by admin | Jan 12, 2015 | Grown Up, Recipes
Did you know that Brussels sprouts are a type of cruciferous vegetable? Other cruciferous vegetables include broccoli and cauliflower and they also happen to be a January Foods of the Month! Cruciferous veggies have it all – vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other important compounds that keep our bodies healthy.
This week, we feature a simple recipe using cruciferous vegetables that is ready in just minutes because it requires no cooking. The result is a delicious, slaw-like dish that can be served as a salad. We love it!
Brussels Sprouts Salad
Ingredients
1 package fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced thinly (about 1 pound)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste (we like lots of fresh pepper)
1/4 c. roasted almonds, chopped
4 oz. Manchego, shaved
Directions
- Toss the sliced Brussels sprouts, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes to blend all flavors.
- Meanwhile, roast 1/4 cup chopped almonds in the oven at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, until they start to brown and become fragrant.
- Toss the chopped almonds into the Brussels sprout mixture.
- Serve with a topping of shaved Manchego cheese.
by admin | Jan 5, 2015 | Grown Up, Recipes
Happy New Year! In January, cruciferous vegetables are a Foods of the Month. Next time you pass through the produce aisle at the grocery store, grab a head of cauliflower (a cruciferous vegetable). This veggie makes a great alternative to flour-based pizza crust. All you need is one head of cauliflower, an egg, mozzarella cheese and spices. You won’t believe how much fun it is to make this pizza crust. Best of all, your OrganWise Guys will be happy that you are eating cauliflower, which is incredibly high in fiber (one head has about 50% of your daily fiber needs)! Follow these easy steps to make your own cauliflower pizza crust.
Step 1: Use a box grater to finely grate one medium-sized cauliflower head.
Step 2: Microwave the grated cauliflower on high for one minute. Let cool.
Step 3: Transfer the cooled grated cauliflower to a dishtowel. Squeeze out all the excess water.
Step 4: Combine the grated cauliflower with one egg, 2 tbsp. mozzarella cheese, and your favorite pizza spices (we used salt, dried basil and dried oregano). Mix together with a fork or spoon, then use your hands to form a “dough” ball.
Step 5: Place the cauliflower “dough” ball on parchment paper sprayed with nonstick oil. Use your hand to flatten it out into a circular shape (like pizza crust).
Step 6: Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove when the edges begin to brown, top with your favorite pizza toppings, then bake again for another 5 minutes until the cheese starts to bubble. Serve hot.
by admin | Dec 22, 2014 | Grown Up
Two weeks ago, we featured our carrot cake bites on the blog as a way to have the taste of carrot cake while still being healthy. This week, we provide healthy baking tips for making your favorite desserts (like carrot cake) OrganWise! We used all the tips listed here when we made our delicious carrot cake, pictured below. Made with lots of real grated carrots (a December Foods of the Month), this cake is sure to please both those with a sweet tooth and the health conscious by using the following healthy baking tips.
Tip 1 – Use Applesauce – Did you know you can substitute unsweetened applesauce for eggs or butter/oil in your favorite baked goods recipes? For butter or oil, the ratio is one to one. For example, if your recipe calls for 1/2 cup of butter or oil, use 1/2 cup applesauce instead. For eggs, substitute 1/4 cup applesauce for one whole egg. Be sure to use unsweetened applesauce so the taste of your baked goods is not affected.
Tip 2 – Keep Frosting Healthy – Typical frostings are full of sugar. To avoid a sugar overload, use a healthier version and consider making sheet cakes instead of layered ones to cut back on the amount of frosting. For our carrot cake frosting, we spread a thin layer of reduced-fat cream cheese (at room temperature) with a little bit of maple syrup mixed in. The result tasted wonderful, and provided low-fat dairy instead of sugar.
Tip 3 – Use Whole Wheat Flour – Cookies, muffins and other baked goods can still be delicious when using whole wheat flour. Instead of just replacing white flour with whole wheat in your favorite recipe, we recommend searching for a recipe of your favorite food that is specifically made with whole wheat flour. There is a difference in texture when using whole wheat, so using a new recipe instead of modifying an existing one will yield better results. If you need ideas, start with our whole grain blueberry muffins – a big hit!
by admin | Dec 15, 2014 | Grown Up
Citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, and grapefruits are the December Foods of the Month. We like that you can cook with citrus in a lot of different ways. Two years ago, we made a citrus punch for the holidays. This year, we are doing something totally different with our citrus fruits; we are using them when we cook fish!
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by admin | Dec 8, 2014 | Grown Up
In December, root vegetables such as carrots, are a Foods of the Month. One does not typically associate root vegetables with dessert, but we love the taste of carrot cake! There are many easy recipes to get the same flavors as carrot cake without loads of unhealthy butter and sugar. Our first idea features these small carrot cake bites that are packed with nuts for good fats, as well as a healthy dose of shredded carrots. The end result is a chewy, cinnamon-y bite of carrot cake goodness!
OrganWise Carrot Cake Bites
Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup shredded carrots (you can buy pre-shredded carrots at the grocery store)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup almond butter
2 tbsp. cup all natural maple syrup
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix oats, shredded carrots, raisins, almonds, cinnamon, and nutmeg together.
- Next, add almond butter and maple syrup and mix together thoroughly.
- Refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Remove from refrigerator and use a melon baller or a small spoon to create the bite size balls like in the picture below. They should be about 3/4 inches in diameter.
- Enjoy!
Makes approx. 20 servings.
For more healthy combinations of a similar recipe, check out our OrganWise Nut Nuggets from earlier this year!
