Staying Fit
Lighten up your pie: Are you planning on making a favorite holiday pie this season? Here is a simple trick to cut your carbs in half. First, take the frozen pie shell in the tin container and let it sit out for 15 minutes. Then turn the tray over, and gently take the crust from the pan and place it to the side. Place your pie filling into the empty tin pan and flip over the bottom crust and use it as your top crust. If you are making your own crust, make only enough for the top crust.
Winter guac: Who doesn’t love chips and dip while watching TV with the family waiting for the holiday dinner to be ready? Instead of sour cream and onion, cool ranch and other carb-filled dips, try a summertime favorite: guacamole. Winter avocados still make a tasty guacamole — just make sure they are ripe. See my recipe below.
Skinny dippers: Instead of using bread as a dip for your homemade or store-bought hummus, grab something lighter. Slice some honey crisp apples and use them as your dipping sticks. It is very delicious!
Rice alternative: If you are feeling festive this season and want to cook some curry, or any other dish that requires white rice, try using Israeli or regular couscous instead. It has a rice-like texture and is a healthier alternative. My Jumbo Shrimp and Israeli Couscous dish will also be a hit.
Chilly-weather chili: Everyone loves a hearty bowl of chili, especially now that it is getting colder outside. Instead of traditional beef chili, try my amazing (and healthier!) Turkey Corn Chili recipe. You won’t even miss the beef.
No-guilt parm: For my eggplant lovers who love deep-fried eggplant parmesan but hate the guilty feeling they get afterward, try my no-fry Eggplant Parmesan with Mozzarella and Basil. You’ll never go back to the fried version.
Simple fish seasoning: I love fried fish — especially on fried fish Fridays — but I am going to make a change this holiday season and make an amazing 7-Season Baked Salmon instead. The best part about this seasoning: It’s tasty on any baked fish, so you can use it often.
Hold the bread: My family loves sandwiches, but the high sodium levels in bread are not healthy for some of us. Instead of lunching on a big bready sandwich, try my Baked Crab Corn Wheat Quesadilla. Wheat tortillas have less than half the sodium of wheat bread per slice.
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7-Season Baked Salmon
Ingredients:
2 salmon fillets, skin and bones removed
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon ground paprika
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix well with your hand, whisk or spoon. Rub mixture over salmon. Line a half sheet tray or baking sheet with foil and use the last teaspoon of olive oil to coat the foil. Place salmon on dish and bake for 13 minutes, or until it reaches preferred doneness.
Use ripe avocados for this winter guacamole recipe.
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Guacamole
Ingredients:
2-3 ripe winter avocados
1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4-1/2 small jalapeño pepper, diced with seeds removed (depending on the spiciness you prefer)
3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped (pick leaves off of stem)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 pinches freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
1 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce
Preparation:
Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out the avocado from the peel and place put into a medium bowl. Using a fork or spoon, roughly mash the avocado — make sure to not overwork the avocado. Add the remaining ingredients except the tomato and fold with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Add tomato right before serving.
Refrigeration:
Squeeze lime juice on top of the guacamole. Add a piece of plastic wrap directly on the guacamole, covering in entirety. Then add another piece of plastic wrap on top of the container itself. This will help limit the oxidation of your guacamole, and will keep it from turning dark on you.
Serves: 4
Prep time to eating time: 25 minutes
