18 June 2012

The Weirdest Best Snack Ever

I just tried the weirdest snack pairing ever… that turned out to be kinda genius.

I was at Trader Joe’s and knew I wanted to get some smoked salmon (lox) to eat as a snack. But by itself, it seemed kinda sad.

I was like, “Hmmm… I def need something to put this lox on.” I wanted something crunchy, but I didn’t want to go the cracker route. For me, eating crackers is like eating air. They provide no nutrients and they’re completely unsatisfying… yet they definitely have calories and carbs. I’m fine with the occasional cracker or chip (or 50), but I try to steer clear when I can. Caloric air isn’t really my thing.

So, I tried to think: what’s crunchy and cracker-like, but NOT a cracker? Veggies are crunchy (cukes, carrots), and would probably taste dece with lox, but they’re certainly no cracker substitute.

That’s when I spotted the banana chips — unsweetened, made with coconut oil instead of omega-6-laden oils (canola, sunflower, etc.). I liked that they only have 160 cals and 13g carb per serving. Crackers are usually pretty comparable on the cals, but have more like 20-30g carb. Plus they’re a lot more processed.

Ignoring the fact that it sounded disgusting (banana + fish?), I decided to go for it.

Buying banana chips with the intention of eating them with smoked salmon, I absolutely thought, “Yup, that’s a little weird, but… I’mma give it a go.”

And folks, let me tell you, it was delicious. Banana chips are pretty savory, with just a subtle hint of sweetness, not dissimilar to the slight sweetness of certain bread and crackers (think challah). They’re also SUPER crunchy, which meant when combined with the smoked salmon, they totally tasted like a cracker.

I wanted to see if the banana chips would act like a cracker with other foods, so I also tried them with some cheddar cheese. The verdict? TOTALLY CRACKER-LIKE AND DELICIOUS. Finally, I tried them with some smoked trout. Also totally delish and not at all disgusting.

I know you don’t buy that combining banana chips with fish or cheese isn’t completely gross. That’s okay, I understand. Just promise me you’ll try it, because if you hate it? Well, worst-case scenario, you have a bag of banana chips and a package of lox, both of which are pretty dang good on their own or combined with other, more normal things — banana chips with chocolate or peanut butter, let’s say, and lox combined with cream cheese and a bagel.

But please, promise me you’ll consider banana chips the next time you want a slightly healthier cracker, mmk? They’re weirdly amazing.

1 February 2012

Five Healthy Super Bowl Snacks that Satisfy

In honor of the big game this weekend, I’m reposting an article I wrote last year at this time about a few of my favorite healthy Super Bowl-worthy snacks.

1) Easiest guacamole with dippers.

Easiest guac is, well, easy! Just combine a pre-made pico de gallo-type salsa with a few ripe avocados (you can use whatever proportion you like). If you’re feeling REALLY ambitious, add a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt. Serve with veggies to dip (carrots, celery, bell pepper, and cuke are most dip-able). Hey, you can even bring a bag of tortilla chips for your not-so-health-conscious friends. Guac is yummy, easy, and full of amazing fat!

2) Chicken wings.

Okay, so, I’ll let you in on a little secret: Chicken wings are not alwys unhealthy! As long as they’re not drenched in a syrupy-sweet sauce, they’re actually one of the better options at a traditional Super Bowl food fest. A little bit of protein, a little bit of fat. What’s not to like? If you order out, ask for light sauce. If you make ‘em yourself (recommended!), try this recipe from Alton Brown.

3) Kale chips.

Instead of potato or Dorito, try kale. No, really. These chips are BOMB! Don’t believe me? You’ll just have to make them yourself. For the perfect crispy, veggielicious, tastes-too-good-to-be-this-good-for-you treat, I always turn to kale chips.

4) Chicken skewers.

Sort of a prettier variation on wings, chicken skewers are also a fun finger food for the big game. The version pictured above is from this recipe, but really, you can go nuts with the seasoning. Make ‘em spicy, Thai-flavored, or Italian. As long as it’s chicken on a stick, you can’t REALLY go wrong.

5) Steamed artichoke with butter sauce.

This is my absolutely favorite appetizer that I always forget about! So simple and SO good. Just steam a few artichokes (Mary actually wrote a post on all the different ways you can prepare them), and then whip up an easy dipping sauce of melted butter and a pinch of salt. People might look at you like you’re crazy for bringing such a big veggie to a Super Bowl party, but once they try it, I think they’ll shut up.

25 January 2012

Happy Hour Healthista Quiz

Recently, Mary presented me with three common happy hour options and asked a simple question: Which is healthier? I’ve written about how to have a healthy happy hour before, but this seemed like a fun and challenging happy hour dilemma to tackle. Here are the choices Mary gave me:

• Glass of wine and a bread basket with olive oil at an Italian restaurant
• Sliders and light beer at a sports bar
• Skinny margarita with chips and salsa at a Mexican Restaurant

First let’s establish portion size. I went with 3 5-oz. glasses of red wine and 3 smaller pieces of crusty white bread with 1/2 tbsp olive oil for the Italian restaurant, 4 small sliders and 3 12-oz. light beers for the sports bar, and 25 chips + 6 tablespoons salsa and 3 skinny margaritas for the Mexican restaurant.

