THE NIBBLE Blog » Diet Nibbles

PRODUCT: Garden Lites Veggie Muffins

admin — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:55:04 +0000

The producers of our favorite Garden Lites Veggie Soufflés have introduced new Veggie Muffins: a fluffy carrot muffin and a deep chocolate zucchini muffin.

The all natural Veggie Muffins line is made of 1/3 fresh vegetables. Each muffin is shrink-wrapped for easy portability. Just let the frozen muffins defrost naturally or heat them in the microwave for 30 seconds; you’ll have an extremely moist treat that’s right-sized (not super-sized) at 120 calories per muffin (3 Weight Watchers points).

The recipe contains eggs, but is dairy free, gluten free, nut free and soy free. The line is certified kosher by Star-K.

Carrot Berry Veggie Muffins are made with fresh vegetables plus blueberries, cherries and cranberries.

Zucchini Chocolate Veggie Muffins are very chocolaty, from cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate chips—so chocolaty that no one will detect the zucchini. They’re great for chocolate cravings or to sneak extra servings of vegetables into resistant loved ones.

This moist carrot muffin is a great 120- calorie treat. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

Pair Veggie Muffins with coffee or tea for quick breakfast, tuck in with your lunch or for a healthful snack. You can keep them in the office freezer—although you’ll have to disguise them so co-workers don’t polish them off.

While the muffins don’t have as much veggie content as the larger-portion souffles, each muffin is made from 1/3 fresh vegetables and comprises not quite one daily serving of vegetables. But hey, they’re muffins!

The yummy muffins are available at select Costco locations and other retailers. Check the store locator for the store nearest you.

The four-pack will retail for around $4.99, and the Costco 14-pack is a bargain at $9.99.

Garden Lites calls itself “the delicious vegetable company.” We agree.

For more information, visit GardenLites.com.

COCKTAILS: Save Calories With VitaFrute From VeeV

admin — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:27:24 +0000

Ready to drink, VitaFrute lower calorie
cocktails reduce the sugar calories in
cocktails. Photo courtesy VeeV Spirits.

Typical mixed drinks can pack on the calories. The standard 1.5 ounce serving of 80-proof alcohol has 96 calories, which seems reasonable. But start to add mixers:

Cranberry juice cocktail (8 oz.): 136 calories

Light orange juice (8 oz.): 50 calories

Orange juice (6 oz.): 84 calories

Soft drink (cola, 7-Up, etc., 8 oz.): 100 calories, 25g sugar

Piña colada mix (6 ounces): 130 calories, 25g sugar

But there are calorie-saving solutions:

LOOK FOR REDUCED CALORIE READY-MADE COCKTAILS

One easy way to control a sweet cocktail while controlling the calories is the new line of VitaFrute cocktails from VeeV Spirits, in Margarita, Organic Lemonade and Organic Cosmopolitan. The base spirit is VeeV, the world’s first spirit made from the superfruit açaí.

Sweetened with low-glycemic agave nectar, cocktails are under 125 calories per serving. By comparison, a four-ounce glass of wine has 125-150 calories.

The suggested retail price of VitaFrute is $13.99 to $14.99 per bottle. Learn more about VeeV spirit and VitaFrute cocktails at VeeVLife.com.

Here are more tips to cut back on the calories in cocktails:

HOW TO REDUCE THE CALORIES IN MIXED DRINKS

If you can, choose savory, not sweet, cocktails, such as the popular Bloody Mary and Martini.

Use calorie-free flavored club soda instead a soft drink mixer (lemon seltzer instead of 7-Up, for example).

Use club soda and bitters, or diet ginger ale, instead of ginger ale; and use the diet versions of other soda mixers (cola, lemon-lime, tonic water, etc.).

Use “light” or diet mixers: eight ounces of light cranberry juice have 40 calories, light lemonade has 5 calories, diet soda or diet tonic water has 0 calories.

Avoid premade cocktail mixes; there’s sugar hidden in everything, including spicy Bloody Mary mix.

