EatingWell Wednesday - Melon & Apple Granita

Last week proved to be a scorcher here with 103F last Tuesday so I went to work making my first granita. What is a Granita you ask? It is a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings however, the recipe I am making does not include added sugar.



The recipe for this Melon & Apple Granita used Apple Juice as a sweetener and it is exactly what we needed. Yes, making a granita requires a bit more effort that scooping out some sorbet but with the assistance of a timer, I had no issues staying on track.

EatingWell Wednesday - Tomato & Provolone Sandwich

Continuing on my EatingWell recipe tomato obsession, I decided to the try the Tomato & Provolone Sandwich . My daughter is crazy for tomatoes and found shopping for this recipe particularly fun as we were looking to buy Heirloom aka 'Ugly' Tomatoes. This is a great sandwich for a refreshing kick on a summer afternoon.



What are your favorite types of Tomatoes?

By the way, when you pick up the August edition of EatingWell, flip to the Editor's Letter and see who has a cameo :)

EatingWell Wednesday - Tomato & Corn Pie

This weeks' EatingWell Wednesday will be different because I am starting off with some big news: Savor the Thyme is featured in the August issue of EatingWell! Right there in the middle of the Editor's Letter. I am greatly appreciative of the mention and an honored to be in this magazine.

When the issue arrived, I flipped right to the Editors page (page 8) and after reading the article, knew right away that the next recipe I would be trying out was the Tomato-Corn Pie. I just finished making it for dinner tonight and must say that this pie is fantastic. However, next time I make it, I will double the recipe so that the pie is thicker as it was only about a 1/2 inch thick.



The only thing I did differently in this attempt was to mix the sharp cheddar with some reduced fat cheddar. Oh, and if you do not enjoy thyme, try basil. I bet it would be awesome.

Since my mom was here and she loved making pie crusts, she took that part on but if you prefer to skip that step, find a quality pie crust at the grocery store.

EatingWell Wednesday - Basking in Basil

Each year when we starting getting basil (and cilantro but that is another post) we end up with so much that we start wondering what to do with all of it. So, I went on a hunt for some great ideas from Eating Well Magazine in addition to some ideas of my own.

*Pesto - Think outside the box with my Roasted Yellow Tomato Pesto



*PBT (Portobello, Basil & Tomato Sandwich)

*Marinara Sauce and you can freeze them in small and large batches. The handiest tool to use when making an amesome marinara is a hand-held blender. You can then control the texture of the sauce and do not need to transfer to a blender.

*Roasted Corn with Basil-Shallot Vinaigrette

*A Caprese Salad



*Basil-Cinnamon Peaches

EatingWell Wednesday - Spring Chicken & Barley Soup

Do you often find yourself with some leftover chicken and with one of the following scenarios:
1. Not enough for everyone?
2. You do not want the chicken as is?

Well, here is a great way to use up that leftover chicken (or non-leftover) called Spring Chicken & Barley Soup from EatingWell magazine. I honestly think the best thing about this recipe is the garnishes. The orange and basil make this soup stand out. I strongly recommend you add a good amount of it to the entire pot at the end. Feel free to put some fresh when you serve it.

EatingWell Wednesday - Sugar Snap Pea and Shrimp Curry

I love when you have a dish that is so wonderful that you can mix it with Brown Rice and get away with it. That is the case with EatingWell's Sugar Snap Pea and Shrimp Curry recipe.



The only changes I made were:
1. I used plain curry and then added some Hot Madras Curry Powder onto my husband's serving.

2. Used less than 1/4 cup lemon juice

3. I also tossed some chopped parsley on when I served it.

Can you tell my son (who swears he does not like shrimp) liked it?
Photo left: Just put some in his mouth
Photo right: This was his reaction when I wanted to have my bowl back.

Shrimp, Corn & Avocado Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Leftover Shrimp is one item you are not going to let go to waste so I decided to have a salad with them. I also had leftover corn for the previous evening so I grabbed a few of my favorite items and went to work. I also knew I wanted to make a zesty dressing using up my cilantro so I turned to EatingWell and created their Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette.

The salad is a delicate one with all the flavors blending so if you want to punch, add some onion. As far as the vinaigrette, it was fresh and the flavors blended but I would add some red wine vinegar to add a bit more zest for this salad.



Ingredients:
1 cup Romaine Lettuce, chopped
1/3 cup cooked and chilled shrimp
1/4 avocado, chopped
1/3 cup cooked and chilled corn
handful of cilantro.

Prep and toss all the ingredients together and top with vinaigrette

EatingWell Wednesday - Tomato & Corn Saute

In an ongoing effort to exploit the fact that the kids are currently in love with corn and that my daughter is obsessed with tomatoes, I decided to try a Corn & Tomato saute. I know, these items are best and freshest in the spring but I love to switch things up and was not going to wait.

Since I was out of shallots, I used some garlic and onions and parsley for the herb. I loved the flavors and think this would be great as a topping on your favorite protein or as a cold leftover salsa. I found that it took a higher heat to brown the corn but that may have been due to the fact it was thawed and a bit wet, versus fresh.

