Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 07:17 AM
See my grocery bag up there – yes there, in that Polaroid-looking photo – with all the greens sticking out of it? We arranged that little photo-shoot back in October. It was all quite low-key. My neighbor, who does some freelance children’s photography, was kind enough to come on over and shoot what would become the picture for A Better Bag of Groceries. For the shoot, I ran into my local supermarket and blindly grabbed a bunch of vegetables with green, leafy tops to stick in the grocery bag. When all was said and done, I was left with a bunch of unfamiliar vegetables with which I had little cooking experience. One of those was a bunch of collard greens.
What to do with my collard greens…
I soon found myself on Foodbuzz, hunting down recipes. I came across one titled, “Low-Fat Collards recipe.” Hmmmm. Sounded good to me. So I tried it out. And, oh my…..how I now LOVE collard greens! And they get a perfect NuVal score of 100!
This week, I decided to make collard greens again. While waiting to teach my Pilates class the other night, I was chatting with a couple of my students and I mentioned that I had been cooking collard greens. The conversation went like this:
My Student: What are collard greens?
Me: You know the part of the Produce Section where they have all sorts of vegetables that you never buy – you know, carrots with green tops on them, whole beets, escarole? Just go there. You’ll find them.
2 lbs collard greens
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup turkey ham, diced (I just used lean deli ham that I had in my fridge)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used Kosher)
cracked black pepper
In a 3 quart saucepan over medium high heat, heat the olive oil just until the scent of the oil starts to bloom. (Yes, that is what the recipe says!)
Add the butter and allow to melt in the oil
Add the turkey ham and saute for about 3 minutes or until you start to get those little brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Add the onion and stir with the ham, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Saute for about 2 minutes.
Add half of the collard greens and allow to cook down some, about 1 minute or so.
Add the last of the collard greens and stir until the greens, onions and ham are combined.
Cook over medium high heat for about 2 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 cups water, salt and pepper and stir. Allow to come to a boil over medium heat.
Reduce temperature to low and simmer for 30 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain a constant simmer but not let it boil.
Serve at leisure.
Now, you must remember that I am a New England born & bred collard greens virgin. I was impressed by this recipe – my husband too, but what do we know? And my 4 year old ate them!
But the true test was not my 4 1/2 year old (who will eat anything with a little salt and/or ham in it). No, the true test was my colleague, Laura.
Here’s Laura with her grandson Ethan:
Laura, who is a Director of Customer Management for NuVal, lives and works in North Carolina. She is a true Southern gal. I think that there are even some beauty pageants in her past history! She is prim and proper, always courteous and hospitable, and she has a lovely Southern accent. Laura makes the trek up to the NuVal office in Boston about once a month or so, and when she does, I will often bring her something home-cooked or some fresh vegetables. Laura likes to eat nutritiously and I know how hard it is when you are staying in a hotel. So, I brought her some of these collard greens. And she gave them a good ole Southern thumbs up!
One of my goals for 2010 is to keep cooking through that unfamiliar corner of the Produce department. You know, the one with all the leafy greens. What should I make next?
Question of the Day
What vegetable are you curious about?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Incredible Vegetables
Tags: collard greens, Incredible Vegetables
Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 07:45 AM
One of the best parts about my job at NuVal is that I get to work with some amazing dietitians. As someone who likes to cook, eat, and plan healthy meals, I am so lucky to have dietitians as colleagues. They are a wealth of knowledge.
Annette Maggi, MS, RD, LD, FADA, is our Senior Director of Nutrition. She lives in Minneapolis, MN with her husband and their 11-year-old son.
I asked all of my fellow NuValians to share their Trade-Up stories with A Better Bag of Groceries readers. Annette answered the call and told me about a salad that her husband makes and that her son likes. I love husbands cooking and kids happily eating so I was all ears on this one!
Annette’s husband recently discovered this recipe for Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad with Maple Dressing on Rachel Ray’s Top 30 30-minute Meals. Since Annette’s husband is married to, well, Annette and since Annette is, well, a dietitian, of course they made some changes to the recipe to make a little more nutritious.
Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad with Maple Dressing
1 sack baby spinach
1/3 lb. blue cheese, crumbled (Annette’s family cuts this down to 1/4 lb.)
6 ounces walnut halves, toasted
1/4 cup maple syrup, warmed (Annette’s family uses a “no sugar added” syrup)
1 1/2 TBSP cider vinegar
1/4 cup EVOO (Annette’s family used Canola Oil instead of Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Place spinach on a large platter. Top with blue cheese and walnuts. Pour vinegar into a small bowl. Whisk oil into vinegar in a low stream, then whisk in warmed maple syrup, slowly. Pour dressing over the salad and serve.
That looks yummy! I have to try this out and see if my 6-year-old and 4-year-old like it as much as Annette’s son does. And I have to get my husband to make it!
I checked out the NuVal scores on this recipe.
