Taste Test: What We’re Snacking on This Week

The best part about working at Cooking Light? Tasting new healthy snacks before they hit the grocery shelves. With our help, you’ll choose the best store-bought products in both taste and nutrition. Snack smarter with these new winning picks.

Squeaky Pops: An adorable mom-and-pop duo are behind these fruit-based popsicles. Frustrated with a lack of high-quality options for children in the frozen treats department, the couple set out to create their own. The pops are available ($4 to $6) at Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, Giant, and Jewel.

Peachy Orange

Editor’s Notes:

“Very peachy and sweet.”

“Yummy – sort of had a hint of coconut. Is that just cause it tastes like summer?”

“Good balance of peach and orange.”

Strawberry Lemonade

Editor’s Notes:

“Delicious! Bright and zesty.”

“That is goooood.”

“Mild, not too sweet.”

Strawberry

Editor’s Notes:

“Want more strawberry, less sweet flavor.”

“A little too sweet. Strawberry flavor was just okay.”

“Would love more strawberry flavor.”

Very Berry

Editor’s Notes:

“Can’t determine what berry I’m tasting.”

“Good flavor, but not very strong and not sure what the berry is.”

“Not strong enough compared to others.”

Keep reading: 

• Sweet Lime and Watermelon Ice Pops
• The Worst Things to Feed Your Kid On a Roadtrip
• 3-Ingredient Fudgy Banana Pops

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What To Do With Your Memorial Day Leftovers

The long weekend has come and gone, along with party guests, which probably leaves you with a house to clean and a fridge full of leftovers.

While some dishes are fine and dandy as leftovers (looking at you, potato salad) sometimes day-old grilled meats or veggies aren’t the most appetizing of meal options. So strap on your thinking caps and learn a few creative ways to use up grilling weekend leftovers:

Grilled Chicken 

One of the easiest ways to get multiple uses from chicken is by shredding. Using grilled leftovers in these Shredded Chicken Tacos with Tomatoes and Grilled Corn will give a nice smoky hint while clearing out your fridge stash.

Hamburgers 

Similar to our method of re-use for chicken, hamburger patties are easily crumbled to replace cooked ground beef in recipes. One of our favorite uses for it is in creamy and satisfying Quick Pastitsio.

Watermelon

What to do with extra watermelon slices? Fire the grill back up! Grilled Watermelon Pizza is a savory dish that is just as tasty as it’s unusual.

Grilled Veggies

Whether they were grilled on kebabs or as a burger accompaniment, most households will have leftover veggies. These can easily be tossed into breakfast egg dishes, like this Summer Vegetable Frittata, to make a veggie-packed beginning of the day.

Steak 

Avoid reheating steak, which might affect the taste and texture of the cut. Instead, embrace its cold state and toss it into a salad like this Flank Steak Salad with Plums and Blue Cheese.

Keep reading:

• I Hate Leftovers. How Do I Plan Ahead?
• How to Grill a Whole Chicken
• No-Cook Summer Sauces

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Grow a Salad Garden

Greens are one of the easiest and most rewarding plants to grow in containers. They sprout almost daily—simply pluck the outside leaves you need and find more awaiting you tomorrow. Read on to see what’s sprouting in our salad garden. 

Meet Our Growers
Jay and Graham Yelton live near Cooking Light headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. These avid gardeners oversee a yard that’s packed with containers of delicious plants and stylish spaces for outdoor entertaining.
“We have a passion for eating organic, plant-based diets whenever possible,” Graham says.
This year, the Cooking Light Garden celebrates the joy and ease of growing themed containers. We enlisted the Yeltons’ help to make our plans a beautiful reality, then brought their bounty back to our kitchen to create simple, straightforward recipes that will put your crop to delicious use. Grow, harvest, and cook along with us.

• Arugula Yields edible leaves quickly. Harvest leaves from the outside of the plant. The flavor gets stronger as the plant grows, so consider replanting throughout spring.
• Spinach Plant about a month before final frost; leaves should grow quickly. Likes a sunny spot.
• Radishes Pick a sunny spot for planting in well-drained soil; water consistently.
• Turnips To yield top results from your crop, sprinkle soil with coffee grounds soon after planting.
• Microgreens (Tatsoi) These little ones need about four hours of direct sun a day. They’re a great option for windowsill gardening, especially if you are located in a colder container climate or don’t have much outdoor space.
• Pea Shoots Plant in organic soil that’s rich in micronutrients. Water when top of soil feels dry.

Spinach and Arugula Salad with Creamy Parmesan Dressing
Hands-on: 10 min. Total: 10 min.
This light but rich dressing meets at the happy place between Caesar and ranch. 

1.5 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated and divided (about 6 tablespoons)
1/3 cup canola mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups baby spinach leaves
4 cups baby arugula leaves
3/4 cup matchstick-cut or shredded turnip, divided

1. Combine half of cheese and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in a large bowl; stir until well blended. Add spinach, arugula, and half of turnip Toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and turnip.

