Month of November, 2009

     With the holiday season approaching, we’re all trying to cut corners and save pennies wherever we can. The way we eat is no exception: many of us are willing to sacrifice our health for the sake of gifts, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are a few tips to help you stay healthy and satisfied while shopping, cooking, and eating out on a budget.

Last night I taught a healthy cooking class called "How to Party Yourself Skinny This Holiday Season" with chef Cindy Chambers at the Salud Cooking School at the Whole Foods Market in Green Hills. The class was a blast, and we made lots of delicious and healthy holiday party foods including this recipe for Pumpkin Pie Dip (see below). This dip is a great low-fat way to enjoy the flavors of the season! I hope you will enjoy sharing this recipe with your family and friends at holiday gatherings this year!

Pumpkin Pie Dip:

Yield: 4 cups (32 servings); Serving Size: 2 tbsp.

Ingredients:
 1 8oz. package low-fat cream cheese (softened)
 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
 1 cup canned pumpkin
 ½ cup light sour cream OR low-fat plain greek-style yogurt
 1 tsp. Ground cinnamon
 1 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
 ½ tsp. Ground ginger

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in pumpkin, sour cream (or yogurt), cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and ginger until blended. Serve with fresh fruit (I recommend apple slices) and ginger snap cookies. For a festive way to serve it, carve out the inside of a small pumpkin and put a small bowl filled with the dip inside.

Nutrition Facts:

Per Serving: Calories 53; Fat 2g; Sat. Fat 1g; Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 24mg; Carbohydrates 9g; Protein 1g

This week I want to share one of my favorite holiday recipes with you. This recipe is Ellie Krieger's, a fellow registered dietitian and star of "Healthy Appetite" on Food Network. In this recipe, Ellie puts traditional spinach artichoke dip to shame! While hers is every bit as warm, savory, and creamy as the original, it only has about a third of the calories and only a fraction of the fat!

Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip   Yield: 12 servings (1 serving is ¼ cup)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 cloves garlic
1 (9-ounce) package artichoke hearts, defrosted, rinsed and dried
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, excess liquid squeezed out
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) Neufchatel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese)
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Pita wedges or crudites, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until onions are light-golden but not browned. Remove from heat and cool. In the bowl of a food processor combine the artichoke hearts, spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, Neufchatel, mozzarella and salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Fold vegetable puree into sauteed onions, then spread into an 8-inch glass square baking dish or 9-inch glass pie plate which has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve with pita wedges or crudites.

On Friday night, I appeared on Fox 17 news talking about healthy meals on a budget! To see the segment click the link below! For the salmon and couscous recipe mentioned in this segment, see the recipe section of this blog. Enjoy!

http://www.fox17.com/newsroom/special_reports/vid_225.shtml