Archive for the ‘Healthy Recipes’ CategoryPotatoes Omelet- Tortilla EspanolaFriday, March 5th, 2010
I can save your airfare right now by showing you how to make Tortilla Espanola, right here. In the United States we think about breakfast when we serve eggs in any form, but Tortilla Espanola is mostly eaten as part of lunch or dinner, or as a “tapa” at any time of the day. The nutrition advantage starts with the proportion of carbohydrates and protein provided by the potatoes and eggs; it also includes onion, adding vitamin C and fiber; and it ends with the flavor of olive oil that helps maintain your cholesterol in balance. In itself, Tortilla Espanola is a meal. You can serve it for dinner and, with a lettuce and tomato salad, the Mediterranean flavor is complete. You may as well be sitting in a terrace at a café in Madrid. Ingredients: 4 medium potatoes. Cut the potatoes in small cubes, after pilling them; add salt. Fry them in abundant olive oil. Now, when it comes to answering the question of how much olive oil to use, I only can tell you A LOT. I remember when I prepared Tortilla for some friends in California, at their house, and they gave me a tiny container of olive oil to fry my potatoes. At the time, in the 80’s, there was a big “low fat” and “fat free” movement. The whole population was scared about eating anything containing fat, even if it was natural, monounsaturated fat that is good-for-you, as is the case with olive oil. My friends did not want to listen to my arguments and requested that I boil the potatoes, instead of frying them. I did, but the result was not spectacular, like it should be. I encourage using enough olive oil where you can easily fry your potatoes without them becoming too dry and sticky. Mince the onion and add it to the frying pan after about 5 minutes, since onions cook faster than potatoes. During the frying process, I like to mash the potatoes with a rubber spatula, as they become softer. They are done when they are lightly brown. Take the potatoes and onion mixture out of the oil, squeezing out extra oil, and reserve. Beat the 4 eggs and add salt to them. Add the fried potatoes and onions to the beaten eggs and mix all well. In an 8” frying pan, put 3 tablespoons of olive oil and heat it up. When is hot, add the eggs, potatoes and onions mixture and turn the heat to medium. Shape the sides with a fork, making the edges round and smooth. Cook for about 5 minutes. Turn the omelet by placing a plate over the pan and flipping it over. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and place the omelet in the pan to cook on the other side for about 4-5 minutes. Tortilla Espanola makes a nice dish that is enjoyed by all ages. If you have a concern about calories, eat a small piece. Remember, it is best to eat good quality food in small amounts. Get your stomach used to handling smaller portions of nutritious foods and you won’t feel hungry as often. Marta Katalenas M.D. Posted in Healthy Eating, Healthy Recipes | No Comments » Fish Stew – Easy and Delicous!Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Well, I misspoke. I cannot cook without pimenton (Spanish paprika) and saffron, so I always have those two condiments at my fingertips. I strongly advise you to invest in buying them, since they can add the little kick of Mediterranean taste that some dishes need. They are both natural, unprocessed, no additives or chemical added ingredients you are going to love. But this days talking about price is important; I must say that Pimenton is not expensive since a small can of it (2.5 oz) can last months. Saffron, on the other hand, is considered the most precious and expensive spice IN THE WORLD. It comes in small filaments that are only the stigmas of the saffron flower (a member of the Iris family). Since each flower has only 3 stigmas and they must be removed from the flower by hand, it makes this spice one of the most expensive you can find. Luckily, you only need a few filaments to cook a meal! Saffron has been known since ancient times, being mentioned in the Bible. Older civilizations used it for cooking because of its unique aroma and yellow coloring properties. They also used it to make perfumes and for its therapeutic properties. It was used to calm fevers, as a liver tonic and to calm nerves. Anyway, the history is long and vast, since most ancient civilizations used it, including the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians. Today, it is indispensable ingredient in Spanish cuisine and used in all Mediterranean countries. Going back to the fish stew. Say it is Monday evening and you are driving home from work, exhausted and hungry. Let say you already have 4 potatoes, ½ onion, 2 garlic cloves, ¼ of a green bell