Healthy Recipes

Black Bean Salsa Salad -By Kathy Nichols the HealthyHabbitsCoach

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup corn

1 cup diced firm ripe mango or nectarine

1 roma tomato, diced

1 cup orange bell pepper

1/2red onion, thinly sliced

1 TBSP minced fresh jalapeno chili

1/4+ cup chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

2 TBSP lime Juice

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

Mix all ingredients and serve chilled.

Good over fish or as a salad.

Notes:

Beans: The black beans make this especially beautiful with the other colorful ingredients, but white beans work equally well. I don’t recommend mixing white and black beans because you lose the effect. Just an interesting tidbit: Eden beans are not only organic, but they are one of the few canned products that don’t have chemicals in the lining!

Corn: this time of year I use frozen or canned. I use organic products, partly so that I know it is not genetically modified. When fresh corn is available, I usually add it without even cooking it!

Mango: mango is easy to find year round, although certainly not local here in Healdsburg. You can add any fruit – my favorite is nectarine, but I’ve made a great salad with watermelon or other melons too. I’ve never tried strawberries, but they are coming into season and I’ll bet they’d be really good in this.

Tomato: I omit when it’s not tomato season.

Orange Bell Pepper: this is for color and crunch. Any color of bell pepper will do. I don’t buy them often out of season, but I did for this salad. This weekend I used red, instead of the tomato.

Other options: avocado, green onion, jicima, snow peas, grated carrots, thinly sliced celery, cucumber, steamed asparagus. In other words, just about anything you happen to have on hand!

Healthy Homemade Granola -By Kathy Nichols the HealthyHabbitsCoach

Dry Ingredients:
6 cups rolled oats  (you can also use a combination of rolled grains)
2 cups of raw almonds and/or walnuts (or other nuts)
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds)
½cup sesame seeds or flax seed
½ cup wheat germ or ground flax seed.
Optional:  ½ cup unsweetened coconut,
½ cup dried fruit (add after cooked) –date pieces, cranberries, cherries, apricots, mango

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients together, and then stir into dry ingredients.  Stir well to mix thoroughly.

Spread the mixture into two baking dishes. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until evenly golden brown.  Stir every 10 – 15 minutes to ensure even browning.  If you use fruit, stir once it is cooled.Store in the refrigerator.

Most granola recipes are pretty high in sugar – with up to 1 ½ cups of sweeteners in various forms. In this recipe I have cut out the brown sugar entirely and just use a small amount (1/3 cup) of agave. I think it is plenty sweet.

Agave nectar is primarily fructose. There are concerns about fructose. Even though it doesn’t raise blood sugar, because it can be absorbed without insulin it bypasses the usual internal control systems. Most of the studies on this have been conducted with High Fructose Corn Syrup. A different animal in my opinion.

You could substitute honey, but that is primarily fructose as well. An advantage of honey is the additional nutrients it may contain. But what I like about using agave is that it is so easy. Agave doesn’t harden like honey does and it blends more easily.

I think the most important point is to eat as little sugar, in any of its forms, as you can. Sweetness is a taste that we become accustomed to, which means it is possible to get used to food being less sweet. When you only have a little sugar, the source is less important.

Keep in mind that the whole flax seed is a good source of fiber, but the omega-3 fats are not assessable (although they are in the ground flax seed). If you want to know more about flax seed and omega-3 fatty acids, I have an article on my website called “Fishing for Omega-3′s”

The applesauce in this recipe is a way to add moisture and keep the fat content low. Because of all the nuts and seeds, the total fat content is not low, but it is all healthy monounsaturated fats.

I’m indebted to Molly and her blog Orangetee, for her recipe that I modified and the idea of using applesauce in cups. That makes it easy to just use what you need without opening a large jar.

The recipe calls for salt. I left it out one time and was surprised at the flatness. I never salt cooked oatmeal or steel cut oats, so I didn’t think it would be needed here. But it does seem to make a difference. At least it is a small amount, although it does add up at100 – 140 mg of sodium per 1 cup serving of granola.

So far, I have only added fruit to my batch of granola once. I generally prefer adding it when I eat it. During the spring and summer fresh fruit is available. Then, when that is gone, I add dried cranberries or dried blueberries to my bowl. When I add it directly, I know I’m getting a full serving of fruit.

Hope you enjoy the granola. Eat it in good health!