The Latest Sweetener: Dates

As the latest Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting total added sugar to 10 percent of total daily calories, health-conscious people are on the lookout for ways to naturally sweeten food. Dates are one delicious way to sweeten all types of dishes.

Dates are native to the Middle East; in the U.S. they are grown in California and Florida. Fresh dates are usually picked off the tree and ripened before being dried, which is how they are usually found at the market. There are several varieties of dried dates available, including Medjool and Deglet Noor. Dried dates can be found year-round and are sold pitted, unpitted and even chopped. Store dried dates in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months or in the refrigerator for up to 1 year.

Nutrition Info

One pitted Medjool date has 66 calories, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 16 grams of natural sugar and 2 grams of fiber. It also contains an array of nutrients like copper, magnesium, calcium and B vitamins. Adding several dates, or chopped pitted dates, into dishes can boost the fiber quickly. This has many benefits, including keeping your digestive system healthy.

Sweeten with Dates

Many folks underestimate the sweetening power of dates. They can be chopped finely and added into muffins, cookies and cakes. By adding sweetness with dates, you can tone down the amount of added sugar in the dish. Chopped dates can also be added to oatmeal, or yogurt in place of honey or maple syrup, while whole, pitted dates can be blended into a smoothie mix to sweeten it. Pureed dates can also be used in dressings or sweet potato pie, or as a glaze for lamb or beef.

Recipes to Try

Carrot-Pineapple Smoothie
Flourless Walnut-Date Cake
Chilled Strawberry-Date Oatmeal
Grilled Salmon with Smashed Cucumber-Date Salad
Mini Date-Nut Snowballs
Healthy Oatmeal, Date and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian and consultant who specializes in food safety and culinary nutrition. She is the author of The Greek Yogurt Kitchen: More Than 130 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Day.

from Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog http://ift.tt/1KdHfDK

Bread Pudding with Dates and Orange Whiskey Sauce

Imagine velvety whisky sauce drizzling down the sides of rich bread pudding. What could be more indulgent? Don’t worry, it’s a healthy indulgence!

In this month for lovers, we are happy to smother our loved ones with the sweetest of sweets. Plus, it’s chilly outside. So this is a good time to turn on the oven and bake something (super easy) to share. Whether you serve this creamy bread pudding on a fancy tray for breakfast in bed or put it on the menu for a cozy brunch with friends, please share this sweet treat that’s made with simple, healthy ingredients.

First on the ingredients list is whole-grain bread. The benefit of using this as the base is twofold: It contains whole grains, which we all need to eat a bit more often, and darker breads actually caramelize better in the oven. And that means the top of this pudding gets a nice caramel crust.

A second healthful ingredient is dates. A 1/4-cup serving of dates (about two large Medjool dates) contains:

•  16 vitamins and minerals, including potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, copper and vitamin B6
•  3 grams of fiber
•  About 130 calories, mostly carbohydrate/sugar, which can be used to naturally sweeten recipes and decrease the amount of added sugar

Rounding out the simple list of ingredients in this “bressert” (breakfast and dessert!) are cardamom and orange. Both are used in Scandinavian cooking — and our Nordic friends are experts in keeping warm during their long, beautiful winters. If you’ve never tried cardamom, you’re in for a treat; it’s peppery and warm and sweet all at the same time. It’s a complement to the tart, sweet orange flavors (as is cinnamon, if you can’t find cardamom).

But don’t skip the Orange Whiskey Sauce — it’s the crowning glory. Plus, it comes together in only about 10 minutes. The recipe calls for whole milk, but we also tested it with reduced-fat (1 percent) milk and found it was still creamy and delicious. And with that splash of whiskey that’s added at the end, it will warm your insides almost as much as snuggling up with tons of blankets.

So turn on the oven — right now. Someone special would surely like to share a piece or two of healthy indulgence with you.

Bread Pudding with Dates and Orange Whiskey Sauce
Yield: About 8 servings

4 cups whole-grain bread cubes (from about 4 to 5 pieces of sandwich bread)
4 large eggs, beaten
2 1/4 cups reduced-fat (1 percent) milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped dates

Orange Whiskey Sauce
1 1/4 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
5 tablespoons whiskey or bourbon, divided
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Pinch of salt

To dry bread cubes, place on a large baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes, stirring twice. Cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, orange peel and cardamom. Add dry bread cubes and dates; toss to coat bread with egg mixture.

Pour egg mixture into a greased 2-quart square baking dish and let set for 10 minutes (for bread to soak up egg mixture). Using a flat spatula, press bread down into egg mixture and place in a heated 350 degree F oven. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

For Orange Whiskey Sauce, in a medium saucepan, combine milk and brown sugar. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, orange juice and 3 tablespoons whiskey; whisk together with a fork until combined. Pour into milk mixture in pan, scraping bowl to get all of the cornstarch. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn down to medium-low and cook until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, salt and remaining 2 tablespoons of whiskey. Serve over warm bread pudding.

Per serving (1/8th of recipe): Calories 282; Fat 7 g (Saturated 3 g); Sodium 219 mg; Carbohydrate 41 g; Fiber 2 g; Sugars 34 g; Protein 9 g

Serena Ball, M.S., R.D., is a registered dietitian nutritionist. She blogs at TeaspoonOfSpice.com, sharing tips and tricks to help readers find cooking shortcuts for making healthy, homemade meals. Her recipes are created with families in mind.

from Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog http://ift.tt/1V4gHW3

6 Kitchen Hacks for Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Calling all chocoholics! Discover why there’s way more to antioxidant-rich unsweetened cocoa powder than candy with these kitchen hacks.