pepper and some olive oil at home. Well, all you have to do is pay a quick visit to your friendly HEB store and pick up some white fish. You can choose between basa, cod, halibut…it goes well with any white fish. You need about 1 ½ lb. When you get home, before you change, cut the potatoes in pieces and set aside. Mince the onions, the garlic and bell pepper and cook it all in about 4 tablespoons of olive oil, until the onions are transparent. At this point you add the potatoes, in cubes, and add water to barely cover the potatoes. Add 2 teaspoons of Pimenton and 1 envelop of saffron. Cook over medium-low for 20 minutes. Now you can go and change. You also have time to check out the evening news. Now you are ready to cut the fish in small pieces, about 1×1” and add the fish to the cooking mixture. The fish will cook fast; you may need an additional 15 minutes. While you set the table and put together a salad, your fish stew will rest and absorb all the flavorings of its ingredients. Ah! I forgot to mention 1bay leaf. You should add it to the stew when you add the fish. Look in the back of your pantry, you may have some. By now you may be aware of the many studies praising the benefits of Omega 3 oils. Well, here you have them. Fish stew provides a balanced mixture of carbohydrates and protein, together with the vitamins and soothing effect of the herbs and vegetables. Perfect for dinner. Your family will be able to enjoy from the door, the minute they step into the house. I still remember the complaints of my kids when they were small. Those of you with kids know exactly what I am talking about. I had to mash everything with a fork before they would agree to eat it; they didn’t want to feel the fish, or the pepper, and blah, blah, blah. I also remember doing the exact same thing to my mother. Now we all enjoy this very simple and nutritious dish. It is time for you to create traditions and memories. The best ones will come from your efforts, when you try to teach your children to enjoy good food. Posted in Healthy Eating, Healthy Recipes | No Comments » X-MAS LITE, AND A HAPPY NEW YEARMonday, December 28th, 2009
When I go to Spain she cooks for me. She doesn’t get tired and she never makes excuses to avoid cooking. Everyday I spend there she asks me in the morning: “ What do you want to eat today?” On Christmas Eve I wanted to know what she was making. She told me she was going to cook light, since they had been overeating for a few days and she doesn’t like going to bed while still digesting heavy food. She made white fish with shrimp, saffron rice and spinach with garlic. I’ve tried this recipe before and I am going to adopt it for New Year’s Eve. This is how it goes: You take 2 white fish fillets; it can be any kind of white fish, from pangessius to cod. You place them in an oven-safe dish, applying olive oil to the bottom part, in contact with the dish. Then you take about ¾ lb of uncooked shrimp, cut them in very small pieces and place them over the fish, covering the whole surface. Then apply mayonnaise on top, being careful not to disrupt the shrimp on top of the fish. A good way to apply the mayonnaise is by using a rubber spatula, which allows you to make the surface smooth. How much mayonnaise to apply? I don’t know, enough to have the shrimp completely covered. Be generous! Then you only have to place in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until you observe the mayonnaise is turning brown. The saffron rice is prepared just the way you would prepare white rice, but adding saffron. Take 1 cup of rice, ½ onion and 1 garlic clove. Warm up 2 ½ cups of water and in the mean time start sautéing the onion and garlic in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. When the water is about to boil, add the rice to the onions and garlic and, immediately, cover it all with the boiling water. Add 1 envelope or 1 tsp of saffron and allow cooking for about 20 minutes. Add salt while it is cooking. The spinach part of the meal adds even more color and texture. In a wok, place 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 garlic cloves. When the garlic starts to get golden, add the spinach, stirring until they are done; it takes a couple of minutes. Be aware, spinach reduces in size a lot when you cook them. Plan to use a large amount if you are feeding 4 people or more. I usually buy a big tub containing 16 oz of spinach at the grocery store. If we don’t eat it all at one meal, no problem, it tastes good if you microwave it the next day. This will be my New Year’s Eve dinner. This year my family and I decide to create a new tradition for Christmas Eve. We decided to cook something humble and easy, since we are celebrating the birth of He who was Humble and