The baby spinach is an Incredible Vegetable with a score of 100. Athenos Blue Cheese Crumbles score a 20. Walnuts are another Rock Star, with a score of 82. The maple syrup, as you can imagine, does not do so well. Vermont Maid Maple Syrup scores a 1. Annette warmed me that even using a “no sugar added” syrup or a “lite” syrup doesn’t change the score all that much. I found that Vermond Maid Lite syrup with no artificial sweeteners gets an 11. NuVal is not scoring vinegars because they contain no calories nor nutrients, so no score on that.
And here’s the part that I expect to get some comments and/or emails on. Extra Virgin Olive Oil scores an 11. Canola Oil scores a 24. That’s a hard fact to digest, isn’t it? I asked Annette why that is and she explained, “The real differentiator in liquid oils in omega-3 fatty acid content. Canola oil has more than 9 grams omega-3 per 100 grams of oil, followed by soybean oil with 6.8 grams omega-3, corn oil with 1.6 grams and olive oil with less than 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids.” I had no idea! I will have to look for more opportunities to trade up to Canola oil.
You can read more of Annette’s Expert Insights on the NuVal website. Additionally, Annette is starting her own NuVal blog soon, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, I’m off to buy me some Canola Oil!
Enjoy!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Spinach
Tags: blue cheese, Incredible Vegetables, NuVal Staff, oils, Spinach
Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 07:25 AM
Oh, Brussels Sprouts, how I adore thee!
Sounds like the lyrics to some kind of vegetarian Christmas Carol, doesn’t it? Or some kind of Elizabethan sonnet. I really do love, love, love Brussels Sprouts, especially when they are roasted in the oven with a little olive oil & Kosher salt.
So how did we fall in love? I always had a little crush on these little round vegetables. But it was the time we spent together in London (circa 1996) that moved me from mild infatuation to deep, irresistable passion. The Brussels Sprouts that I ate in a small theater-district restaurant while on a two-week assignment for Big Consulting Company, were not the usual big, over-cooked, water-logged variety that we sometimes see stateside. They were tiny and tender and succulent. Parting from Heathrow was such sweet sorrow.
Back in the US, I soon found that I could replicate some of the ardor that I had experienced in that London eatery, right there in my own kitchen. The key was to find Brussels Sprouts on a stalk.
Aren’t they magnificent?
Check around your produce section to find this gem. They tend to show up in fall and winter. I bought this one for $3.99 at Stop & Shop. It’s a far better deal than Brussels Sprouts packaged in a cup. My husband always knows when I’ve found The Stalk because he hears me shriek in excitement from across the Produce Department.
The Fooducate Blog recently featured a post on Brussels Sprouts and gave a very good explanation of why most people don’t like them. Fooducate explains, “An overcooked Brussels sprout is mushy, bitter, and smells bad. This is because too much heat releases glucosinolate sinigrin, responsible for a stinky sulfurous odor and flavor.” Who knew?
My favorite recipe for Brussels Sprouts comes from Cooking Light.
Brussels Sprouts with Browned Garlic
6 cups trimmed Brussels sprouts, halved (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the Brussels sprouts, 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, salt, and pepper. Place sprouts mixture in a 13 X 9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until sprouts are crisp-tender. Keep warm.
Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, and cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in juice. Add to sprouts mixture; toss well.
The best part about my love affair with Brussels Sprouts is that there is no guilt: they score a 94 on the NuVal scale.
My children will not touch these suckers. More for Mommy!!! My husband is not a huge fan either, although he will munch on a few, just to see if the ecstasy is contagious.
One word of caution: Brussels Sprouts do leave a certain, traceable aroma in your kitchen after roasting. Last night, while my husband was working late, I roasted up a big batch for today’s blog post. When my husband came home, he knew. “Honey, tell the truth. Have you been cooking Brussels Sprouts again?” I was caught in the act.
Question of the Day
What fruits or vegetables are you passionate about?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Brussels Sprouts, Incredible Vegetables
Tags: Brussels Sprouts, Incredible Vegetables
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 06:50 AM
On Monday, I gave you my tips for avoiding the dreaded holiday weight gain. You can do it – and have fun – promise! One of those tips was to eat a light lunch when you know you are headed to a holiday party in the evening. Here’s one of my favorite light lunches of all time: The Incredible Vegetable Sandwich.
The inspiration for this sandwich comes from a cafe in Providence. Back in the early ’90s, I was working in Providence temporarily for a small consulting firm who was reengineering a Big Bank. This was just after finishing my graduate degree and just before beginning my traveling days with Big Consulting Firm. There was a small deli/cafe nearby where we often got take-out sandwiches for lunch. This steamed veggie sandwich was what I often ordered – without cheese! I was such a masochist – trying to lose the last of some leftover college pounds on Weight Watchers.
Now, it is my Go-To Sandwich when I want something warm but healthy.
Chop up some broccoli (cooked or raw – whatever you have) and grate a few carrots. Top with some roasted red peppers, also chopped. Heat in the microwave.
Top with some cheddar cheese and microwave it some more. Spoon the heated veggies and cheese into a pita, and voila – lunch! I recommend adding something with protein, such as a glass of skim milk, to help to round out your lunch.
So, how does the Incredible Vegetable Sandwich Score on the NuVal scale?
