Healthy Snack Wednesday: Recipe Feta Beet Dip & EatStrong Giveaway!

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

 

Make sure to read to the end of this post to enter to win a month’s supply of EatStrong snacks!

Healthy Snack Wednesday is nearing an end. If you remember, this little project was started at the beginning of January as part of the weight loss challenge at work. I have to say, doing something like this in the midst of one of the worst winters in history is very challenging. Waking up at 5 am to get a workout in, when it is 10 degrees and there is a fresh foot and a half of snow on the ground…yeah…not so easy! I actually did very poorly on that aspect of things. To tell the truth, I didn’t get my butt back into gear until last week! I am proud to say that I am back on my regular workout regime, and thanks to the Virtual Trainer I discovered on Shape.com, I have a renewed passion for getting back in tip-top shape! The final weigh in for the challenge is on Friday, so I will let you know how that went.

There are 2 main reasons I am thrilled to have done the Healthy Snack Wednesday series. The first is that I had to go outside of my comfort zone to create new recipes during the time of year when the obvious ingredients (fruits and veggies) are at their least bountiful. I have truly created some recipes that will definitely remain in my regular rotation, and that I am still pretty obsessed with! My top 3 Healthy Snack Wednesday recipes? Easy!

My very first recipe, white bean bruchetta dip,

 metch (which I have made 4 times since), and Beet Chips, which my taste testers are requesting more of!

I used Golden Beets & Regular Beets

Maybe a top three isn’t so easy, let’s make it a top four. I cannot leave out the “healthier” bread pudding! I made it 3 times in one week alone!

The second reason I am thrilled to have done this series is that it challenged me to produce a quality blog post EVERY Wednesday. That is much more difficult than it sounds when you work full time, are getting your masters degree, do some consulting, and are trying to get a creative dinner on the table every night. So this was a great challenge, and I am glad I saw it through to the end. I don’t think this is the end of Healthy Snack Wednesday, maybe it is just the cutting back. I think the series will still pop up on the blog once in a while, for sure!

On this journey, I have been so lucky to receive the support of so many great products as well! A special thank you to Dave Eats!, Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats, Popchips, Veggie Patch, Chobani, Pretzel Crisps, and EatStrong (whose giveaway is at the end of this post!). It was really fun to be challenged to use these products in our healthy snacks! I know I have a few very happy readers thanks to these sponsors as well!

I couldn’t end this series without a recipe. There is a restaurant in Cambridge called Sofra. It is a small cafe style place…oh yeah, and it is an Ana Sortun adventure, so you know it is good! I discovered the eatery when my sister was in town, and  now it is a regular stop whenever she is here. I also run into them at the Copley Farmers’ Market, and can usually be persuaded to purchase one of their delightful tarts, whether it is sweet or savory. But my favorite item from Sofra is a Meza Platter! They have so many delightful meza, that it is always a hard choice, however you can’t go wrong! My very favorite items of the meza? Beet Tzatziki and Whipped Feta with Sweet & Hot Peppers. For this Healthy Snack Wednesday, I decided to make a hybrid of these two dishes…Sofra Bakery and Cafe on Urbanspoon

 

Feta Beet Dip

Ingredients

  • 1 small beet
  • 1/4 lb feta
  • 1 tbsp light sour cream
  • salt to taste

Directions

  • Peel and quarter the beet
  • Place beet in a small pot and cover with water
  • Bring to a boil and boil until the beet is fork-tender (about 10 – 15 minutes)
  • Drain the beet and let cool
  • Add the feta, boiled beet and sour cream to a food processor or blender
  • Puree until the beet is mostly pureed
  • Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour so that the dip will harden
  • Serve with your favorite veggies, pita chips, pretzels or crackers!

GIVEAWAY!!!

I was so happy to receive some delicious and ultra healthy samples from EatStrong. Up until I received the samples, I hadn’t even heard of the product, but now I am hooked.

Www.EatStrong.com is a great resource if you are looking for ways to live healthier, and who isn’t? EatStrong believes in real food. Made from all natural, rich and nourishing ingredients, we deliver satisfying healthy snacks to fuel your body. The combination of nuts, seeds and organic chocolate fortifies and revitalizes from toes to tastebuds.

EatStrong has even developed their own healthy snacks. How appropriate for Healthy Snack Wednesday! I am honored to offer the winner of my final Healthy Snack Wednesday contest a MONTH’S SUPPLY OF EATSTRONG SNACKS!! A month’s supply! How awesome is that?!

Here is what you need to do to enter:

  • You must live in the Continental U.S. You must also leave a way for me to get in touch with you if you win.
  • REQUIRED ENTRY- Comment on this blog post about what your favorite high energy snack is!

The remainder of ways to enter are optional, and you may do one, or all of them. You will get an entry for each that you do.

  • Bonus Entry- Follow EatStrong on Facebook or Twitter and leave a comment letting me know you did so.
  • Bonus Entry- Become a fan of Eat.Live.Blog on Facebook and leave me a comment letting me know you did so.
  • Bonus Entry- Tweet about this contest. Your tweet MUST contain @renh77 @eatstrong & http://wp.me/pVsto-j3. Leave me a comment letting me know you did so.
  • Bonus Entry- Write on EatStrong’s Facebook Wall “Eat.Live.Blog sent me! ” and leave me a comment letting me know you did so.

Blah, blah…

  • The winner must leave contact information for me to notify them
  • The winner will be asked to send me their mailing address
  • The prize will be mailed to you directly from EatStrong’s representative
  • Winner will be chosen using Random.org
  • Winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 9, 2011 by noon.
  • Contest will close to entries on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 9pm.

Disclosure: EatStrong did provide me with one sample of each snack and is solely responsible for the prize in this contest. As always, all opinions are my own, and I was under no obligation to review or giveaway these products.

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Healthy Snack Wednesday: Get Your Veggies in Your Chips & Deli Flats Winners!

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

I used Golden Beets & Regular Beets

Go ahead, ask me the one food I can not turn down and cannot stop eating. Go ahead…I’ll give you a hint. If you bet I couldn’t eat just one, you would be 100% correct! Chips. The salt. The crunch. The crispness. I can’t get enough and can’t turn them down.

In current years, there have been some healthy changes in chips, using better oils, and baking them make them a little better for you. But baked chips taste like cardboard, and there is no way that large amounts of Olestra can be good for you.

So, when I ready my Healthy Snack Wednesday partner in crime’s post about Sweets & Beets, my Healthy Snack Wednesday idea was born! Beet Chips it is! And I didn’t stop there. I also created a company-ready treat from these delicious bites that is reminiscent of the blue cheese topped homemade chips that are fairly popular in restaurants these days.

The best part about these chips, the nutritional value! Beets are low in calories (37 calories per 1/2 cup), high in fiber (2 grams per 1/2 cup), and have zero fat! I also was able to purchase local beets, which made me happy. Although the local beets weren’t as pretty (on the outside) as the “other beets”, they sure were beautiful (and tasty) on the inside…which is WAY more important.

Tabasco Flavored Salt! Yum! Get your's at http://www.daveeats.com

With just a squirt of cooking spray, and a sprinkle of Dave Eat’s Tabasco Flavored Salt (I used the hot salt to give it a nice kick!), these are the healthiest salty, crunchy snack around!

