20--- Chocolate Merlot Mousse

Extremely chocolaty with a taste of red wine. Any questions?

Chocolate Merlot Mousse
Serves 3

2 bars dark chocolate (3 oz total)
2 eggs, separated
1/3 cup whipping cream, very cold
1/4 cup merlot (or other red wine of your choice)
2 tsp sugar

Place a medium mixing bowl and mixer beaters into the freezer. Place water in a double boiler and bring to a low simmer. Place the chocolate into the top pan and leave to melt.

With a hand mixer, whip the egg yolks with the sugar till it becomes light and creamy. Add the melted chocolate and wine.

Put the cream in the bowl that came out of the freezer and whip until it becomes stiff. Add the cream to the chocolate mixture and combine with a spatula until evenly combined.

Using clean beaters, whip the egg whites until they become stiff and form peaks. Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Spoon mixture into 3 serving glasses and put in the fridge overnight. Serve topped with whipped cream.

80--- Baked Tempura Vegetables

I do like sushi. I do not like nori (seaweed), but that is another story. Admittedly, part of the reason why I like to eat at sushi restaurants is for the tempura vegetables. They are crisp and delicious, however they are also fried.

This recipe produces very similar results without all of the added fat! Use a variety of vegetables and find your favorite! Your kids will enjoy them also!

Baked Tempura Vegetables
Serves 5-6

1 yam, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
2 cups broccoli, flowerettes cut into small chunks
2 cups button mushrooms, stemmed
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed of thick stalks
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/2" rounds
4 egg whites
2 cups panko crumbs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vegetable seasoning
Nonstick cooking spray


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9 x 15" baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a shallow dish, beat egg whites with a fork. In a medium bowl, combine panko bread crumbs and vegetable seasoning. In a large bowl, toss the vegetables in flour, shaking to remove any excess flour. Dip the vegetables, a few at a time, into the egg whites then dip into the panko crumb mixture to coat.

Place the vegetables in a single layer in the prepared baking pan. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil. Bake for ~10 minutes or until vegetables are golden brown, gently stirring twice.

Serve with low-sodium soy sauce or other Asian sauce of choice for dipping.

Nutrition Info per 1 1/2 cup serving: 148 calories, 4 g fat, 23 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber

80--- Grilled Scallops with Sweet Corn Curry

Corn season is upon us! It is such a versatile grain (not a vegetable mind you-- a grain). This dish is perfect for a lazy summer night. It tastes gourmet, but doesn't force you to spend countless hours in the kitchen when you would rather be sunning yourself in your backyard.

More corn recipes soon to come as I will be visiting my family in Iowa in July and I am HOPING that some sweet corn will be ready for picking (or purchasing from a stand),

Grilled Scallops with Sweet Corn Curry
Serves 4

14-16 oz large scallops, raw
2 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, raw
1 cup lite coconut milk
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbsp yellow curry powder (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp salt




Preheat grill and coat racks lightly with olive oil.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and onion and saute until softened. Stir in curry powder and cumin seeds and continue to cook for 1 minute.

Place chicken broth, coconut milk, honey, salt, corn kernels and onion mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until thickened, ~10 minutes.

Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper. Place onto grill (may need to skewer first if they are not large enough) and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Spoon 1/3 cup sauce onto dish and place scallops onto sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired.







Nutrition Info per 1/3 cup sauce and 4-5 scallops: 203 calories, 7 g fat, 19 g protein, 14 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber

80--- Spring Orecchiette

Orecchiette are small pasta "ears". I think they look like red blood cells, only white. But maybe that's just me.

This pasta is so fresh and springy! It will give you energy for that upcoming run or surfing session.

Spring Orecchiette

Serves 4-5

10 oz orecchiette uncooked

2 shallots, chopped

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

8 oz fresh pea-sized mozzarella balls

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes

8 stalks asparagus

2 Tbsp+ 1 tsp olive oil

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
Salt & Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

In a small skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until softened slightly, ~2 minutes. Stir in white wine vinegar, then add brown sugar. Continue to heat until mixture is reduced, ~ 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare a steam pot over a large pot of boiling water. Shave asparagus stalks into steamer.

Chop heads off of asparagus and place in steamer as well. Steam for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Remove asparagus from heat.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook orecchiette until al dente. Remove from heat and drain. Set aside in a large serving bowl and allow to cool for ~ 5 minutes.