The first thing most people would probably be tempted to do is look at the calorie count for each of these options. You might be surprised to know that the approximate calorie counts for each happy hour pick are pretty similar: around 850 for the Italian restaurant, 745 for the sports bar, and 745 for the Mexican restaurant. Yes, you could save around 100 calories by avoiding the Italian option, but calorie count isn’t telling us much here.

So let’s go beyond calories, since I don’t think they tell the full health story anyway. The Italian happy hour choice not only has the most calories, but it also has the most carbs by far — around 95g compared to 50g for the sliders and beer and only 35g for the Mexican meal. But that low carb count in the Mexican happy hour might be due to some artificial sweetener in the margaritas — and I definitely don’t think artificial sweetener is healthy. But if you don’t want your blood sugar to spike, stay away from the Italian happy hour with all that bread! White bread has pretty much no redeeming nutritional qualities anyway.

Looking at protein, the sports bar meal packs the most punch, with 30g compared to 16g in the Italian meal and 11g in the Mexican meal. The sports bar meal also has the most fat (presumably from the burgers), which you all know I don’t think is necessarily a bad thing. No, the beef in those sliders is probably not very high quality, but the fat will still be more filling.

If I had to give a final verdict, my vote goes to the sliders and beer. It will be far more filling than either of the other options because of the protein and fat. If you want to kick the health factor up a notch, eat your sliders open-face and cut back to two beers. That brings the calorie count down to around 545 and the carb count down to 20g.

If you can mix and match, go with 1-2 glasses of red wine (a healthier option than beer) with 2-3 open-faced sliders. That’s around 400 calories, 15g carbs, and 15g protein. It would also be pretty satisfying because of the protein/fat, and keep you from walking away feeling bloated. Not a bad option!

21 March 2011

Two-Ingredient Dips Just in Time for March Madness!

I absolutely love dipping raw veggies into delicious dips (yes, chips also make for great dippers), but I don’t like dip recipes that require me to haul out my food processor or use nine different ingredients. Especially when two ingredients will usually suffice. The following two-ingredient easy dip recipes are easy to throw together when you want to much while watching a game, have unannounced guests, or just feel… dippy!

Easiest Guacamole

I had to start with the easiest guac EVER (featured heavily in my Imitation Chipotle Salad): equal parts mashed avocado plus your favorite store-bought pico de gallo (salsa would also work). If you prefer a less tomato-y guac, feel free to change the proportions to taste. Seriously, guacamole doesn’t get any easier than this.

Creamy, Spicy Tomato Dip

I don’t know what it is about this combo, but it really does the trick. Combine equal parts cream cheese and pico/salsa, then microwave until everything melts together. I’ll admit, it looks a little unappetizing, but I promise no one will remember that when they’re gobbling it up. Watch out, this stuff is addicting.

Gourmet-Tasting Basil Dip

I experienced this combo for the first time recently, and immediately thought, “uh DUHHHH.” Goat cheese and pesto were made for each other! And remember, pesto is “fancy-people ranch”: Like ranch, pesto goes well with everything. For this dip, combine equal parts goat cheese and pesto and then microwave until everything blends together.

Classic Artichoke Dip

No, this isn’t going to be exactly like the ‘choke dip you might find at your favorite chain restaurant, but it is going to be pretty delicious. For this one, you’ll want to combine equal parts cream cheese and hearts and then microwave ‘til melty. Because most canned/jarred artichoke hearts don’t have a ton of seasoning, you may also want to throw in some Italian spices (basil, oregano, thyme, etc.), salt, and pepper.

7 February 2011

The Genius of Joe: Mini Brie Bites

I never realized the “Trader” in Trader Joe was a euphemism for “dealer.” Trader Joe is just like a crack dealer: It sells things that blow your mind and keep you coming back for more.

Exhibit A: The Mini Brie Bites I just found there this past weekend.

So inside each container, there is a MINI BRIE WHEEL. Crazy cuteness AND deliciousness all in one package!! And I thought the single-serve goat cheeses were fabulous! These mini brie wheels take the cake.

They’re the perfect snack for those days when you just need something a little more unique and decadent. For those of you counting calories, these come in at just 70! Not bad for the most luxurious cheese EVER MADE.

I don’t think I need to tell you to run, don’t walk, to your nearest Trader Joe’s. Who knows how long these babies will be around!

P.S. See all that snow in the background of my pic? Yeah, well, that’s been my life for the past week or so. IT JUST WON’T STOP!