Beet Chips

Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
  • Cover a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray
  • Slice beets, thinly and uniformly, using either a mandolin slicer, a peeler, or a slicing attachment for a food processor (I used the mandolin, without injury I may add!)
  • Pat beets drive with a paper towel
  • Place a single layer of beet slices on the prepared baking sheet
  • Spray beets with a thin layer of cooking spray and sprinkle with salt
  • Bake for 20 minutes and then flip the beets
  • Bake for an additional 10 – 25 minutes, checking frequently
  • Baking time depends on several things: thickness of slices, type of beets, ripeness, your oven…these can burn quickly, so make sure to watch them.
  • Beets are ready when they no longer feel damp or flimsy
  • Take beets off the baking sheet and place in a brown paper bag to cool

Fancy Beet Chips for Company

Ingredients

  • Beet chips prepared as shown above
  • Equal parts sour cream & balsamic vinegar
  • Crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese

Directions

  • Place your finished beet chips in an oven-proof dish
  • Sprinkle the chips with your cheese
  • Place in a 350 oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese just starts to melt
  • While the chips are baking, in a dish mix together equal parts balsamic vinegar and sour cream until smooth
  • Remove chips from oven, place on serving plate, drizzle with the sour cream mixture and serve!

Disclosure: Dave, of Dave Eats!, is the husband of a great friend of mine from all the way back in elementary school! Not only is Dave a great guy, but he makes amazing spices! I was provided samples of Dave Eats! spices to try, but was not required to review them. My opinions of the product are, as always, my own, but…come on! You guys know me, it is SPICY SALT, of course I love it!

Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats Winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Deli Flats Giveaway! It is now time to announce the 3 lucky readers who each won 2 packs of Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats! Please email me renh77 at gmail dot com with your address and your prize will be mailed to you! Congrats!

And the winners are…

  1. Janice
  2. Emily of www.acambridgestory.com
  3. Delishhh of http://delishhh.com/

Enjoy your Deli Flats! I certainly did!

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The Pickle Pig Rears its Head!

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

For years, my boyfriend has affectionately referred to me as a “Pickle Pig”. I like pickles…a lot. I can, do, and will sit down with a new jar and get up with an empty jar of pickles. As a matter of fact, I did that just last night while trying to strike up the motivation to write this post!    

My very first pickles. I'm a proud mom!

 

I digress…A couple of weeks ago, I was on Twitter when a post from @doughmesstic about making some quick ice box pickles. I have always wanted to dabble in pickling, but never had the patience to let something ferment for 10 days+. So this was the perfect recipe for me! And that was the day the fun began…
My first experiment came out well. I hyped the whole process up to my co-worker Lara of Good Cook Doris. She was happy to join me in the first official taste-testing. The results – Yummy! For this particular recipe, I thought the sugar could be lessened a little, and there is a certain flavor in the back of the taste that I don’t love. I think it was the turmeric, but I can’t quite figure it out. I will adjust the next batch, and we will see what happens.
 
Well the pickles must have been good, because the flood gates opened! Lara sent me this link for Loco Diner’s spicy garlic dills. Now this is WAY more up my alley! I have always been partial to the salty, vinegary dill deliciousness! I will note, it is not like me to follow recipes. I generally use them as a guideline and do my own thing as the mood strikes me. However, I felt when making something like pickles for the first time, where there is science involved, I needed to be fairly exact. Once the first couple of batches were complete, I figured I could mix things up a little.     

Dilly goodness!

 

The dills were great! But…there is always a but…they weren’t exactly as I like them. I think the next time I will reduce the water to 10 cups and use 3 cups of vinegar. I will also definitely up the garlic level and the red pepper, the spicy factor was not up to my level. But all in all, these were really good! The recipe below is exactly how I made them, feel free to adjust via my untested recommendations!      

Well pickle wars was on! Lara arrived the next day with a slightly adjusted version of my bread & butters which, in my opinion, was on the track to being much better. She lowered the sugar level, and drained all of the “stuff” after 24 hours of marinating. Next up from Lara, pickled shallots. I am not the biggest shallot fan, they are a little too strong for me, but these were pretty good. I countered her shallots with beet pickled onions which I      

Beet pickled onions...48 hours to perfection!

 

free-formed from my now extensive (can 2 batches be considered extensive?) pickling expertise! These were perfect! I often sit at a salad bar picking the onions from the beet mixture, so this was the perfect fix! These did need an additional day to pickle so they would lose their onion-y potency. The recipe below is pretty approximate, since I did throw it together.      

So where will this pickling take us? I have no idea. All I know is that we have become obsessed, constantly talking about adjustments and what to pickle next. The hot peppers growing in my garden are sure to make their way into one of my jars eventually. However, because the are #29, I don’t want to waste them on just any recipe. What I do know, is that through pickling I have redeveloped my love for the creativity involved in cooking. It mesmerizes me that you can create something completely new out of a few ingredients. I also know exactly what presents everyone is getting for the holidays this year…Clear out your pantries!!      

       

Bread & Butter Icebox Pickles
Adapted from @doughmesstics Quick Refrigerator Pickles
6 c.  sliced cucumbers (chips)
1 c. Chopped cilantro (or to taste) ( we like a lot)
1 c. chopped green onions
1 c. white vinegar
2 c. sugar
2 tbs. Kosher salt
1 tbs. celery seeds
1 tbs. Mustard seeds
1 tbs. Turmeric
  • Crinkle cut the cucumbers into the desired thickness
  • In a bowl, combine cukes, cilantro & onions
  • Fill jars with cuke mixture
  • In a non-reactive pot, using utensils you don’t mind staining, add vinegar, sugar, and all spices.
  • Stir well
  • Slowly bring to a slow boil, stirring frequently
  • Let slow boil for 1 minute
  • Cover your pouring area with a cloth or towels, this stuff will stain!
  • Ladel the mixture into the jars over the cucumbers (be careful, it is very hot!)
  • Put a lid on your jars and allow to marinate for at least 12 hours
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Quick Dill Pickles Recipe
Adapted from Locodiner.com’s Spicy Garlic Refrigerator Pickles
5-6 lbs pickling cucumbers
 1 large, purple onion, sliced thinly
12 c. water
2 c. white vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. salt
2 bunches of dill, stems trimmed, coarsely chopped
2 tbs. whole peppercorns
2 tbs. dill seed
2 tbs. mustard seed
2 tbs. dried, minced garlic
**1 tbs. hot pepper flakes, optional (This is a lot. If you don’t want your pickles spicy, just add 1 teaspoon of pepper flakes or none at all)
3 bay leaves
10 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • Slice your cucumbers to desired shape/slice and place in a very large bowl (I made spears, slices, krinkles, and halves)
  • Mix in sliced onions
  • In a separate bowl, mix peppercorns, dill seed, mustard seed, dried minced garlic, pepper flakes and bay leaves
  • In a large pot, over medium heat, stir together water, vinegar, sugar, salt, dill, fresh garlic slices
  • Slowly add in the spice mixture
  • Stir frequently while bringing to a slow boil
  • Allow mixture to slowly boil for 1 minute
  • Slowly pour hot liquid over cucumbers
  • Sit pickles on the counter until they reach room temperature. At this point you may transfer to plastic containers with lids.
  • Allow pickles to marinate for a minimum of 24 hours

   

  

Beet Pickled Onions
Adapted from my brain
1 Large Vidalia Onion (sliced)
1 Medium Purple Onion (sliced
3 Small Beets (peeled and sliced into strips)
2 Large Garlic Cloves (peeled & thinly sliced)
1.5 c. White Vinegar
1/4 c. Cider Vinegar
1/4 c. White Balsamic Vinegar
1.5 c. White Sugar
1 tsp. Salt

   

  • In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, add vinegars, sugar, salt and beets
  • Bring to a slow boil, stirring frequently
  • In a bowl, mix together onions and garlic
  • Allow the liquid to boil slowly for approximately 3 minutes, or until the beets are your desired tenderness
  • Adjust the flavors of the sauce to your taste
  • Once boiled, remove the liquid from the heat and allow to cool slightly (approx 2 minutes)
  • Pour liquid over onions
  • Cover and leave on the counter until mixture is room temperature
  • Refrigerate for 48 hours before eating

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