EatingWell Wednesday - Parmesan and Butternut Squash Pancakes

My mom is visiting and loves to try all sorts of different recipes. She mentioned making some type of potato pancake so while browsing ideas on EatingWell, I found this one called 'Parmesan and Squash pancakes and I knew it was one to be tried.

The only change I made was to use Butternut Squash instead of Summer Squash. Although I tried to squeeze out the excess water and felt I did a good job, I did notice water building as the mixture sat a few minutes. I was a bit concerned but plowed ahead and there were no ill effects.

I enjoyed the flavor but my husband did not enjoy the texture so I think the way to address that is to make 6 thinner pancakes instead of the suggested 4. I also think this could be a fun party appetizer if you made them mini -sized (shorten cooking time)

Let me know what you think if you give this a try.

EatingWell Wednesday : Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

Since I have been running around to many appointments this week, I had already planned on having Salmon and relying on EatingWell for my Wednesday main dish. All I had to type in was 'Vinegar Salmon' and up popped this Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon. I bet you are thinking 'that is a strange combination of words'. Well, this family loves vinegar so I figured a tangy recipe would pop up.


I am guessing that most of you have a bottle of vinegar, some honey and soy sauce in the house so give this a try. It honestly takes 1 minute to prep, 15 minutes to marinate and then a few minutes to broil. Toss some tomatoes and leftover grain on the side and you are done.

Eating Well Wednesday - Onion Rings (Tip # 6)

In some circumstances, trying to replicate a fried favorite with baking, proves a failure but this is an exception. EatingWell has done an amazing job at creating a fantastic and satisfying baked onion rings recipe. Let me also say this: My husband was not thrilled when I said I making baked onion rings as he expected that would not able to compete with the fried version but he loved them.

Tip #6: Try making your favorite fried items (FF, chicken tenders, poppers) into a baked version. Your circulatory system will approve!



I altered to things in this recipe: I used whole wheat flour (I wonder why they do not) and I used sweet onions but can see how the yellow would be even better as their flavor is a bit stronger.

EatingWell Wednesday - Tangerine or Orange Scented Green Bean

Shopping Sunday mornings alone is an event I look forward to each week. It is relatively quiet and without children, I can often have a clear head to brainstorm. Today I saw the pile of Tangerines at the produce end-cap and knew that Tangerine scented green beans were in our future.

Luckily, my children enjoy many citrus fruits, but I tell my friends to always try foods in a different way: raw, roasted, mixed in with favorites. Basically, think outside the box, I also like to show the family how you may not necessarily enjoy a food in one form, but find joy in another. This includes the rind of a tangerine.

Once I arrived home, I headed to EatingWell and followed their Orange Scented Green Bean recipe however, I used thawed organic frozen green beans (score on the sale!) and tangerine peel.

EatingWell Wednesday - A Fantastic Sweet Potato Casserole

Recently, I have been asked about dessert options and with Thanksgiving coming, I wanted to think of a classic made a bit healthier. Naturally, I headed to EatingWell knowing that they would have a 'madeover' option.

Their sweet potato casserole incorporates, orange zest, vanilla and honey and I knew from the scent that it would be amazing.

For the topping, I used oatmeal in place of pecans. In addition, since I did not have OJ concentrate, I placed some OJ in the freezer and voila', my frozen concentrate was born.



By the way, this recipe is featured in Day 2 of a Year of Savoring the Thyme on Whrll.

EatingWell Wednesday - Apple Cupcakes

There are times where you want or need to make a little dessert or 'treat' so why not take the opportunity to up the nutritional value? I found this tasty apple cupcake recipe on EatingWell. Now, I actually changed it a bit but I am certain in it's original state, it is fabulous as well.

Since I did not have dried apple or cake flour, I went off on my own. It also came out more like a muffin to me than what I think of as cupcake consistency so give both my version and EatingWell version and see which is your favorite.


photo pre-icing

Recipe:
I omitted the dried apples and used regular unbleached AP flour in lieu of cake flour. If you use this recipe, add 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon so there is more of a cinnamon presence. I found it to have a muffin consistency.

The icing is perfect as is.

EatingWell Wednesday - Fruit & Chicken Salad

I posted earlier about this fantastic broccoli and bacon salad I made for the Time for Lunch Campaign. However, I held out on you as the other lovely salad I made was EatingWell's Fruit & Chicken Salad.

Gosh, we all devoured both of those salads and I was thrilled to find that I still had everything I needed to make my own for a late night snack last night. Yum!


(photo pre-feta and dressing)

In case you were wondering what the kids thought, they were mad that I made the watermelon and cantaloupe into 'balls' so they marched off and stuck to the corn and grapes.

EatingWell Wednesday - Roasted Tomato Soup

This is often the time of year where the tomatoes are aplenty in gardens and that holds true for us. Luckily, my daughter and I were watching a cooking show the other day and they were making tomato soup. She begged me to make some so I headed over to Eating Well and decided upon the Roasted Tomato Soup.