Modest. We made fried potatoes, eggs and Spanish chorizo. This combination constitutes the typical Spanish meal for when you don’t have anything else ready. If you visit friends or relatives unannounced at mealtime and they don’t have enough food prepared to share, they will make you a good plate of fried potatoes with eggs and chorizo. All fried in abundant olive oil. It is not calorie-free, as no food is, but it is natural and simple. From now on, fried potatoes with eggs and chorizo are going to be my family’s Christmas Eve meal. A tradition I hope my kids would continue for years to come in their own houses (if they ever move out of mine, that is). Note: if interested in buying good Spanish chorizo, visit www.latienda.com. Happy 2010 to you all! Marta Katalenas M.D. Posted in Healthy Eating, Healthy Recipes | No Comments » The Emotional Impact of Obesity on ChildrenMonday, December 14th, 2009
Studies cited by the American Academy of Pediatrics (www.aap.org) find that “obese children have lower self esteem and self confidence than their thinner peers.” No big surprise. Kids haven’t learned to separate their sense of “self” from their body image, so when they perceive themselves to be less attractive than other kids, they believe they have less value, too. Unfortunately, this belief is reinforced by everything they see on TV and in magazines, which trumpet beauty as the most important asset a person can have. We know better, but our kids don’t. The other kids your children are around don’t know better, either, which means that overweight children get more than their fair share of teasing, and they have a harder time making friends. Remember how important your friends were when you were a child? Imagine getting through one hour on the playground without friends to play with, watching the other kids from a distance. Inside the classroom, your child’s schoolwork can suffer because of a lack of self esteem. Then poor grades make them feel even worse about themselves creating a downward spiral. What you can do The first and most important piece of advice is: Don’t become part of the problem. Don’t try to tease your child into changing their eating habits. Making fun of your child’s weight is not the way to help them lose a few pounds. Instead of positioning yourself as the enemy, become part of your child’s support system. Reinforce everything you love about this special person, every unique and wonderful quality. Let your home be a haven from the stresses of the world. At the same time, do encourage healthier eating by setting a positive example. Be honest with yourself. Do you prepare healthy meals for your kids? Do you make healthy choices when grocery shopping? Start by creating a more active life for your family by getting involved in fun activities with your child. Even taking a brisk walk around the neighborhood can be fun, and it can give you and your kids a chance to chat about your day. Being fit and healthy physically increases your child’s chance to be happy. Next time you reach for an unhealthy snack, think about the cost to your child’s long-term happiness. By Dr. Marta Katalenas Posted in Healthy Eating, Healthy Recipes | No Comments » Grandma Liliana’s Cranberry Salad: Nutritious and Delicious for ThanksgivingTuesday, November 17th, 2009
One of our Thanksgiving traditions includes a recipe from my mother-in-law Liliana, who is an excellent cook. She mixes her own traditions of Italian-Yugoslavian cooking with her many years of experience and practice and the results are out of this world. You can’t visit her without planning on gaining a couple of pounds, though. Ingredients:
Preparation:Place the fresh cranberries in a blender and blend until finely chopped. Add 1 cup of water to make the blending process easier. After blending, place them in a colander to allow all the water and juice to drain out. Whip the whipping cream until it is nice and fluffy (it takes some elbow work). Add a cup of sugar to the cranberries. Mix the cranberries with sugar and the whipped cream; add the nuts and the canned pineapple, after draining the water out of the can. Add the marshmallows. Refrigerate until ready to serve. o for a 1-hour walk in order to burn calories after! Enjoy. Marta Katalenas M.D. Posted in Healthy Eating, Healthy Recipes | No Comments » Paella Recipe- A Special Delivery for the J. FamilyThursday, October 29th, 2009Paella, the rice-based Spanish dish, is one of the most internationally known recipes. It is also very versatile, allowing many variations as long as two main ingredients are consistently present: Rice and Saffron. I still remember an invitation to a paella cookout in California many years ago. Our hosts had prepared an outside burner, the typical paella