SERVES 6 (serving size: about 1 cup) CALORIES 77; FAT 5.4g (sat 1.2g, mono 2.7g, poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 3g; CARB 3g; FIBER 1g; SUGARS 1g (est. added sugars 0g); CHOL 6mg; IRON 1mg; SODIUM 252mg; CALC 107mg

Pea Shoot Salad
Hands-on: 10 min. Total: 15 min.
Pea shoots offer the crunch of a salad green with the springy sweetness of green peas. They take wonderfully to Asian seasonings like soy sauce, rice vinegar, and ginger. Grating garlic accentuates its pungency. 

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon grated garlic
8 cups pea shoots
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced English cucumber
1 cup very thinly sliced radishes
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted and divided

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add pea shoots, cucumber, radishes, and half of almonds; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with remaining almonds.

SERVES 6 (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups) CALORIES 126; FAT 10.8g (sat 1.3g, mono 5.1g, poly 3.9g); PROTEIN 3g; CARB 6g; FIBER 2g; SUGARS 3g (est. added sugars 1g); CHOL 0mg; IRON 1mg; SODIUM 194mg; CALC 75mg

Keep reading:

• Backyard Vegetable Gardening
• Garden-Fresh Recipes
• Superfast Salads

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Slushy Sippers: Mango-Champagne Wine Slushies

Make mine a slushy, please! A wine slushy, that is. I guarantee you that on a hot afternoon or balmy evening, wine slushies are absolute perfection. They’re fantastically refreshing, stretch a modest bit of wine farther, and are chock-full of fruit. They taste like a virtuous fruit smoothie, but with a bit of a naughty edge … which is my idea of summertime nirvana. If you have peak-season fruit from the farmers’ market, freeze it on a baking sheet until firm. Or just start with frozen fruit from the grocery store. Either way, you’ll be staying cool, deliciously.

Photo: Rachel Johnson

MANGO-CHAMPAGNE WINE SLUSHIES
Gorgeously sweet tropical mangos and effervescent sparkling wine make an irresistible match. You can also use a “still” wine, such as sauvignon blanc or unoaked chardonnay. If the mango was frozen when good and ripe, you shouldn’t need any sweetener; add a little honey, though, if it’s not sweet enough for you.

3 cups frozen cubed mango
2 cups champagne, prosecco, or cava, chilled
1 cup ice cubes

1. Place all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

SERVES 4
CALORIES 159; FAT 0.5g (sat 0.1g, mono 0.2g, poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 1g; CARB 21g; FIBER 2g; SUGARS 17g (est. added sugars 0g); CHOL 0mg; IRON 0mg; SODIUM 1mg; CALC 14mg

More Slushy Sippers:

Strawberry-Rosé Wine Slushies

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5 Superfast Tacos to Speed Up Taco Night

Taco night is a sure way to please everyone at the dinner table. Don’t fret with overly complicated recipes or time consuming techniques. These meals can be ready to eat in 20 minutes or less!

The spice blend in these Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema lends just the right amount of smoky flavor to be balanced out by zippy sour cream sauce.

Let vegetarians join in the fun by cooking up some Mushroom, Corn, and Poblano Tacos. The combo of sautéed mushrooms and seasoned black beans make it a hearty meat-free option.

Mexican-style Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream have a kick of ancho-chili powder to blend perfectly with the drizzle of avocado-based sauce.

 

Small on both calories and cooking time? Then we would recommend the Garlic-Chipotle Chicken Tacos which have the winning south-of-the-border combination of garlic, chipotle chile, and bell peppers.

A secret ingredient, which is probably tucked away in your cupboard, helps give the seafood in these Shrimp Tacos with Corn Salsa their tasty grill marks.

Keep Reading:

• Decoding “Authentic” Mexican Restaurant Menus
• 17 Mouthwatering Tacos You Need to Try for National Taco Day
• Genius Muffin Tin Hack: Make Your Own Tortilla Bowls

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What’s Actress Ali Larter Eating These Days?

You may know actress Ali Larter from her roles in Varsity Blues, Legally Blonde, or Heroes, but this mom of two has been spending a lot of time in her kitchen lately. We chatted about what’s been crossing her kitchen counters (and how she keeps them sparkling clean). Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or try some of the delicious recipes she posts on her site, AliLarter.com.

Cooking Light: What does healthy eating mean to you in 2016 ?
Ali Larter: Healthy eating has definitely evolved for me. I used to be able to eat a medium pan pizza by myself on a Wednesday night. I can still eat as much pizza, but healthy eating to me today is more about how I feel. I’m not someone who does juice cleanses, but I do love to have a green juice at least three or four days a week. It helps make my skin glow and can get me through to lunch if I’m really hungry in the morning after breakfast.

