Tumeric Brain Boost

Jumpstart finals week with this superfood, mindblowing smoothie to tweak those brain cells to function at an optimum!

 

Packed with nutrients and sunshine, this libation features turmeric, omega-3-fatty acids, vitamins, flax, and walnuts not only beneficial to the rest of your body, but, in particular, beneficial to protecting your brain from from memory loss in your old age!

Turmeric is a tiny peppery, bright orange spice root from India that bursts with flavor and color when you grate the root--it will also stain anything it comes in contact with a beautiful yellow-orange hue...even metal! Curcumin is the actual compound, i.e. active ingredient, in turmeric responsible for both flavor and the color of this spice, and is touted for its powerful anti-inflammatory and strong antioxidant effects. 

Most of the major ailments in Western society stem from conditions directly related to inflammation, i.e. heart disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancer, and other disease processes--several studies suggest curcumin counters these effects! 

If you can't find the actual root easily, a small container of the dried version will do!

(Disclaimer: If you are pregnant or breast-feeding; or, have other medical conditions requiring  prescription medications or over-the-counter treatments, please consult first with your physician before consuming turmeric regularly or at all!)

Turmeric Brain Boost
(Adapted recipe from Cooking Light's feature on Alzheimer's and 15 Brain Boosters article)

Equipment:
Nutri-Bullet or Magic Bullet
Grater

Ingredients:
3/4 cup 2% Greek Yoghurt
1 tsp honey
1 cup ice cubes
3/4 cup chopped, peeled mango, frozen
1/2 cup fresh orange slices
1/4 cup toasted (or plain) walnuts
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 Tbls ground flax seed 
2 tsp of grated turmeric (or 1/2 tsp of dried turmeric)
Dash of kosher salt
Dash of cayenne
Dash of cardamom or nutmeg

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Prep each ingredient.
3. Combine the first 11 ingredients into the blender until smooth.

4. Top it off with a splash of nutmeg or cardamom.
5. Share a glass or store it in your fridge for later.

Tips:

• No Money:
• buy smoothie ingredients in bulk when they are in season and cheap.
• cut them up and freeze for future use
• see 'Saving Mangoes' and 'Freezing Bananas'  and 'Saving Pineapples' posts
• No Waste:
• smoothies are great for leftovers and near-rotten fruit--know the difference, however.
• No Equipment:
• not everyone has a blender...so, ask for one over Christmas...it will serve you well.
• ask for a grater or a zester
• No Skills:
• buy from the salad bar where multiple fruits are pre-chopped / -sliced
• learn basic chopping skills
• No Health:
• packed with heart-healthy omega-3-fatty acids, i.e. healthy fats in flax, walnuts
• packed with calcium in rich, creamy Greek yoghurt
• packed with Vitamin C and other vitamins in mango and citrus
• packed with turmeric containing curcumin to possibly enhance cognitive function
• packed with flavor

Nutrition Info:
Servings: 2 (1 1/4 cup)
Calories 245 / Fat 13.1g / Protein 11g / Carb 25g / Sodium 91mg / Fiber 4g / Sugars 19g (honey extra) / Calcium 109mg

Chicken Noodle Soup Revised

Struggling to make ends meet thru the last weeks before finals and Winter break? Just trying to stay warm? Limited time to cook...or no skills at all?  This recipe hits all of the cooking excuses, i.e. no money, no time, no skills to eat good food while being a college student or living on a fixed budget!

The 15 minutes you invest in making this ultimate comfort food will be the best thing you do this week to soothe your soul, warm your heart and calm your mind, and ensure you have another meal ahead. Better yet, you could share a bowl of this meal with someone else in need of company, a break, decent conversation, or a decent meal--seriously! 

My son couldn't believe how quickly I made the soup during his recent Thanksgiving break stating he didn't make soup, "because it took too long". Bah-Humbug! Excuses.

Chicken Noodle Soup Revised
(Adapted from Cooking Light Thanksgiving Edition 2016)

Equipment:
Large 5-quart saucepan 

Ingredients:
2 Tbls extra-virgin Olive oil
1 1/2 cups of yellow onion, chopped
1 1/3 cups of carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
4 cups chicken stock (homemade, store-bought, or bouillons)
1 1/2 cups of water
1 Tbls white MISO (optional, but this adds so much depth)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 (9oz) bag of frozen cheese tortellini 
8 oz of skinless, rotisserie chicken, shredded
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Prep all of your ingredients, i.e. stock, chicken, veggies as recommended. 
3. Heat 2 Tbls of oil in large saucepan over Medium heat.
4. Add onions, celery and carrots, and sauce x 8 minutes.

