Sunday, August 25, 2013

Healthy comfort food

With school starting up again the time to say goodbye to close friends has arrived. College is wonderful, but right now leaves us all feeling a little lonely. The obvious fix to this problem? COMFORT FOOD!

I raided our fridge for anything that tickled my fancy, as my grandpa would say, and with that was off! My experiment ended up including roasted vegetables and chicken that was topped with cheese, and lots of it, then baked to perfection....or pretty dang close at least;)

Here's what I did to create some healthy comfort food:

Chopped and roasted the veggies

Thinly sliced and caramelized the onions
Grated three different kinds of cheese

Cubed and browned chicken
Assembled veggies, chicken, and cheese in layers
Baked to near perfection:)

YUM:)
Chicken and Vegetable Comfort bake:
Serves 4

- 2 large zucchini

- 1 head cauliflower

- 1 pint cherry tomatoes

- 1 medium yellow onion

- 2 cups sliced mushrooms

- 4 chicken breasts

- 4 oz cheddar cheese

- 4 oz mozzarella cheese

- 2 oz Parmesan cheese

- 1 pint tomato sauce

- olive oil

- 1/8 cup chicken broth

Directions: 

1. Cut zucchini and cauliflower in small chunks and cut cherry tomatoes in half. Place on parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes stirring half way through. After removing from the oven, reduce heat to 350.

2. While vegetables are roasting, heat 1 tbls. of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Once hot reduce heat to low and add thinly sliced onions. Cook until caramelized, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In the same skillet as you cooked the onions, add 2 tbls. of olive oil and heat at medium high heat. Once hot, add the cubed chicken breasts and cook until cooked through and browned on all sides. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. In the same pan as you cooked the onions and chicken place 1 tbls. of olive oil and place sliced mushrooms and the chopped bell peppers. Toss in oil and cook for about 1-2 minutes then add a little bit of chicken broth to deglaze the pan, I used about 1/8 cup. This is where all the flavor comes out...ohh yeahhh!

5. Turn off heat and add browned chicken and roasted veggies to the pan with the bell pepper and mushrooms. Stir until well combined.

6. Time for assembly! Place 1/3 of veggie and chicken mixture on bottom of 9 x 13 inch greased baking dish, next top with a 1/3 of your favorite tomato sauce (I used a tomato basil from a local Kenwood Italian cafe called Cafe Citti), and then top with cheddar cheese. Continue this layering process, but the second layer put the mozzarella cheese and on the top place the Parmesan and caramelized onions.

7. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and top is golden.

8. Remove from oven, let cool, and enjoy!


Fun Facts: ZUCCHINI 
http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/8-health-benefits-of-zucchini.html

Diet
One cup of zucchini has 36 calories and 10% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, maintains low blood sugar and curbs overeating.

Lower Cholesterol
The dietary fiber in zucchini helps lower cholesterol by attaching itself to bile acids that the liver makes from cholesterol for digesting fat.

Cancer Prevention
The high amounts of fiber in zucchini help prevent carcinogenic toxins from settling in the colon. Moreover, the vitamins C and A, as well as folate, found in zucchini act as powerful antioxidants that fight oxidative stress that can lead to many different types of cancer.

Prostate Health
Studies show that the phytonutrients in zucchini aid in reducing the symptoms of benign
prostatic hypertrophy (BOH), a condition in which the prostate gland enlarges and leads
to complications with urination and sexual functions in men.

Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention
A one cup serving of zucchini contains over 10% of the RDA of magnesium, a mineral
proven to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke

Lower Blood Pressure
Along with magnesium, the potassium found in zucchini helps lower blood pressure.

High in Manganese
A trace mineral and essential nutrient, manganese provides many health benefits and contributes to a slew of normal physiological functions. One cup of zucchini contains 19% of the RDA of manganese, which helps the body metabolize protein and carbohydrates, participates in the production of sex hormones, and catalyzes the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol.


Wishing you a healthy day, the Tori May way!
Until next time, 
xoxo
-T










Monday, August 19, 2013

Lactose-free peach melba fairy cakes



By Rebecca Almond

Just peachy! Lactose-free cupcake
For those of you who are lactose intolerant or know someone who is, you’ll be familiar with the problems often faced when searching for lactose-free recipes. So it’s great to hear top London cookery school L’atelier des Chefs has teamed up with Lactofree to offer a series of cookery courses to inspire lactose-free cooking.


From 6 September to 9 November, you can learn how to create favourite dishes – from curries and French cuisine to cakes and bakes – using Lactofree’s cream, spread, dairy drinks and cheeses. And the good news is, it couldn’t be easier! The products can be used just like their lactose-containing equivalents – it’s just a matter of making a straight swap.

We went along to test the claim for ourselves and whipped up a batch of peach melba fairy cakes.

‘If anything, baking with Lactofree Spreadable is easier than butter,’ says head chef Neil Matthews. ‘It has a softer consistency so can be used straight from the fridge. The spread does make a looser cake mixture, but the quantities and cooking times are exactly the same.’ And they taste like the real deal, too.

To whet your appetite, the chefs at L’atelier have kindly shared their Lactofree cupcake recipe, exclusively for HFG blog readers! Why not give it a go, then visit atelierdeschefs.co.uk/en/cooking-classes/themes/1375-lactofree-cooking.phpto see their full range of Lactofree cookery courses.


Peach melba fairy cakes
Prep: 15 min + cooling Cook: 15 min Makes: 24 cupcakes

For the fairy cakes
250g Lactofree spreadable
250g caster sugar                                                          
250g self-raising flour                                                  
4 eggs
1tsp baking powder
50g fresh raspberries                                       
A few drops of red food colouring 

For the peach compote
50g caster sugar
30g fresh peaches, cut into 1cm pieces
100ml dry white wine

For the icing
250g icing sugar, plus extra to dust
100g Lactofree soft cheese
150g Lactofree spreadable                                           
A few drops of red food colouring                              
20g fresh peaches, chopped, and 50g fresh raspberries, halved, to decorate


1 Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and line 2x12-hole fairy cake trays cupcake cases. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Lactofree spreadable and 250g sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition until well combined. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then gently fold to combine. Add the food colouring and mix gently, then add the fresh raspberries and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, then bake for 12–14 minutes.

2 Remove the cupcakes from the oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat the caster sugar in a saucepan over a low heat until it turns into a dark caramel. Remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the peaches. Add the white wine, then return the pan to a medium heat, stirring continuously, for 1 min or until the peaches soften. Remove the mixture and set aside to cool completely.

3 To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl, then add the Lactofree soft cheese, Lactofree spreadable and food colouring and whisk until smooth and combined. Spoon the icing into a piping bag with a star nozzle attachment.

4 Using a small knife, cut a small piece from the middle of each cupcake and set aside. Spoon some of the peach compote into the middle of each cake, then pipe in a little of the icing. Replace the cake pieces, then pipe on a little more icing. Decorate with the raspberries and fresh peach pieces, then dust with icing sugar.


Tip: When using coloured butter icing, use disposable rather than fabric piping bags as the food colouring can stain.



Per cupcake 

222kcal

2.3g protein

12g fat

5.5g saturates

27.2g carbs

20.6g sugar

0.6g fibre

0.3g salt

45mg calcium

0.4mg iron

For more on lactose intolerance and the Lactofree range, visit lactofree.co.uk