Look at coffee- and tea-based cocktails such as a Chai Tea Martini or Espresso Martini; coffee and tea have zero calories.

Use low glycemic agave nectar or noncaloric sweeteners to sweeten cocktails.

Use sugar-free, calorie-free syrups from DaVinci or Torani to sweeten and flavor cocktails.

Try sugar-free mixers. We’ve tried Baja Bob’s Margarita and Sweet ‘n’ Sour mixes, but find that we prefer agave nectar and fresh lime juice for a Margarita, and fresh lemon juice and agave for a Whiskey Sour; .5 ounce of lemon or lime juice has just 10 calories.

Use fresh fruit and herb garnishes to add flavor and eye appeal.

Avoid creamy cocktails, whether dairy cream (Brandy Alexander, White Russian) or cream of coconut (Piña Colada). Substitute coconut water to add coconut flavor to a cocktail, or use coconut-infused vodka (see our next tip).

VeeV, the açaí-based mother spirit of VitaFrute cocktails.

Try infused vodkas straight instead of a similarly-flavored mixed drink; UV Vodka has every flavor under the rainbow including chocolate, and Skyy Infusions’ 12 infused vodkas are a NIBBLE favorite (Pineapple vodka is our replacement of choice for the high-calorie Piña Colada). The infusions add no calories.

Dilute your cocktail with club soda or sparkling water (we’ve been enjoying wine spritzers since we were old enough to drink) to half and half, with a squeeze of lime juice.

Finally, our favorite calorie-saving cocktail strategy:

Alternate cocktails with no- or low-calorie “mocktails”: noncaloric or low-calorie drinks, from club soda with bitters to a Virgin Mary.

If you’ve got additional tips, use the Contact Us link to send them in!

PRODUCT: Lucky Spoon Gluten Free Cookies

admin — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:40:28 +0000

A stack of gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.
Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

Gluten-free artisan bakeries typically pop up when a family member has gluten intolerance. In this case, its husband and co-founder of Lucky Spoon Bakery in Salt Lake City, Jim Schulte.

Both Jim and wife Pam have MBAs and years of business experience; but Pam also had serious baking skills. So she set out to re-invent gluten-free cookies and muffins that were every bit as tasty as their fully glutenized counterparts.

Lucky Spoon Bakery has succeeded in changing the way people think about gluten-free baked goods. The products are moist, fresh and delicious.

“Gluten-free has always been code for ’taste-free’ or ‘you can eat it but you probably won’t like it,’” says Jim. But, as has been proved by other artisan bakers of gluten-free goods, if you spend enough time, money (on the best ingredients) and love, you can produce bread, cakes, cookies, muffins and other products that everybody loves to eat.

To us, the compliment we bestow is, “No one would know it’s gluten free.”

Gluten-Free Cookies

Instead of wheat flour, the cookies are made with a blend of white rice flour, potato flour and almond meal; plus sugar, butter, eggs, quality chocolate or peanut butter, vanilla and other ingredients of good cookies.

Chocolaty Chip Cookies

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolaty Chip Cookies

Simply Sugar Cookies

Gluten-Free Muffins

?White rice flour and potato flour instead of wheat flour. As with the cookies, sugar, eggs, butter and quality flavorings combine to make moist, tasty muffins:

Cinnamony Streusel Muffins

Lemonlicious Muffins

Totally Maple Pecan Muffins

Utterly Almond Muffins

Lucky Spoon Bakery is a find for the gluten-free nibbler.Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

To find Lucky Spoon products, check the store locator on the company website.

PASSOVER: Matzaroni & Cheese, A Passover-Friendly Mac & Cheese Recipe

admin — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:37:27 +0000

The Passover mac and cheese alternative.
Photo courtesy Passover Made Easy.

A couple of weeks ago we published a modern Passover recipe, Eggplant Wrapped Chicken, from the new cookbook, Passover Made Easy.

Passover begins at sunset on Monday, March 25th and continues for seven days. Here’s a kid-friendly recipe that puts a new spin on mac and cheese.

RECIPE: MATZARONI & CHEESE

Wheat products can’t be consumed for passover—no bagels, no pizza, no pasta. But for kids whose favorite meal is mac and cheese, the authors have created an substitute. “This is an easy dinner that will get all the troops running to the table when the hot, cheesy, and bubbling dish emerges from the oven.” they say. The recipe makes 6-8 servings.

Ingredients

5 matzahs, broken into small pieces

5 eggs

1 container (16 ounces) sour cream

1 container (16 ounces) cottage cheese

3 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded mozzarella or muenster cheese, divided

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. In an 8 x 8-inch baking dish, arrange 1/3 of the broken matzah pieces.

2. BEAT eggs in a medium bowl. Add sour cream, cottage cheese, butter, salt, and 1 cup shredded cheese. Pour 1/3 of the cheese mixture over the matzah. Repeat with two additional layers of matzah and cheese.

3. TOP with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese. Bake for 40 minutes. The cheese on top should be brown and bubbling. Serve immediately.

PASSOVER: Start New Traditions With These Recipes

admin — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:39:50 +0000

Passover begins at sunset on Monday, March 25th and continues for seven days. Observant Jews celebrate the first two nights with seders, featuring recipes that have been in their families for generations.

But how about some 21st-century Passover recipes—if not for a seder, then for the other five days? There are more than 60 modern, creative Passover recipes in a new cookbook, Passover Made Easy. Some of the recipes that are calling out to us:

Brisket Eggrolls

Citrus Beet Salad with Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Eggplant-Wrapped Chicken

Espresso Macarons with Chocolate-Hazelnut Cream

French Roast with Fresh Spice Rub

Frozen Lemon Wafer Cake

Jalapeño Lime and Ginger Salmon

Pecan Pie with Cookie Crust

Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Soup

Schnitzel Nuggets with Apricot Dipping Sauce

Spaghetti Squash Kugel

Tortillas with Tomato-Mint Salsa and Guacamole

Vegetable Lo Mein

There’s plenty of time to pick up a copy and plan for Passover. Photo courtesy Passover Made Easy.

The easy to prepare, sure to please original recipes were developed and tested by best-selling cookbook author Leah Schapira (Fresh & Easy Kosher Cooking) and co-founder of CookKosher.com, an online kosher recipe exchange; with Victoria Dwek, managing editor of Whisk, a kosher food magazine.

Pick up a copy for yourself or as a gift: it’s just $10.87 on Amazon.com. There are fascinating culinary tidbits, useful preparation tips, full-color photos for each dish, step-by-step plating and food styling secrets, and a wine pairings and Seder wine guide.

As a bonus, all but four of the 60 recipes in the book are gluten-free. And of course, the recipes can be enjoyed all year long. Here’s one recipes from Passover Made Easy to start you off; next week, we’ll publish Matzaroni, the mac-and-cheese alternative:

Eggplant-wrapped chicken, one of the
modern recipe alternatives. Photo courtesy
Passover Made Easy.

RECIPE: EGGPLANT WRAPPED CHICKEN

Ingredients

Eggplant

1 tall eggplant

½ cup oil

¼ tsp salt

Pinch coarse black pepper

Meat Mixture

3 tablespoons oil

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ pound ground meat of choice

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Chiken

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs

¼ tsp salt

Pinch course black pepper

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to broil. Grease a baking sheet. Cut eggplant lengthwise, 1/4-inch thick, to get 6 or 7 slices. Reserve remaining eggplant scraps. Place eggplant slices on prepared baking sheet. Brush slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil 5 minutes per side, until second side is beginning to brown. The slices should appear as if they were fried. Remove and set aside.

2. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Peel and finely dice remaining eggplant to obtain ½ cup diced eggplant. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and diced eggplant and sauté until soft, about 5-7 minutes.

3. COMBINE onion mixture with ground meat in a small bowl. Season with salt and garlic powder.

4. SEASON chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Place a tablespoon of the meat mixture into each thigh and roll up to close. Roll an eggplant slice around each stuffed chicken thigh. Place, seam side down and close together, in a baking pan. Cover and bake for 2½ hours.