I followed the recipe and must say, it does take a bit of time to remove the skin after roasting the tomatoes but it was well worth it.

EatingWell Wednesday - Haddock with Orange-Shallot Sauce & a Quiz!

My Mom is visiting from Maine and loves fish. We made some Salmon over the weekend and then we picked up some Wild Haddock for tonight. She asked for me to do a simple saute and make a sauce. Since today was wildly busy, I grabbed a lovely recipe from EatingWell and had time to enjoy our dinner together.

I used whole wheat flour for the dredge and used low-sodium chicken broth instead of white wine. I rarely saute fish and never enjoy smelling like oil but for mom, anything goes! By the way, the sauce was loved by all and the dijon with the OJ is a great combination.

QUIZ: Who can tell me what this photo shows?

EatingWell Wednesday - Cookbooks and Giveaway

Total enjoyment. That is how I describe the experience when I make the recipes from EatingWell magazine and so I have been checking out their books. And my goodness, they have an impressive array. I can not wait to get my hands on these.

Their newest is called EatingWell in Season:The Farmer's Market Cookbook. They state that the book is “packed with easy, fast and delicious recipes, EatingWell in Season is a must-have guide for anyone who loves seasonal foods. All the recipes use simple, easy-to-find ingredients and most take 45 minutes or less.” This sounds like the perfect book to add to our library as we are true believers in cooking and eating seasonally.



In addition to the 150 recipes, this book contains:
*Tips on how to freeze, preserve and find other ways to store crops.
*Techniques for roasting peppers, peeling mangoes and other ways to prepare your farm finds.
*Cool tools, from herb savers to cherry pitters, to help you prepare fresh fruits and vegetables.
*Nutrition tips highlight the health benefits of dozens of fruits and vegetables.
*America’s top five farmers’ markets.

With the fall and winter approaching, I think this one is a must as we all crave comfort foods in the cold weather. I know I am not the only one so the EatingWell Comfort Foods Made Healthy is one that really has caught my eye. Could they all be healthy and comforting? I will find out.



For those of you trying to shed a few pounds, The EatingWell Diet 7 Steps to a New, Trimmer You may be just what you need. Their system is based on the VTrim™ Weight-Loss Program at the University of Vermont, one of the country's leading weight-loss research centers. This seems to be the perfect way to start yourself on the path to a healthier way of eating & lifestyle.



Moms & Dads! I am sure that this cookbook will peek your interest. I am a complete believer that you can make quick, healthy and tasty meals for your family and The EatingWell Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook will help show you how.



Here is a sampling of the recipes:
Chicken Breasts with Onion and Fontina, Adobo-Rubbed Pork Chops & Potato Packets, Greek Dinner Salad

And here is the best news: EatingWell is going to give away two of these fabulous cookbooks! Here is what you need to do by Wednesday, August 12th.

1. Go to the EatingWell website and find a recipe you would love to try and then leave me a comment telling me which one.

2. 2 BONUS entries!! Tweet the following on Twitter:
Cookbk giveaway! @savorthethyme @EatingWell http://is.gd/26Yy7 I want to try (link to the recipe)

EatingWell Wednesday: Avocado & White Bean Wrap

Many of you may have seen my Emmy award nominated (not really but it should be right?) vlog on safely pitting an avocado. Well, I was then left with a cut avocado so besides my 'best dip ever', I was not sure what I was going to do with it. I turned to my reliable resource of EatingWell online and choose this creamy avocado & white bean wrap to take to the beach today.

I loved this recipe and the only deviations I made were as follows: to use sweet onion instead of red and the chili's I had were not chipotle. Also, since I was making this a few hours early, I did not use shredded cabbage but instead, used a leaf of romaine lettuce and placed the mash on top of it. I found the chili's perfect but I think the red onion would have given the perfect bite. My son also tried this wrap as he will try anything in a wrap.

I swear that I have not made one recipe from EatingWell yet that does not deserve an 'A'.

EatingWell Wednesday - -Shrimp with Watermelon and Pineapple Salsa

It's true, it is. There is one food that my kids swear they do not like and it is shrimp. They swear that can not stand it but I know that that is only true when it is naked. You know, when it is not covered in a batter. I do not necessarily mean fried as they eat my crunchy baked shrimp, but simply coated.

Taking this into consideration, I decided to do what I normally do not do: make 2 dinners. My hubby and I wanted to have a 'date night' but since my daughter had a fever, a sitter was out, so we dined in. The kids ate early and I gave 'Shrimp with Melon and Pineapple Salsa' from EatingWell a shot.

The only deviations I made are as follows: I used 51-60 shrimp as that is what I had in the freezer. For melon I used watermelon and I did not use mint as sorry but I still despise it. I said and I feel free.

If you are a person that is a huge fan of sweet balanced with spicy than you will love this! The freshness of the melon with the heat was really noticed by my husband and he does not usually comment on such things.