5. Add Miso, stock, water, and bring to a boil. 
6. Simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Add cheese tortellini x 3 minutes.
8. Add chicken

9. Serve up a mouth-watering, hunger-curing meal in a bowl. 

10. Share some with a friend.

Tips:

• No Money:
• roast your own chicken
• make your own stock from carcass
• use regular pasta, i.e. rotini, farfalle, shells, penne, elbow
• omit the meat
• reduce cost to potentially less than $1 per serving
• have a lot of mouths to feed on a fixed budget, this will help
• No Waste:
• soups are great for using vegetables on the verge of spoiling, especially for making the stock
• use the chicken carcass, even if you bought the rotisserie to make an incredible stock by covering it with water, adding quartered onion, smashed garlic, and 2-3 roughly chopped old carrots / celery sticks, wilting parsley or other herbs, and some salt and pepper, 
• No Equipment:
• only need a large pot 
• a knife
• No Skills:
• most grocery stores have any kind of vegetable pre-sliced--if you have money, this will be a super-cinch of a meal
• can you stir stuff in a big pot and adjust the heat? then you can make this meal.
• can you chop a few vegetables? then you can make this meal
• can you eat with your hands and pull chicken off of the bone? then you can make this meal
• No Health:
• cut back on Sodium by using low-sodium broth and omitting salt if you have trouble with blood pressure, retaining water, or heart / kidney disease
• adds vegetables into your life
• filling meal if trying to lose weight
• great way to have meat as "a side" 

Nutrition Info:
Servings: 6 (1 1/2 cups) 
Calories 281 / Fat 10.3g / Protein 22g / Carb 26g / Sodium 637mg / Fiber 5g / Sugars 5g
Cost:  $1.54-$1.80 / serving

Open Face Lunch

Continuing with simple solutions to your college lunch...let's consider other variations of our beloved handheld,ie the open-face sandwich!

If you are cutting carbs, say no more! 

If want a touch of comfort, make it a melt!

Or, if you just want choices and variety, go no further! 

Boar's Head Pepperonero Garlic Ham, Havarti, and Pear Melt with Fig Spread on Multi-Grain Toast

Meet 'The Open Face Sandwich' which will make lunches so much more interesting while allowing you to experiment with different breads, deli meats and cheese combinations and deciding if everything should be hot vs cold, pure vegetarian or packed with protein. 

Add a small salad or handful of trail mix to round out a simple, but delicious lunch.
Check out two options below to try this weekend!

(Adapted from Cooking Light September 2016 magazine edition with some minor changes to spice things up)

Pepperonero Garlic Ham, Havarti and Pear

Equipment:
Toaster Oven

Ingredients:
Multi-Grain Crusty Bread
Nance's Spicy Mustard
Fig Jam or Spread
Boar's Head Pepperonero Garlic Ham, thinly sliced
Swiss, Havarti, Dill Havarti, Munster, or your favorite cheese, thinly sliced
Bosc Pear, thinly sliced with seeds removed

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Toast your slices of bread and spread the fig jam.

3. Layer the ham and spread with the mustard.

4. Add a few pear slices (use apples if you can't find pears)

5. Top everything with your favorite cheese and broil until bubbly and browned.

The Dark Rye
This is an incredible option for anyone cutting back on meat, seeking to avoid fats and high-sodium content, and looking for ways to "eat your veggies" without getting bored. Use a German type of dark, dense rye bread where coarse grains are packed and compressed for consumption.

Equipment:
None

Ingredients:
Any veggies you want, thinly sliced (this is what I had in the fridge)
2% Greek Yoghurt
Fresh dill & chives, finely chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Dash of lemon juice (optional)
Dense German Dark bread 

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Add 1 tsp of chopped dill and 1 tsp of chives to 1 cup yoghurt.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste
4. Spread yoghurt mixture on top of one slice of dark rye bread.
5. Add your sliced veggies.
6. Top with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh herbs, salt and pepper to taste.

Strawberries Delight

Strawberries are simply awesome--stand alone sweet or combined with other flavors--these little bites make for an easy snack or light dessert! In other words, ideal for college cooking and college living especially when the farmer's markets start opening for business. Try seeing which fruits you can get during prime season to make your meals (and eating) bursting with flavor (and nutrition).

The recipe I am posting below was listed on the last page of Cooking Light May 2016 edition--almost like a side note or after-thought or space-filler--but what an idea for anyone trying to keep desserts simple, clean and healthy without sacrificing deliciousness and cravings. 

Additionally, this hidden gem of a recipe identified a simple way to ensure common leftover ingredients like low-fat sour cream do not go to waste, but instead, get incorporated as a component to making your fruit salad "sing"--multi-use in other words!  Add a few small chocolate chip cookies and you are good to go!

(Adapted from Cooking Light May 2016 edition. 

Would recommend less sugar when the berries are sweet...maybe none at all!)

Strawberry Delight

Equipment:

Large bowl 

Paring knife

Mixing bowl

Whisk

Ingredients:

1 lb of rinsed, hulled and quartered strawberries

3 Tbls of sugar or use Vanilla Agave syrup

1/2 tsp grated orange rind

2-3 Tbls of orange juice

1-2 basil or mint leaves, finely chopped (optional)

Dipping Sauce:

7 Tbls reduced-fat sour cream or greek yoghurt

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tbls sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands and the strawberries. 