Serve with mashed potatoes or your favorite Passover-approved grain,* and your favorite green vegetable, steamed or sauteed lightly with garlic.

*Grains forbidden during passover include barley and all types of wheat. Grains such as quinoa and rice were not known during biblical times so are not forbidden. Extremely religious people will avoid any grain.

PRODUCT: Sparkling ICE Calorie-Free Soda

admin — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 11:34:31 +0000

Crisp Apple Sparkling ICE, calorie-free, is a delicious substitute for sparkling cider. Photo courtesy Talking Rain Beverage Company.

Sparkling ICE is a line of zero-calorie soft drinks—the company calls them flavored sparkling waters (*see the footnote below for the difference between soda and flavored sparkling waters—produced by Talking Rain Beverage Company of Preston, Washington. Located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, the source water is from a pristine artesian spring that originates in the Cascades.

The sweetener is sucralose, the generic form of Splenda. The line is enhanced with vitamins and antioxidants. Perhaps it’s the mountain spring water, along with natural flavors, that has created such charming tastes.

Spakling ICE is made in Black Raspberry, Coconut Pineapple, Kiwi Strawberry, Lemonade, Lemon Lime, Orange Mango, Peach Nectarine, and Pink Grapefruit.

But for us, the star is Crisp Apple, which has the flavor of sparkling cider. We had to check the label to be sure it really was zero calories. What a great way to enjoy the taste of a crisp apple!

Whether you want an apple or an Appletini, spare the calories and start with a bottle of Crisp Apple Sparkling ICE.

You can check the store locator on the Sparkling ICE website, or head to Amazon.com, where all the flavors are sold.

We’d prefer a case of Crisp Apple Sparkling ICE to most of the gifts we tend to receive. Friends and relatives, please take note!

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SODA AND FLAVORED, SWEETENED SPARKLING WATER

Sparkling water is water that is carbonated, a process discovered in 1767 by an English chemist, Joseph Priestley. Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius added flavors (spices, juices and wine) to carbonated water in the late 18th century. This led to the evolution of soda fountains in pharmacies.

In the early 19th century, American pharmacists added birch bark, dandelion, fruit extracts, sarsaparilla and other flavorings to the sparkling water, which was called “soda water” because it is made by infusing with carbon dioxide gas and bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda) a stabilizing element.

Soda fountains became ingrained in the popular culture—like today’s coffee bars—with many Americans frequenting the soda fountain on a daily basis (source: Wikipedia). In the 1970s, unsweetened, flavored sparkling water appeared: club soda, mineral water and seltzer. These bottled drinks are differentiated from sodas by their lack of added sweetener.

There are different types of bubbly—fizzy-sparkling water:

Carbonated water is a broad term that encompasses all fizzy waters. The term is used interchangeably with sparkling water and soda water.

Club soda has a pinch of salt added to it. It can be sodium chloride (table salt), sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate.

Seltzer is totally salt-free, the sodium bicarbonate is left out. Seltzer is what you get when you carbonate water at home with a Sodastream or other device.

Mineral water is something completely different: It’s plain water with a sufficient level of dissolved minerals to differentiate it from spring water. See our Water Glossary for the different types of water.

So what’s the difference between soda and flavored sparkling water? Soda (not club soda) is sweetened, flavored carbonated water; “flavored sparkling water” is sweetened flavored carbonated water; it can also be flavored and unsweetened, in which case it is also called flavored club soda.

In sum, soda and flavored sparkling water are the the same thing.

FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE SOFT DRINKS.

TIP OF THE DAY: Lower Calorie Piña Colada

admin — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 10:15:25 +0000

In our youth, we used to have an annual “Tropical Winter” party on Valentine’s Day. It was for everyone who had nothing else to do, those who disliked Valentine’s Day and anyone who simply liked a good Piña Colada.

