Pat Eby; a Food Writer Skinnies Up

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili; a Recipe

Tasty, and so good for you. Alice's recipes perk up my meals each week . . . Pat 

Yield: 4 servings; 2 cups each serving

Adapted by Alice Foster, R.D. for Foodie Friday, from a recipe at EatingWell.com 

"I never thought I would love this chili as much as I do and I can feel good about it, too. Sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamins A and C. The beans are a powerhouse of protein, vitamins and minerals. Your belly and you body will thank you for trying this one.” Alice Foster                                                                                                                                                                                 

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (see tester’s note to eliminate oil)

1 large onion, diced (match the size of the dice to approximate size of beans for onions and sweet potato)

1 medium large sweet potato, peeled and diced

4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced fine

2 tablespoons chili powder

4 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile (see tester’s notes)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups water

2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained or 4 cups cooked black beans

1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes

4 teaspoons lime juice

1 fresh lime, quartered (optional)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and sweet potatoes and cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent, about 4 minutes.
2. Add minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt. Stir constantly for 30 seconds.
3. Add water and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice. Increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve with lime wedges if desired.

 Tester’s notes:

Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapenos. The flavor is slightly sweet and smoky. They are sold dried, ground, or canned whole in adobo sauce. You may substitute a canned chipotle, finely chopped, for the ground for a fuller, somewhat hotter flavor. 

If you are cutting fat, heat 1/4 cup of water or vegetable stock in the pot, then add sweet potatoes and onions. 

Per serving using original recipe: 307 calories. 8 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 51g carbohydrates, 12gprotein, 14g fiber, 494mg sodium 

Note: To lower the sodium content, use dried beans, cooked or choose a low-sodium brand of canned black beans.

 

 

 

 

Mango Pineapple Salsa. So Easy, So Good

Make this super-easy  fruity salsa to scoop up with tortillas or serve with fish, chicken or pork. The flavor, color and texture makes you forget this salsa's good for you. I love the contrast of the blue chips with the yellows and oranges, too.

I divvy up occasional treats like Frontera's blue corn chips and Snyder's whole grain twists into single-serving packets to stave off mindless munching. Crunchy, salty snacks speak to me, so I make sure the conversation goes my way. I'm happier getting healthier each day while I munch on great treats like this mango salsa with chips. 

Mango-Pineapple Salsa

Yield: 2 to 2-1/2 cups 

1 large mango, ripe but somewhat firm

1 cup diced (1/4-inch dice) fresh pineapple

1 large fresh jalapeno pepper

1 orange small bell pepper

1 red small bell pepper

1/2 medium red onion

1. Cut and dice mango into 1/4-inch pieces. Mix together with diced fresh pineapple.
2. Remove stem and seeds from the jalapeno. When handling hot peppers, wear gloves and refrain from touching your eyes. Mince into fine pieces.
3. Stem and remove seeds from bell peppers. Cut into a 1/4-inch dice. Dice red onion to match.
4. Combine jalapeno, bell peppers and red onion with the pineapple-mango mix. Allow flavors to blend for three to four hours before serving.
5. Serve with corn chips, pita chips, or with grilled chicken or fish.

 

Try Grillin’ Fools take on grilled salmon with mango salsa, from Feast Magazine and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, two publications I write for each month. Here’s the link to this recipe.

 

 

Mango-licious

Pineapple-Mango Salsa. Photo copyright 2012, Pat Eby

Don’t be fooled by the sweet flavor, lush texture and sunny colors of these tropical beauties. More than just a pretty taste, mangoes provide powerful nutrition. One serving, a cup of diced mango, registers 100 calories and provides 100-percent of  the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, 30-percent of  vitamin A and 12-percent of  fiber. With nearly 20 vitamins and minerals to boot, mangoes make a nutrient-dense snack or side dish.

Although mangoes are the most popular fruit in the world, fruit-lovers in the United States haven’t fully embraced them yet. Mango consumption in the U.S. quadrupled from half-pound per capita in 1990 to just over two-pounds today. It’s a small number, though, compared to the 27 pounds of bananas and 21 pounds of fresh apples we Americans down each year.

A study by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO] released in 2008 found mangoes bewilder Americans. The FAO works to increase incomes  and food security for farmers throughout the world. More exports of the tropical mango would put money in farmers’ pockets. The report stated: Key reasons for consumers not to buy mangoes are unfamiliarity with the fruit or lack of knowledge as to how to select a ripe mango or cut and prepare the fruits.

Enter the National Mango Board. They breezed into St. Louis in May, 2011 with a well-planned culinary challenge for two local chefs, Josh Galliano of Monarch restaurant and Nick Miller of Harvest: incorporate mango goodness into dishes with a regional flair.

The fanfare of the cook-off was fun and the food delicious. More importantly,  the event taught me how to choose and use mangoes.  They’ve  livened up my snacks and brightened my meals ever since.

Here's a video of the St. Louis Hometown Tour:

 

(© 2011 National Mango Board. Video used by permission of the National Mango Board. All rights reserved.) 

Here’s what I learned

Mango Varieties

Mangoes, available year-round, sell best spring through summer. Five varieties you’ll likely find in stores:

Haden--Grown in Mexico, Ecuador and Peru, these mangoes sport an overlay of white dots on skins a combination of green, yellow and red. The tart, peach-like flavor and firm flesh make them a good choice for salads and salsas.

Tommy Atkins--Orange-yellow skins accented with green and blushed deeply red look beautiful and taste  mildly sweet. Grown in Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and Mexico.

