friday: Roasted Shrimp with Mushrooms, Broccolini, and Foaming Chive Butter Sauce may sound intimidating, but it couldn’t be simpler. This genius recipe uses only five ingredients (yes, five!!), and everything cooks on the same sheet pan together so that it only takes a half-hour to pull together. Served with a side of whole-grain Lemon-Orange Orzo. It’s a festive way to kick off the weekend.

Roasted Shrimp with Mushrooms, Broccolini, and Foaming Chive Butter Sauce

Lemon-Orange Orzo

Happy Hour Bonus: Treat yourself with fruity Blackberry-Vanilla Vodka Lemonade. At only 142 calories per serving, you’ll be happy to raise a glass. The recipe makes a pitcher to serve 8 but can easily be cut in half to serve fewer people. Though the vanilla bean adds rich, heady flavor, you can also substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Blackberry-Vanilla Vodka Lemonade

Ready to start shopping? View this week’s menu, which includes every recipe you see mentioned here. From there, you can add all the ingredients to your shopping list in one click when you sign into your MyRecipes account.

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Saturday, August 29, 2015

Eating on the Go: Helpful or Harmful to Weight Loss?

By:Chad Springer/Getty

Munching while moving could lead to higher calorie consumption.

This article originally appeared on MIMI.com.
By Kelly Bryant

With so many places to be and so many things to do, eating on the go has become the norm. There are days when it feels nearly impossible to sit down and enjoy our three square meals, which is why travel-friendly foods are celebrating a heyday.

But even if you’re trying to choose healthy options while buzzing from point A to point B, new research finds that eating on the go can lead to the consumption of more food.

The Journal of Health Psychology released a study which found dieters who were instructed to eat a cereal bar while taking a walk were more likely to eat more than those given the same snack while watching TV or engaged in conversation.

The study included 60 women, a mix of dieters and non-dieters, who were separated into three groups. One group was asked to walk, one watched an episode of Friends and the other chatted up a fellow participant, all the way consuming the cereal bar.

Afterwards everyone filled out a survey and was presented with four bowls of snacks to munch on including M&Ms, carrot sticks, grapes, and chips. In the end it was the dieters in the walking group who ate five times more candy than those not trying to lose weight.

While the number of participants was small and the fact that it was conducted in a lab may have altered some behaviors, lead author professor Jane Ogden of the University of Surrey surmised this: “Eating on the go may make dieters overeat later in the day.”

But she advises that it’s not just walking while eating that can make one eat more, it’s really any sort of distraction.

“Even though walking had the most impact, any form of distraction, including eating at our desks can lead to weight gain,” said Ogden. “When we don’t fully concentrate on our meals and the process of taking in food, we fall into a trap of mindless eating where we don’t track or recognize the food that has just been consumed.”

The Best Fast Food Breakfasts

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What’s the Difference Between Gelato, Ice Cream, and Sorbet?

Try our recipe for Strawberry-Buttermilk Gelato

Gelato, ice cream, and sorbet are all delicious, especially in these still steamy waning days of summer, but these three cool treats are different branches of the frozen dessert tree. Here are the creamy details:

Gelato: made with milk, cream, sugar, and possibly a flavoring (mint, espresso, fruit, etc…), gelato is made in the Italian style, which means slowly stirred by a machine while freezing, result in very little air being whipped in.

Ice cream: a generally broad term used to describe a frozen dessert, typically made with milk, cream, sugar, and flavoring. A specific characteristic of ice cream is it is churned by a machine to incorporate significant amounts of air into the dessert, creating a more whipped texture.

Sorbet: made distinctly from sweetened juice, wine, or water and always dairy free. Very little air is incorporated during the freezing process in a machine, and alcohol is often included to reduce iciness.

Honorable Mentions

Sherbet: the love child of ice cream and sorbet. Juice, wine, or water-based with a small amount of dairy mixed in. Processed similar to ice cream with a small amount of air being whipped in.

Granita: made with the same ingredients as sorbet, sweetened juice, wine, or water, but produced without a machine. Granita is frozen in a standard freezer, then scraped periodically with a fork to create large ice crystals.

Italian ice: Very similar to sorbet, but is typically made without any alcohol to produce a coarser texture. The absence of alcohol and coarse texture often makes Italian ice less costly.

Frozen custard: Made with the same ingredients as ice cream but with the addition of egg yolks, creating possibly a more expensive but very dense dessert.

Soft-serve ice cream: Made with the same ingredients as ice cream, but copious amounts of air are whipped into the cream during the freezing process. The additional air is typically 50% or greater of the finished product, allowing for easy dispensing.

Shaved ice: The odd man out here, but one of my favorites. Made with thinly chipped fragments of ice and topped with a flavored syrup before serving.

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We Tried It: Nud Banana Crisps

NudBananaCrisps

Healthy snacking is more popular than ever, but it’s still not always easy to find a snack that crunches without having poor quality ingredients. That’s why I was excited to discover these crunchy crisps. These crisps are raw, organic, gluten-free, and vegan. The minimal and simple ingredients (It’s always a good sign when you can pronounce and define what you’re consuming.) are extremely appealing—no artificial sweeteners and preservatives hiding behind an alias.

When I first tried this snack, I thought Nud was pronounced like “bud.” But it’s actually pronounced “nude.” Scandalous snacking, I know.

I tried three different varieties and loved them all for different reasons. Each one includes banana, sesame seeds, and coconut, and then vary slightly with their additions.

Goji Chia Banana Crisps – The goji berries added a bit of chewiness that the others didn’t have. Thanks to the goji berries and chia seeds, this one is bursting with antioxidants and fiber.

Spirulina Banana Crisps – Nud’s best seller! This version turned into a superfood when spirulina was added. Like the others, it has all kinds of vitamins, healthy fats, and fiber.

Cacao Banana Crisps – My favorite of the three! Pure cocoa creates the kind of satisfaction that can only come from chocolate but one you can feel a-okay about.

The crisps are delicious on their own. However, none of the three are super sweet, so you could drizzle with raw honey or crumble for a yogurt topping. When I repurchase, I’ll use them as a granola substitute and also dip in almond butter.

Find a location to purchase at a retailer near you.

The Munching Continued:

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