Piña Coladas were the drink of the evening. The fare was tropical-inspired, from fruit skewers and chicken skewers to rumaki*, a broiled, bacon-wrapped chicken liver and water chestnut hors d’oeuvre that was all the rage at the time.

Coconut water was years from appearing in American markets. If only Tropical Winter had lasted until it arrived, we’d have offered a Piña Colada Lite, substituting very-low-calorie coconut water (6 calories/ounce, or 12 calories per drink) for very-high-calorie Coco López (130 calories/ounce, or 260 calories per drink; plain coconut milk is 65 calories/ounce).

Go light with coconut water instead of Coco López. Photo courtesy TasteNirvana.com.

Piña Coladas are delicious, but they sure pack in the sugar and saturated fat. Here’s a “drink this, not that” tip from coconut water brand Taste Nirvana, on how to lower your Piña Colada calories while still enjoying a taste of the tropics and natural coconut flavor.

CLASSIC PINA COLADA RECIPE

Ingredients Per Drink

2 ounces Coco López Real Cream of Coconut (substitute coconut water)

2 ounces pineapple juice

1½ ounces rum

1 cup ice

Optional garnish: pineapple wedge and/or maraschino cherry

Preparation

1. MIX ingredients in blender until smooth. Pour into a tall glass.

2. GARNISH and serve.

WHAT’S COCO LÓPEZ?

Coco López is a brand of cream of coconut, invented in 1954by Ramón López Irizarry, a professor of agriculture at the University of Puerto Rico. The ingredients on the can include coconut milk, sugar, water, emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners (guar gum, locust bean gum, mono- and diglycerides, polysorb 60, sorbitan monostearate, Propylene glycol alginate) and preservative (citric acid).

The creamy heart of the coconut had long been used in Caribbean desserts. But separating it from from the coconut pulp was an arduous process.

With funds from the government, Irizarry worked on a solution. He ulimately left teaching to produce and sell his product, which was adopted not just by cooks but by bartenders.

According to the book “La Gran Cocina Del Caribe” by José L. Díaz de Villega, the Piña Colada made its debut on August 16, 1954 at the Caribe Hilton’s Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a watering hole for a star-studded clientele. The hotel management had requested that bartender Ramón “Monchito” Marrero create a new signature cocktail. Marrero worked for three months on the recipe.

Piña is Spanish for pineapple, and colada means strained; the drink is usually served blended with ice. The Piña Colada has been the official beverage of Puerto Rico since 1978.

*Rumaki is a mock-Polynesian hors d’oeuvre, believed to be invented by Victor Bergeron, founder of Trader Vic’s.

RECIPE: Nonfat Cucumber Yogurt Dip

admin — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:01:21 +0000

A few hours ago, we were discouraged to hear one of the anchor team members on our favorite morning show opine that Super Bowl foods “should be the foods we love to eat, not vegetables.” She was referring to the fatty, high-calorie usual suspects.

Fortunately, another team member jumped in in support of the veggies.

We admire people who watch what they eat, and we always have a crudités (raw vegetables) platter and a fruit platter or fruit salad as part of any party buffet. We’re also personally grateful to have something better to nibble on than cholesterol.

The morning show discord inspired us to publish this recipe for a tasty, nontfat cucumber dip, adapted from a recipe provided by the Australian Institute Of Sport.

TIP: Make this dip at least two hours before serving to allow the flavors to develop. It can be made a day in advance.

Nonfat cucumber dip: Serve it with crudites or as a sauce. Photo courtesy Australian Institute Of Sport.

CUCUMBER YOGURT DIP RECIPE

Ingredients

2 seedless cucumbers

2 teaspoons minced garlic cloves

1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint

Optional: salt and pepper to taste

Optional heat: chili flakes or a dash of hot sauce

PREPARATION

1. PEEL cucumbers and cut in half lengthways. If not a seedless variety, use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds.

2. GRATE the flesh, and place in a bowl with dill, garlic, yogurt and mint. Stir to combine and serve chilled. Season with freshly ground black pepper and garnish with fresh dill, if desired.

Makes about 1½ cups.

MORE USES FOR CUCUMBER DIP

Dip: For pretzels, potato chips, pita chips and other snacks

Layered or Mezze: In a layered dip or on a mezze plate with babaganoush,hummus, tabbouleh and other ingredients (see layered dip recipe)

Garnish: On baked potatoes, rice and other grains, cooked vegetables

Sauce: On grilled or poached fish or seafood, including shrimp cocktail

FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE DIP RECIPES.

GIFT: Gourmet Gluten Free Cookies & Truffles

admin — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:58:18 +0000

Gluten-free glory. Photo courtesy Cake |
Chicago.

While it may not be easy being green, it’s even worse to be gluten-free. When everyone else is enjoying cake and cookies, you’ve got to show restraint.

Unless you’ve received a box of “defloured” cookies from Cake, an artisan bakery in Chicago.

A gift box of three delicious cookies will make your gluten-free friend or family member very happy:

Chubby Wubby cookies, a delicious sandwich cookie: two bittersweet chocolate cookies studded with bittersweet chocolate chips, filled with bittersweet chocolate ganache

Choosy Chocolate Chip Cookies, crisp and buttery and

Square None Brownies, studded with bittersweet chocolate chips beneath a crispy, crackly top

Glutophobes will grinning from ear to ear.

The deluxe gift box includes:

9 piece against the grain chocolate truffle assortment

6 Choosy Chocolate Chip cookies

4 Chubby Wubby Chocolate Cookies

4 Square None Brownies

10-pieces Square None Loose Ends (chewy brownie edges)

Order at Cake-Chicago.com.

The company also makes delicious cookies with conventional flour.

See more of our favorite gluten free gourmet foods.

TIP OF THE DAY: Hey Shuga! Organic Sugar Cane Syrup & Stevia Syrup

admin — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:49:19 +0000

What if there were a sweetener that was all natural, organic and delicious? Lower in calories? Better for you? And as a bonus, packaged in a fun enough way to be giftable?

Refined sugars (such as table sugar) are stripped of nutrients; most noncaloric sweeteners are artificial. Sugar isn’t all that convenient when you’re trying to get it to dissolve in iced coffee, iced tea or lemonade.

One solution: liquid cane sugar and liquid stevia dissolve easily and are available in natural food stores. But one family business is treating them with imagination and sass. We bought quite a few bottles for ourselves and for holiday gifts.

The Hey Shuga! line of all natural, organic liquid sweeteners dissolve instantly in cold beverages and cocktails, and are equally delicious in hot beverages, as topping for cereal and fruit, in baking and glazing.

The two initial products are:

Lil’ Shuga liquid stevia-cane sugar blend and Hey Shuga! liquid cane sugar. Photo courtesy Hey Shuga!

Hey Shuga! is a flavorful organic sugar cane syrup, 20 calories per teaspoon.

Lil’ Shuga! cuts calories by blending sugar with noncaloric stevia, 15 calories per teaspoon. However, since stevia makes the blend much sweeter than sugar, you use 1/3 as much: 5 calories’ worth.

Both are alternatives to agave. corn syrup/golden syrup, honey, maple syrup, refined white sugar and conventional stevia. Lil’ Suga! has so few calories, you can use it instead of noncaloric sweeteners.

Both have a delicious cane sugar taste, nothing artificial and are USDA organic certified, GMO free, gluten free and kosher certified by SKS.

The line expects to expand next year to all-natural Hazelnut, Irish Cream, Maple and Vanilla flavors.

You can purchase them on Amazon or on the HeyShuga.com website, which sells:

Hey Shuga! 12-ounce bottle, $7.99; case of 12, $80.000 ($6.66/bottle)

Lil’ Shuga! 8.5-ounce bottle, $9.99; case of 12, $94.00 ($7.83/bottle)

There are also tall bottles, glamorous for gifting:

Hey Shuga! 33.8-ounce bottle, $20.00

Lil’ Shuga! 23.7-ounce bottle, $24.00

Check out all the different types of sugar in our Sugar Glossary.