Well, the carrots score a 99 (remember 100 is best) and the broccoli scores a 100. The Pastene Roasted Red Peppers do not score as well as fresh, raw peppers. They score a 7. Last time I used roasted red peppers in a recipe, some readers asked me why they score so low. So I checked in with Annette Maggi, MS, RD, LD, FADA, Sr. Director of Nutrition for NuVal LLC. She said that these roasted red peppers have 5 calories per serving (80% come from sugar) and 85 mg of sodium, so the sodium for the calories is what is driving the score down. Additionally, while there is some vitamin C in the product, it has very little positive nutrition. Too bad! They taste so good.
I use Boar’s Head Cheddar cheese from the deli and NuVal has not yet scored deli cheeses as of yet. However, we have scored other cheeses that you would find in the refrigerated section. For example, Cabot Sharp Cheddar Slices score a 22. You might think that the Cabot Light Cheddar would score better. Well, it only brings the score up by one point to a 23. As for the pita, I use Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat Flour Pita. These nutritional juggernauts, which made my list of Top Ten Favorite Foods, score a 65, an amazing score in the bread category. And don’t forget, if you add a glass of skim milk, it scores a 91. Fabulous!
So, if you know you have a fun night of cocktails and hard-to-resist hors d’oeuvres coming up, have the Incredible Vegetable Sandwich for lunch. With cheese!
Winner of Trade-Up Tuesday
Congratulations to Commenter #41 Emily J, winner of yesterday’s Almond Give-Away!
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Broccoli, Carrots, Incredible Vegetables
Tags: Broccoli, Carrots, cheese, Incredible Vegetables
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 06:45 AM
If there is one thing I’ve learned at NuVal is that vegetables are Rock Stars. They get incredible scores – almost all of them fall somewhere between 91 and 100 on the NuVal scale (100 is best). Most processed foods don’t even come close. Take bread, for example. The median score (half of the scores fall above and half fall below) for bread is a 25. The median for milk is a 52. Crackers? The median score is a 14. So, yes, vegetables rule the food kingdom. And fruit is awesome too. It’s like Michael Pollan says: Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants.
I have always been a big veggie fan. A die-hard fan. Like if I come back from a trip where vegetables were scarce, I need to have a big green salad or a bowl of asparagus. For more on my veggie-loving background, see About Me. So it is with this new knowledge of how amazing vegetables really are coupled with my innate love for all things green that inspired me to start a new feature on my new blog: Incredible Vegetables. Each week, expect to hear about a new vegetable, how it scores, and how you can prepare it.
So, let’s get going! Here’s my first Incredible Vegetable Post!
Butternut Squash
The bummer about being a veggie lover is that you have to find time to prepare them. This is not always easy. I have a hutch in my kitchen where my non-refrigerated produce sits just waiting for my attention. Right next to Finn, our Betta Fish, my trusty Ipod player, and a bottle of red wine. The pineapple, canteloupe, and tomatoes on the vine hang out there until I have time to hunt down my chef’s knife and a cutting board. And that’s where my butternut squash hung out – for a while.
The beauty about late fall/winter vegetables is that they have some staying power. This particular butternut squash I bought from Beth at Flint Farm in Mansfield, MA. It just seemed like one of those autumnal things you have to do. But somehow, by the time I finished with work, dinner, homework, bathtime, story time, and bedtime, the bottle of red wine was a little more inviting than my peeler and that butternut squash. Finally, after weeks on the hutch, the guilt got to me, and I did it. I went to Allrecipes.com, plugged in Butternut Squash, and voila – I found an enticing recipe for which I had most of the ingredients in house.
Squash-Apple Bake
Ingredients:
1 medium buttercup or butternut squash, peeled, cut into 3/4 inch slices
2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mace (this I did not have in house, so I used nutmeg instead)
Directions:
Arrage squash in a 12-in. X 8 in. baking pan. Top with apple wedges. Combine remaining ingredients; spoon over apples. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until tender.
It was delicious. My husband and I both loved it. My kids, not so much. They suffered through their mandatory two bites. All the more for Mommy!
I took it for lunch for the rest of the week, throwing in some walnuts for protein and satiety.
How does it score?
Butternut Squash gets a 100 on the NuVal score. Rock Star!
Apples score a 96 - not too shabby!
The Walnuts I threw in to make it lunch-worthy scored an 82. Worth the calories & fat.
But the Land O’Lakes stick butter scores a 2. Well, what did you expect? :- )
I definitely plan to make this recipe again and if I’m feeling lazy, I can always buy the pre-peeled, pre-sliced butternut squash in the produce section.
The Breakfast Trade-Up Bag GiveAway
Thanks to everyone who commented on my first Tuesday Trade-Up post. I was blown away by all your stories! It’s great to see that people are learning about NuVal and using it to make nutritious choices. Congratulations to Laura from Backstage Pass to Health and Happiness. You’ve won!
Question of the Day
What’s your favorite autumn or winter vegetable?
Posted by: Melissa
Posted in: Uncategorized
Tags: Butternut Squash, Incredible Vegetables, Uncategorized