Whisk together 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar. Add to cooled pasta, then add cherry tomatoes, asparagus shavings and heads, mozzarella balls, and caramelized shallots. Garnish with fresh chopped chives (if desired) and serve.

Nutrition Info per ~1 1/2 cups: 299 calories, 11 g fat, 16 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber

80--- Salad on a Stick

My husband and I threw our annual Summer Solstice party this weekend. On the menu? Grilled pizzas! Our guests were asked to bring a pizza topping and we supplied the pre-baked, personal-size Wheat & Honey Crusts. As a dietitian, I felt the need to also include some extra vegetables as a side dish. And I wanted to do it without guests needing to use utensils.

Salad on a stick to the rescue! On some skewers I stacked chunks of iceberg lettuce, a cucumber slice, and a cherry tomato. Spinach, red onion, and strawberries adorned others. I served them with my Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing and Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette from my Harvest Salad. Some people dressed their skewer and ate it right off of the stick. Others removed the salad from the skewer onto their plate and ate it with the stick. Either way works!

80--- Monkey's Uncle Frozen Banana Creme

I read a while back that if you whip frozen bananas in a food processor they turn into an ice cream-like concoction. Too good to be true? That's what I said. But I tried it the other day. It works like a charm! Even a chimp could do it.

Bananas often get a bad rap. They have less water content than other fruits, therefore they have a slightly higher carbohydrate content and a few more calories than other fruits. But, bananas are a great source of potassium, fiber, and vitamin B6. AND they come packaged with their own little handles! I say GO BANANAS!

Here is some nutrition info so that you can make a good banana serving size choice:

Small – 6-7” long – 90 calories
Medium – 7-8” long – 105 calories
Large – 8-9” long – 121 calories
Extra-large – over 9” – 135 calories
You can add ingredients to this if you wish. Peanut butter, coconut, chocolate chips, graham cracker chunks............. oh the list goes on and on! You can also keep it really simple. No added sugar!

Monkey's Uncle Frozen Banana Creme
Serves 2

3 medium ripe bananas
3 Tbsp skim milk, almond milk, or rice milk


Spray a baking dish lightly with cooking spray. Cut bananas into chunks and place into dish, allowing space in between each chunk. Place dish in freezer for 2 hours.

Remove banana chunks from freezer and place into a food processor. Process on high for 2 minutes, then scrap edges, pushing bananas down into processor. Add milk and continue to process until bananas turn into a creamy puree (this may take ~5 minutes, but be patient), stopping processing to scrape bananas down as needed. At this time, you can add any additional ingredients that you want pureed into your mixture. If you are using chocolate chips or coconut, scoop bananas into a bowl and fold in toppings.

Bananas should have a soft serve-like consistency. If you desire a firmer treat, place in a bowl in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, or until desired consistency is achieved. Scoop out into bowls and garnish as desired.


Nutrition info per 1 cup serving without additional toppings/ingredients: 165 calories, 0.6 g fat, 41 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber

80(ish)--- Sea Salted Sourdough Burger Buns

My sourdough starter was getting out of control since I had been just feeding it without using. So, for a cookout with friends I decided to get brave. I made burger buns. They turned out light and flavorful and perfect.

These get an 80(ish) rating because where they may not be made from the most wholesome ingredients, they are homemade without preservatives or other "stuff".

Sea Salted Sourdough Burger Buns
Makes 14 buns

2 cups sourdough starter, proofed *
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup skim milk, warmed
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp white sugar
3-4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp coarse sea salt


*To proof your sourdough starter:

1. Bring your starter to room temperature and place in a bowl

2. Add 1 cup flour and 1 cup warm water to starter, mix well

3. Place in a warm place and allow starter to form a lot of bubbles on surface (anywhere from 1 hour to 6 or 8 hours)

4. Starter is now proofed and ready to use! Place any unused starter in a glass container in the refrigerator.


DIRECTIONS for BUNS

In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients except flour. Add flour, mixing until it comes together enough to be turned out and kneaded (add more flour as needed).

Knead dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and not sticky. Let dough rest for 15 or 20 minutes and then roll it out to 1/2" thick. Cut dough into circles with a 4" round cutter and place on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk (~1-3 hours). Lightly brush buns with water and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack. When cool, cut in half and serve topped with your favorite burger.


Nutrition Info per 1 bun: 141 calories, 3 g fat, 4 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates