Author: Jill Wendholt Silva
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Homemade fruit-infused tea carries more antioxidants than bottled
Once a summer-only beverage, iced tea has become a year-round refresher.The $10 billion tea industry has slaked our thirst, but much of the bottled, ready-to-drink tea we consume daily is not as healthful as we’ve been led to believe.For starters, most brands contain artificial ingredients, sweeteners, additives and unnatural colors. Bottled teas also may contain…
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Nicoise: The other tuna salad
American tuna salad typically means from a can, with mayo and served on bread.The phrase “a la nicoise” (pronounced nee-SWAHZ) means the dish is prepared as it would be in the French Riviera city of Nice. Key culinary ingredients of the region include tomatoes, black olives, garlic and anchovies.This Nicoise Salad omits the anchovy but…
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Beef-tomatillo stew has virtually no fat
Tomatillos are frequently referred to as Mexican green tomatoes. The green orbs have a parchment-paperlike husk, and once removed, the surface is sticky, requiring the cook to wash well to remove the residue.Beef with Beans and Tomatillos combines lean beef eye of round and reduced-sodium pinto beans in the slow cooker to create a lovely,…
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Eating for life: Strawberry-Spinach Couscous Salad
There was a time not so long ago when the foods of the Middle East — hummus, pita chips, roasted red peppers and feta, for instance — were foreign-sounding foods. Now these flavor-packed entertaining staples are the life of the party.Likewise, instant whole-wheat couscous is a relative newcomer to the American dinner table. And it…
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Garam Masala Grilled Chicken and Vegetables contains a world of exotic flavors
When it comes to grilling, the global spice rack offers a world of exotic flavors.In India, garam masala is the go-to spice blend. The name means “warm” or “hot,” so expect this seasoning to offer some spicy heat to the dish. A blend of up to a dozen spices, there are as many variations as…
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Savory side dish brightens a winter meal
Bright red and juicy, cherry tomatoes are usually tossed into salads, eaten out of hand as a snack or used for a cheery garnish. But there’s no reason you can’t work the tiny tomatoes into a savory side dish.Warm Tomato Crisp is an unusual way to add a fresh squirt of flavor to the depths…
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Load up on flatbread with nutritious toppings (1 recipe)
Whether you call it pizza, pita, tortilla, lavosh, injera or naan, flatbread is fashionable.Although the first flatbreads date back to ancient times, health-conscious Americans are quickly adopting the breads as their own. You can find examples at fast-food joints and in supermarkets, but perhaps the best flatbreads are the ones you make yourself.Never had the…
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RECIPE: Chicken, couscous pair up for Moroccan-style meal
Need more flavor fast?Stock the pantry with instant couscous, a low-fat source of complex carbohydrates that is faster to prepare than most types of rice.A decade ago, the search for plain couscous would have left most supermarket shoppers scratching their heads. Now you can find an array of flavors, thanks to the addition of garlic,…
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Southwest cucumber salad is perfectly suited for summer
When it comes to nutrition, are you keeping current?Take the 5-a-Day message. A catchy slogan, scrapped three years ago when new recommendations pushed the number of servings closer to 10 a day, depending on your age, gender and physical activity.You can pop those eyes back into their sockets and untie those knotted fingers and toes.“It’s…
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Whip up a low-fat ice cream dessert
Imagine a Bomb Pop.Collapse the tiers on itself — and now you’ve got a “bombe,” a bullet-shaped French confection made of layers of ice cream or sherbet.The curious name refers to the spherically shaped molds that were similar to the “bombs such as assassins would hurl in past times,” according to “The Oxford Companion to…