When it comes to healthy eating for my family, we aim to do a family dinner three or four nights a week, and I like to make the meals. One thing I’ve embraced in 2016 is cooking with whole grains, like buckwheat. I also like to use turkey instead of beef and coconut oil instead of butter in my cooking.

CL: How does the state/cleanliness of your kitchen factor into the health of your family? Any unique tips for keeping a healthier kitchen?
AL: I have two young kids, so my kitchen is always a mess! When you cook and have young kids, it’s just a mess–especially when you allow them to cook with you. Last night I made oatmeal cookies with my son, and it’s just a disaster! But it’s amazing. It’s fun and it’s incredible, but definitely a disaster.

So one of the things I do when I’m cooking, especially with raw eggs, is I use Lysol Disinfecting Wipes afterwards on my kitchen tops because I know then that I’m killing 99.9 percent of all the germs and bacteria. As a mom, that’s something that’s really important to me.

Also, a general tip for new moms: I’m getting out a lot of my older son’s toys from when he was a baby for my younger daughter to play with now. These toys have been in closets where they’ve been sitting around and covered in dust and different stuck-ons, like old pieces of crackers. I like to clean the toys with Lysol Disinfecting Wipes and then rinse off with water so it’s clean and ready for my daughter to enjoy.

CL: Any favorite lighter meals that you’ve been prepping for your family lately?
AL: My chicken and vegetable soup is a really good one because that’s a way for me to get my kids to eat vegetables. When I cook for my family, I try to stretch them out over two nights, so on the second night, I’ll add in a can of diced tomatoes to the soup and then put Parmesan cheese on top, or maybe a little pesto to bring a different flavor to the soup.

I also do a lot of turkey meatloaf and turkey meatballs–it’s something my whole family loves. I cook a lot of quinoa with frozen peas and chicken broth because my kids love that. Lately, I’ve been baking with different kinds of yogurt, too. I use full-fat yogurt in our house because it has much more flavor than zero-fat yogurt. You don’t need to add sweetener to a full-fat yogurt and I believe that fat is way better for you than sugar.

Spring is one my favorite seasons to cook! It’s a really fun time to go to the farmer’s market and pick up fresh produce that are in season like sugar snap peas, strawberries, and peaches that are bursting with flavor. I have a leek-and-asparagus crustless quiche that is a fun spring recipe. I love the decadence of a quiche, but it can get to be a little too rich sometimes when you have a crust with it too.

CL: What other fun projects are you working on these days?
AL: I just finished a pilot for Fox called Pitch. It’s about the first female Major League baseball player and it was a really exciting, fun job for me. My husband [actor Hayes MacArthur] has been working a lot, and I’m moving my family so I had planned on taking some time off this year, but as an actress, you never know when great opportunities are going to come about. This script that Dan Fogelman wrote was just incredibly inspiring, and, now that I have a daughter, it just makes me excited to be able to be in shows that really have a positive message.

CL: One more question we like to ask: What’s something that you always have in your fridge?
AL: I like to keep pesto in my fridge. My son loves that it’s something he can help make and it’s a versatile ingredient with a prominent flavor. I can use with different vegetables, put it in my soup, or just mix it with a whole-grain pasta to make a quick dinner for my kids.

Keep Reading:

• Kristin Cavallari Tells Us How Cooking Is Part of Her Balancing Act
• What’s in Your Bag, Sofía Vergara?
• What’s in Your Bag, Padma Lakshmi?

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12 Cooking Skills Every Young Adult Should Learn

Everyone, young or old, can enjoy having a handy collection of basic cooking skills with a little practice. Mastering this list can help you make better meals, save time, be safer in the kitchen, and just plain have fun!

Making Stock
Taking the time to make your own stocks or broths gives you ultimate control over the amount of sodium and fat going into your meals. It’s also great for customizing spices and herbs for certain dishes (bonito-pork broth for ramen, anyone?).

Properly Cooking Pasta
While most people can at least boil water to cook pasta, it’s still a fairly easy food to mess up. It’s a good idea to glance over the main pointers to make sure you’re not using too little water or adding unnecessary ingredients (looking at you, salt).

Image credit: Foodcollection RF / Getty

Creating a Flavorful Sauce
If you have a few extra minutes to skip the jarred sauce (though we do have our personal favorite brand), then making your own sauce can be a satisfying experience. Getting the basics of how to make sauces should leave you with the ability to make a tomato sauce, cream sauce, and pesto with ease. Don’t forget to add a bit of reserved pasta water at the end for an ultra creamy and flavorful sauce. Cooking a Hot Breakfast
While it’s highly disputed whether breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it’s still beneficial to know how to whip out a hot breakfast when needed. Learning the plethora of egg techniques out there (whether it be scrambling, boiling, or poaching) is a good place to start. Pair that with some oven-cooked bacon, toast with easy toppings, or French toast to round out your brunch table’s spread.

Mixing Up Fancy Cocktails
Plenty of us are guilty of still drinking like college students long after becoming alumni. Gain a basic repertoire of classic mixed drinks to start off your venture into the world of impressive cocktails.

Saving Time and Dishes with One-Pot (or Sheet-Pan) Dinners
Throwing everything into a pot or onto a baking sheet can result in impressive meals that will leave others guessing how you made something so delicious and left practically no dishes in the sink. 

Whisking Together Homemade Salad Dressing
Once you get the hang of the method behind making vinaigrette you’ll be able to do magical things with a bottle of oil, some vinegar, and a few herbs.

Prepping Meals
If you don’t want to wake up early to pack lunch or have been eating a bit too much takeout recently, then meal prepping might be for you. By investing a few hours each week and a little money in reusable containers, you can make healthy meals that will last you the whole week.

Roasting a Chicken
It might seem a bit intimidating at first, but learning how to roast a whole chicken is something that will continuously help your culinary ventures. Our easy fool-proof way is a great primer for those wanting to try their hand at making an impressive bird.

Roasting Vegetables
Roasting is one of the tastiest ways to cook vegetables. Many vegetables that are found unappetizing when raw or steamed come out wonderfully flavorful when roasted. Our guide to roasting carrots is a good introduction to the technique, which can be easily used on other veggies as well.

Properly Using a Knife
Being comfortable with knifes is an absolutely essential cooking skill. Make sure you choose a knife that fits comfortably in your hand, is sharp (which ironically causes fewer injuries than a dull knife), and is the correct size for what you’re trying to cut.

 

Food Safety Basics
Last, but most definitely not least, is a basic knowledge of food safety. The FDA has a great website highlighting the need-to-know practices that will keep your kitchen and the food coming out of it safe.

Keep reading:

• 10 Recipes Every Great Cook Should Know
• Spice Cabinet Essentials
• The 5 Gadgets No Modern Kitchen Should Be Without

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5 Brilliant Uses for Zucchini

It’s that wonderful time of the year when zucchini plants turn into machines churning out a monstrous amount of vegetables. If you’re already tired of roasting them, here are five other ways to enjoy this summer squash:

Zoodles, spiralized zucchini—no matter what you call them—are delicious in Chicken Parmesan Over Zucchini Noodles. Get that pasta-y texture while getting a good dose of vegetables.

Classic grilling is great and all, but plank-grilling these Zucchini with Couscous, Spinach, and Feta Stuffing adds a whole new dimension of smoky flavor.

Step aside potatoes, there’s a new favorite chip in town! Zucchini Oven Chips are a delightfully crunchy way to eat your veggies.

Summer Squash Soup is a creamy combination of seasonal zucchini and fresh flavorful herbs. Perfect for a warm afternoon.

Who says squash can’t be sweet? No one will be any the wiser that this Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread is chock full of vegetables.

Keep reading:

• How to Core and Deseed a Zucchini
• Summer Produce Guide
• Zucchini Bread Recipes

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Make One Batch of Pizza Dough, Cook These Three Meals

 

Each month, we provide one special Sunday recipe that yields a bit extra, then two quick and easy recipes to transform those leftovers during the week. This is get ahead cooking at it’s most inventive: instead or repeats night after night, our strategic recipe trio gives you three completely different dinners and zero food waste. Cook a little extra now, and save time and money later!

This week, start with a big batch of pizza dough. There’s nothing quite like fresh pizza dough, especially when made with nutty, whole-grain whole-wheat flour. Get the kids involved mixing and needing the dough, then play pizzaiolo when it comes time to top and transfer to the oven.

Mix up your dough on Sunday night, wrapping the remaining portions in plastic wrap and refrigerating. One portion becomes a summery pie, followed by herbed, grilled pizza croutons and chicken and ranch calzones. You could also make the calzones on the same night as the pizza, wrap individually in foil, and freeze.

Sunday Night: Zucchini-Ricotta Pizza
Use 1 portion (about 1/3) for tonight; reserve remaining 2 portions, wrapped separately in plastic wrap, for Recipes 2 and 3.

Weeknight 1: Shrimp Panzanella (Italian bread salad)
Use 1 portion (about 1/3) of prepared dough

Weeknight 2: Broccoli, Cheddar, and Ranch Chicken Calzones
Use 1 portion (about 1/3) of prepared dough

Want less? If you want just want pizza dough for tonight, substitute 12 ounces refrigerated whole-wheat pizza dough (found in your grocer’s bakery) for each recipe.

More Ways with Pizza Dough:

• Broccoli-Bacon Skillet Pizza
• Cracker-Thin Pizza with Super Garlicky Tomato Sauce
• Sausage and Vegetable Calzones

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