cooking pan and a large array of “yummy” ingredients to add. When they started cooking they pulled out a container of “yellow # 5” food colorant and added it to the pan. My husband and I instantly looked at each other and said: “ It is not paella”. I will leave up to you to consider the importance of real saffron when preparing a good, real paella. Saffron adds the typical yellow color to the rice, but it also adds its characteristic flavor. Other than that, this dish can really take many ingredients. Even the rice can be of any kind. Here in Texas I buy the medium or long grain HEB brand and it makes a fine paella. The J. family is moving to Hawaii; Mr. J. wants a recipe to prepare paella on the beach for his friends and family. Therefore I am going to give you my personal, family paella dish the way I have been preparing it for years. I always follow the same steps and, although I have never made paella on the beach, I do prepare it for friends as a home party and I do prefer having some steps ready and made in advance. I am going to explain my steps as I follow them when I make my own paella. I will describe what you need to prepare at home and how to bring it to your party; at the end you only have to mix it all and the results are going to be exceptional, I promise. I also want to take this opportunity to send our regards and best wishes to all our patients and parents who are members of the Armed Forces. Ingredients/utensils you may need to research and find in advance:You are going to need a paella dish. It is a shallow, metal or clay dish which you will use to cook the paella. The other two ingredients to look for in advance are Spanish paprika, called “pimenton” and saffron. You can find both a www.latienda.com Most paella dishes contain some kind of meat. I use chicken because everybody likes it, but you can add beef or Spanish chorizo, or a combination of both. The ingredients and the preparation will list the chicken recipe first, as it must be cooked in advance before adding it to the paella. Chorizo can be added directly; simply cut into pieces.
Ingredients:
For the chicken: - 1lb of small chicken wing drumsticks - ½ onion - 1/3 of green pepper - 2 garlic cloves - ¼ cup of white cooking wine - 2 tsp of Spanish paprika (pimenton) - 3 tbsp of olive oil For the Paella: - 2 cups of white rice - 5 cups of water - 1 medium onion - ½ green pepper - 2 garlic cloves - 1 carrot - 1 lb of large shrimp, uncooked - ½ lb of scallops - 18 little neck clams - 3 squid fillets - 2 envelopes of saffron (or two teaspoons of powder saffron) - 2 Knorr chicken bouillons - ½ cup of olive oil - Salt What to prepare at home: You can make the chicken in advance as follows: In a medium saucepan add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and heat for a few minutes. Add the minced onions, garlic and green pepper and allow cooking for about ten minutes. Add the chicken drumlets and cover. Pour in ¼ cup of cooking white wine, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 tablespoons of water and 2 teaspoons of Spanish paprika (pimenton) and allow cooking for an additional 10 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool off, place in a container and refrigerate until ready to take to the beach. - Make another container with fish: clean and peal the shrimp (optional); rinse the scallops and cut the squid fillets in medium pieces. Add a few spoons of water and place the container in the refrigerator until ready to take to the beach. - The clams are going to be pre-treated before we add them to the paella. Clams may contain sand inside and I advise to rinse them and then place them in boiling water for just a few seconds until they open. As they start to open up, spoon them out of the water and place them in a container with a few spoonfuls of the cooking water and reserve in the refrigerator until ready to go to the beach. - The water used to boil the clams is NOT to be discarded. It contains flavor from the clams and will be used later, when we cook the rice. You can strain it through a cloth (like a cloth napkin) and keep refrigerated until needed. Later when I indicate to boil 5 cups of water to make the rice; you can use the clam’s water as part of it. - Cut up the onion, bell pepper, garlic and carrot in small pieces and reserve. Keep in a container and refrigerate. Preparation (at the beach):
Start by bringing 5 cups of water to boil. Part of that water can be the water you saved when you boiled the clams. If it is not enough, just add more fresh water to make a total of 5 cups. Add the 2 knorr chicken bouillons and the saffron to the water and bring it all to boil. While the water is heating, place the paella dish on the fire and add ½ cup of olive oil. When the oil is warm, pour in the cut vegetables you have prepared at home, stirring occasionally and cooking until the onions are transparent. Add the cooked chicken you have prepared, with all its sauce and vegetables. Stir in as it starts to warm up. Then add the raw fish (the mixture of shimp, scallops and squid) and stir frequently while it cooks. At this point you will smell the fish and the juices from the chicken and vegetables combining and people will start to gather around you. After about 10 minutes, and while still maintaining a medium heat, pour in the rice. Stir it around until all the grains are wet with the juices from the other ingredients, just a couple of minutes. Then you add the near-boiling water (with the saffron and chicken bouillons melted in). Stir all the ingredients together for 5 minutes; reduce heat where the paella is now cooking at an even, low heat. At this point you may want to add salt to taste and insert the clams throughout the paella. Continue cooking until all the water is absorbed and the rice is soft, about 20 minutes. Good luck and Good Appetite! Posted in Healthy Recipes | No Comments » Celebrating Columbus Day: The Potatoes and Paprika ExperienceMonday, October 12th, 2009Take out your pots and pans to celebrate this fall holiday with a typical recipe from the Old World that adds flavors originating in the New World. When Christopher Columbus navigated the oceans in search of a new route to reach the valuable spices of the time, he could not have imagined that one of the fruits of the discovered New World would contribute to the striking of so many palates over the centuries. He brought to Spain an unknown type of the Capsicum pepper which, when cultivated in the region de La Vera, gave rise to the famous Pimenton de La Vera, a spice used in so many dishes of the Spanish cuisine. The region of La Vera is located in the province of Caceres, around the river Tietar. It provides the right climate, with the appropriate amount of humidity and sunshine to create this unique red pepper. When harvested in the fall, the peppers undergo a unique process of drying using the smoke from oak wood responsible for the exceptional taste. The dried peppers are then milled, stored and distributed from the La Vera region to the world. Some of us are familiar with the paprika pepper powder that we buy at the store. This one has a distinctive taste and it is the real one if bears the denomination “Pimenton de la Vera”. Here is a perfect fall dish adding flavor and nutrition that can be enjoyed by young and old when the temperatures start to go down. Potatoes with Beef and PimentonIngredients (for 4 people):
Preparation: Dice the onions, carrots and green pepper and cook them in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until the onions are transparent. Add the beef and stir in the Pimenton, allowing to cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes, cut in medium size pieces. Add water until the potatoes are barely covered by the water, add a teaspoon of saffron and cook partially covered for 45 minutes at low heat, stirring frequently. Add salt to taste. Allow resting for a few minutes before serving. Posted in Healthy Recipes | No Comments » Beef with “Camouflaged” VegetablesFriday, October 9th, 2009I had a great time recently at the Parent’s Summit Conference at McNeil High School in Round Rock, TX. The organizers did a superior job at putting together lots of relevant information for parents. My participation consisted of a talk about a Practical Approach to Children’s Nutrition. I designed my presentation to provide practical advice parents can take home and apply right from day one. I’ve learned that is what parents want, rather than theory only. One of the attendees suggested I should post my “Beef with Camouflaged vegetables” in my blog, and so I’ve provided it below. Many parents know that kids reach an age where they try very hard to avoid vegetables, even the ones they used to love when they were younger. It is a texture issue, for the most part, but it also involves a challenging attitude kids adopt while learning. My advice to overcome those moments is to be creative and continue offering the same vegetables in a way they can’t refuse them. Check out this recipe; it has everything, from tomatoes to leeks, to anything you can imagine. This recipe is my first choice when, at home, I realize I have fresh vegetables that start to look “sad”. You know what I mean. We often buy fresh vegetables to prepare a particular dish and what is left over stays in the refrigerator until it is not longer alive. Well, right before that point is when I cook them with meat, and the end result is a delicious and nutritious main dish for the whole family.