2. Prep your fruit.

3. Add sugar, orange rind and orange juice to the strawberries. Let stand x 20 min.

4. Prep your dipping sauce by combining sour cream, whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla.

5. Add a few cookies, like Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chips from Crunchy Cookies.

6. Enjoy the sun in your mouth today!

Fish Nuggets 4 College Cooking

Craving childhood favorites lately like grilled cheese, mac 'n cheese, biscuits, chicken nuggets and fish sticks--but, I really wanted all the nostalgia and comfort without the artificial flavors, saturated fats, and laundry list of unknown ingredients!

Luckily for me, I came across a great deal on fresh tilapia at the grocery store and a simple recipe of Fish Nuggets in Cooking Light--a few ingredients, simple steps, and delicious-ness when all was said and   done.

The recipe might be too messy for some, but why not take the challenge and make a great meal tonight. More than plenty to share with a roommate or hungry college student and friend.

(Adapted from Cooking Light--recommend making double egg-wash and double panko)

Fish Nuggets 4 College Cooking

Equipment:
Sheet Pan
3 Shallow Mixing Bowls (or Cereal bowls or pyrex dish or pie dish)
Functioning Oven
Platter with Parchment paper

Ingredients:
1 lb tilapia fillets, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces and chunks
Salt & Pepper
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 eggs
1 Tbls water
1 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs, preferably no flavors

Easy Dipping Sauce (combine all ingredients):
1/4 cup Light Mayo or Olive Oil Mayo
1 Tbls dill relish (like for hot dogs)
1 Tbls green onions

Or:
Ketchup

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Preheat oven with sheet pan at 450F-500F degrees.
3. Prepare your fish chunks with salt & pepper.

4. Prepare your assembly line:
--shallow bowl with 1/3 cup cornstarch
--shallow bowl with egg + water wash, briefly whisked with a fork
--shallow bowl with panko breadcrumbs

5. Move fish chunks into cornstarch, then egg wash, then breadcrumbs.

6. Set on a platter with parchment paper.

7. Remove the sheet pan from the oven safely without burning yourself.
8. Spray lightly with PAM spray and place fish nuggets in a single layer.

9. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 450F degrees x 12-15 minutes.

10. Make sure to fish nuggets at 8-10 minutes.

Have dipping sauce (or ketchup) ready and dig in!

Cravings Satisfied!

Pocket Pancakes 4 College Cooking

This week's post is a great idea in a small packet and perfect for college and off-campus living! With a little time, on a long weekend for example, you can whip up these Pocket Pancakes for carry-out on your way to classes on Monday morning!

College cooking is not always easy with late nights and busy schedules--so, a little prep work goes a long way--especially, if you have a freezer! You can take these pre-made pancakes out of the freezer and re-heat for 2 minutes in the time it takes you to brush your teeth. Ready when you walk out the door. 

This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light September magazine, which uses a novel ingredient, Peanut Butter powder, to create a peanut butter-flavored pancake--sounds perfect; except, I found the whole wheat and PB powder combo quite dry and saw-dusty in flavor as well as unrealistic for most college students!  

Unless you are using whole wheat flour regularly…money, flour and taste will go to waste for sure! Great concept nonetheless for leftover pancake batter or for the college student thinking ahead.

(Certainly try the Cooking Light version if you are looking for a somewhat healthier, fiber-laden, less sweet pancakes…it is posted at the end of this blog post!) 

Instead, I focused on revising this whole concept to a cheaper, quicker, and simpler version with Bisquick box mix--an easy option for college cooking. Plus, Bisquick mix is a great staple ingredient for the college pantry--another high-yield grocery item when cooking on a budget!

Pocket Pancakes 4 College Cooking

Equipment:

Mixing Bowl

Large Non-Stick skillet

Baking sheet

Ingredients:

2 cups Bisquick mix

1 1/3 cup milk

2 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbls sugar

2 Tbls vegetable oil

2 eggs

pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands and preheat oven to 350F degrees..

2. Combine the Bisquick mix, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla and vegetable oil in a bowl with a whisk.

3. Add the milk and eggs and combine well. Batter will seem 'thin', but this is ok.

4. Heat your skillet at MEDIUM heat with 2 tsp of butter per round of making pancakes.

5. Use a 1/4 cup batter for each pancake and wait for bubbles to appear on surface.

6. Once bubbles form, add a dollop of jam, Nutella, honey, or PB to the center of 2 of the pancakes.

7. Flip the "empty" or "plain" pancake on top of the "filled" one.

8. Place pocket pancakes onto baking sheet.

9. Bake @ 350F degrees x 8-10 minutes.

10. Sprinkle with powder sugar and syrup for immediate consumption!

Pocket Pancakes

--Or, if freezing, allow to cool completely. 

--Wrap each pocket individually in Seran wrap and freeze in large freezer bag.
--When ready to eat, remove wrapping, and microwave for 2 minutes prior to eating!

Cooking Light's Multi-Grain Peanut Butter & Jam Stuffed Pancakes

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup peanut butter powder
6 Tbls oats, could use quick-oats (exchanged 3 Tbls cornmeal for 3 Tbls oats)
2 Tbls sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups buttermilk
1 egg

1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Add buttermilk and egg.
3. Follow same steps as above with batter and filling.
4. Once pancake pockets are made, bake at 350F degrees x 10 minutes.