Ataulfo--A solidly vibrant orange-yellow skin covers a smooth, silky mango flesh. Spicy, sweet and tart, these mangoes grown in Mexico, Ecuador and Guatemala.

Kent--Kents often retain a green color when fully ripe, but you’ll find them yellow, blushed red with yellow dots as well. The flesh is deep orange and tastes exceptionally rich and sweet. From Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru and Mexico to your grocery.

Keitt--Grown in Puerto Rico, the United States and Mexico, these mangos can be still green and fully ripe, but the skin is often accented with red. The flesh is mild, sweet and tropical.

When choosing a mango . . .

Don’t rely on color. Colors vary from solidly deep yellow through green, green blushed red, to deeply red. A ripe mango has a slight give and is soft to the touch. For salads, salsas and slaws, choose a firmer mango. Soft mangos make great smoothies and puddings.

Mangoes ripen at room temperature. Don’t store unripe mangoes in the refrigerator. Once ripened, they’ll keep for up to five days in the fridge.

 Cutting a mango . . .

Couldn’t be easier. Watch this super video from the National Mango Board as food bloggers show you how to cut and dice with confidence. (© 2011 National Mango Board. Video used by permission of the National Mango Board. All rights reserved.)

  

Next post: What to do with a ripe mango. Low-fat, low calorie ecipes to enjoy. Get your mangoes ready.

Oatmeal, Elvis-Style

Oatmeal, butter-melting hot, brown sugar sweet, loaded with raisins and walnuts, topped with creamy whole milk. That's the oatmeal of snowy days during my grade-school years. Mom cooked rolled oats enough to feed seven children plus two parents. Sometimes, I'd stir the pot while she set the table. When the oats thickened and bubbled, she'd dish up bowls for each of us.

Today, oatmeal's a breakfast staple at my house several mornings a week, fall through spring. Steel cut oats and rolled oats both find space in my cabinet. I cook steel cut oats in quantity, then microwave single bowls throughout the week, but rolled oats cook up so quickly I make them one breakfast at a time.

Much as I adore butter and cream, I use them very sparingly. Ditto for dried fruits and nuts, so my toppings of choice for morning oatmeal changed. Blueberries, raspberries and chopped apples top my list today. Sometimes I'll swirl in water-packed Morello cherries. crushed pineapple or homemade cranberry sauce.  I hadn't tried bananas, seeing them as more of a cold ceral fruit, but I discovered they make a dandy topping for hot oats. 

Oatmeal, dusted with 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon-sugar, topped  with half a small banana, sliced. Drizzle a tablespoon of good honey over all and dig in. With the creamy bananas, I don't splash on my usual half-cup of skim milk. Serve this with a hearty multi-grain bread, toasted and slathered with a modest tablespoon of peanut butter. Put on your favorite Elvis tunes and rock out with this breakfast fit for the King,  just right for healthy eating.

Yogurt Cheese, a Fat Free Cream-y Spread

It's so cold this weekend, I pulled out the snowman for this photo of yogurt cheese . Brrrr.

Non-fat cream cheese just doesn’t cut it for me. Neither does non-fat mayonnaise. I’ve replaced mayo with creamy no-fat dressings for apple and potato salads. I use hummus on sandwiches in place of mayo. No-fat cottage cheese and fat-free yogurt suit me fine, but the cream cheese is a non-starter at my table. I miss a schmeer on my bagels.

My friend Terry, who scrupulously eats fat-free every day, explained that fat-free versions of familiar foods are different than full-fat foods. He doesn’t expect the same tastes, textures or mouth feel of non-fat cheeses, dressings and mayo. ‘Embrace the otherness of fat-free cream cheese,’ I repeated to myself,  but I couldn’t get past the slick feel and bland taste.

To sustain my bagel-and-a-schmeer habit, I made fat-free yogurt cheese. Tart, thick and creamy, it’s easy to make, easy to love and easy on the waistline. It’s more than just a topping for bagels, however.

Serve it middle-Eastern style with warm pita wedges, cracked olives, a squeeze of lemon juice and a light drizzle of olive oil. Blend a bit of honey, marmalade or preserves in for a sweet toast topper. Spread two thin slices of pumpernickel bread with yogurt cheese, add a chiffonade of fresh basil, thin slices of cukes, red bell pepper, carrots and celery for a delicious veggie sandwich. Stir in fresh or dried herbs for a savory cheese. For more ideas, slide on over to this pdf on the Dannon yogurt site. Yummy ideas.

 

Yogurt Cheese

Yield: ½ cup yogurt cheese

1 cup fat-free yogurt, regular or Greek style (see note)

pinch of kosher salt, (optional) 

• Line a sieve or strainer with a large coffee filter or two layers of cheesecloth. Place inside a deep bowl.
• Stir salt into the yogurt and spoon mixture into the lined strainer. Make sure there’s an inch of so of space between the bottom of the strainer and the catch bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
• After an hour or two, remove strainer and collect or discard the whey in the bottom of the catch bowl. You can add the whey to smoothies or use in cooking. Cover with wrap and refrigerate overnight, 10 to twelve12 hours.
• Peel off the filter or cheesecloth and shape the cheese into a ball or log. Pour off the whey. Refrigerate both whey and cheese. The cheese keeps well for a week.

Note: Use yogurt without preservatives or gelatin. You can make larger quantities of cheese using more yogurt. Because more whey collects, you may need to hang the cheese to drip. Check out this post at ‘A Couple Cooks.’  See what other good, healthy things this couple cooks up while you're visiting. I also enjoyed Mark Bittman's simple and straightforward method in the New York Times.