Beef with “Camouflaged” Vegetables:• 2 lb Beef Roast Preparation: First, brown the meat with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil, turning it around often. Now you are going to cut up all the vegetables and add them to the pan. When you have them all in, add a cup of water, cover and allow to cook slowly for about 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes, turning the meat around to allow it to cook evenly. By allowing the vegetables to cook with the meat, we are going to create a mixture of flavors when the juices from the meat cook in with the vegetables, and the water from the vegetables creates moist for the meat to cook in. After about 45 minutes to 1 hour, take the meat out and slice it when cool. Using a hand blender, mix in all the vegetables in the pan until they have the consistency of a pure. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the meat to the mixture of blended vegetables and allow it to cook together for an additional 15 minutes. You now have a delicious beef roast, covered by a sauce made out of vegetables. Since you are going to end up with a lot of sauce, it is a good idea to separate part of it and use it with pasta. You can cook some mixed colored pasta bows or spirals and mix in the vegetable mixture, instead of using prepared spaghetti sauce. It has all the flavors from the meat juices and it is just delicious. Posted in Healthy Recipes | No Comments » Chicken Soup for the FluSunday, September 27th, 2009I don’t know when or who came up with the recommendation of chicken soup to treat or alleviate the symptoms of winter maladies, but it is a wise advice that can contribute to an easier course of the disease. Whenever we have fever, from a viral cold or the flu, we do become slightly dehydrated, and our body rejects nutrition in the form of a heavy meal. But a light, liquid, warm repast that provides just enough calories to get by and helps to curve the dehydration caused by the fever, may just be what we need to feel better. This chicken soup is made from scratch and it is very easy to prepare. Although it is easier to open a can, just think about the hidden ingredients added to the process, such as colorants and preservatives. You may then decide to start cooking! Chicken soup provides the right amount of calories to help you fight the cold, with a perfect balance of carbohydrates (provided by the pasta), protein (in chicken and egg), fat (from chicken meat), as well as fiber and vitamins (in vegetables). Chicken Soup Ingredients - 1.5 lb of chicken. - 2 stalks of celery. - 2 medium carrots - 1 medium onion - 2 garlic cloves. - 1 medium tomato. - 1/3 cup of “egg pastina” - 1 hard-boiled egg. In a medium size pot, place the first 6 ingredients and add water until they are all covered. Bring to a boil and cook in low until the chicken is tender and the vegetables are soft (about 30 minutes). Take out the pieces of chicken and set them apart to allow them to cool off. Leave the rest of the ingredients in the water and remove the pot from the stove. Using a hand blender, mix the vegetables in the water until the solid vegetables become liquefied. When the chicken is cool, separate the meat from the bones and cut the meat in small pieces. Add the chicken meat to the liquefied mixture of vegetables. Add the “egg pastina” in the form of stars or little bullets, and allow cooking for another 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Before serving, add the hard-boiled egg cut in small pieces. Posted in Healthy Recipes, Influenza (Flu) | No Comments » Good Breakfast – Good Morning – Good DayThursday, September 24th, 2009The secret to a good day is a good morning. And the secret to a good morning is a good breakfast. Weekends allow for more time to be creative, but this early morning recipe can also be part of an after-school snack, or for dessert anytime. Ingredients: • 2 slices of whole wheat bread. How to make it: Dip the bread into the beaten egg until the bread has absorbed the egg. Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the slices of bread, one at the time, until they are golden brown on both sides. Cut the nectarine, blackberries, and strawberries into small pieces and then place them into a saucepan with one tablespoon of olive oil. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. When the fruit is soft, and the mixture is impregnated with the juice from the fruit, pour it over the slices of bread. This breakfast provides all the nutrients necessary to start the day. The egg has protein; the bread introduces carbohydrates, and olive oil is a source of healthy fat. The fruits, even when they are fried, provide fiber and vitamins. Heating allows for flavors to mix and creates a tasty meal that is complete and nutritious, good for children and adults. Posted in Healthy Recipes | No Comments » |
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