Dry Rub

Add the earthy, deep flavor of cocoa to dry rubs and marinades for beef, lamb and pork. As an added bonus, the dipping sauce in this recipe is also flavored with cocoa.

Recipe: Cocoa-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Chocolate Tomato Sauce

No-Sugar-Added Chocolate Milkshake

Love chocolate shakes but not a fan of all the fat and calories? Blend a frozen banana with milk and cocoa powder for a guiltless treat.

DIY Hot Cocoa Mix

Forgo store-bought packets filled with processed ingredients; try our recipes for better-for-you hot cocoa.

Recipe: Healthier Hot Chocolate

2-for-1 Cake and Frosting

Need vanilla and chocolate cupcakes in a pinch? Add cocoa to boxed vanilla cake mix and homemade frosting; you’ll get two flavors for the price of one.

Recipe: Black-and-White Cupcakes

Cozy Coffee Drinks

Coffee and chocolate is a magical combination. Scratch the itch for a high-calorie coffee drink by simply sprinkling cocoa powder over frothy milk in a cappuccino, or whisk a tablespoon of cocoa powder into coffee and top with steamed milk for a low-cal mocha latte.

Recipes: Chocolatey Christmas Café au Lait and Toasted Almond Mochas

Nonstick Treats

Unsweetened cocoa is a classic ingredient in homemade confections, plus just a light dusting of it prevents snack mix and truffles from sticking.

Recipes: Homemade Truffles and Chocolate Kids’ Mix

Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which specializes in culinary and sports nutrition.

from Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog http://ift.tt/1orQjer

The Healthy Breakfast You Can Make from Leftovers

Oatmeal is a great way to get heart-healthy whole grains into your breakfast, but it’s not the only way. With a little prep work, you can turn lots of whole grains into a morning meal — from quinoa and brown rice to millet and polenta. Try this easy, versatile, DIY recipe to make a healthy, hot breakfast in minutes.

This recipe uses leftover cooked grains from your fridge. If you don’t have any… get on that! Keeping a big batch of cooked whole grains in the fridge is a timesaving step for lots of healthy meals.

Leftover Whole-Grain Porridge

Mix a serving (1/2 cup cooked) of grain with 1/2 cup milk (any kind you like), 2 tablespoons nuts or seeds, 2 tablespoons dried fruit, and optional sweeteners or flavorings. Here are some of our favorite combinations:

• Wild rice with chia seeds, maple syrup and raisins (or wild rice with dried cranberries, orange zest, vanilla, chia seeds and maple syrup)
• Pearl barley with coconut milk, mango and macadamia nuts
• Farro with molasses, sunflower seeds and apricots
• Wheat berries with currants and hazelnuts
• Freekeh with pistachios and dried cherries
• Quinoa with coconut milk, dried mango and coconut flakes
• Buckwheat with raisins, brown sugar and pine nuts
• Polenta with whole milk, honey, frozen blueberries and sliced almonds

Or, if you want to make whole-grain porridge from scratch, put whatever uncooked grains you like in a saucepan the night before and cover with boiling water. Cover the pan and let it sit overnight. In the morning, turn on the heat and simmer until done (often about 10 minutes, depending on the grain). Add additional liquid as necessary to keep the grains from sticking to the pan.

Kerri-Ann is a registered dietitian who writes on food and health trends. Find more of her work at kerriannjennings.com or follow her on Twitter @kerriannrd or Facebook.

from Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog http://ift.tt/20TaPT4

Should You Be Drinking Milk? (And If So, What Kind?)

There’s a debate raging around dairy, with some people advocating its consumption for a variety of health reasons, and others shunning it based on their own digestive or ethical concerns. But the newly released dietary guidelines are clear: They continue to recommend three servings per day of dairy as the best way to meet the requirements for calcium, potassium, vitamin D, vitamin A and magnesium. “The guidelines say that dairy is crucial, because for most Americans it is the primary source of those nutrients that many come up short on,” says Isabel Maples, RDN, spokesperson for the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics.

But many Americans experience symptoms of lactose intolerance that make consuming dairy products particularly unpleasant. The gas, bloating and diarrhea are caused by an inability to digest lactose — the sugar that naturally occurs in cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk. Recently, however, science has started to tease out another possible explanation for many people’s post-dairy discomfort. “Researchers looked into why people who thought they were lactose-intolerant could drink goat’s milk without issue, even though it has as much lactose as cow’s milk,” says Bonnie Johnson, M.S., R.D., nutrition director, A2 Milk Company.

It turns out that it’s not just the lactose that’s a problem. Many more people are actually reacting to milk’s A1 protein — a genetic mutation that occurred in cows as dairy farming became bigger and herds were bred for increased milk production. Goats and sheep don’t have this mutation, so their milk contains only the easier-to-digest A2 protein. A new product, simply called A2 Milk, is sourced from small herds of cows that have all been DNA tested to confirm that their milk contains only the A2 protein.

For those who truly are lactose-intolerant, however, the solution remains avoiding large quantities of dairy, especially milk. “Many people can still tolerate yogurt and aged cheese, because they actually contain very little lactose,” says Maples. Check the nutrition facts label for the amount of carbohydrate in a dairy product — if it contains little to none, that means there’s little to no lactose. And the dietary guidelines do rank fortified soy milk on par with dairy (but not other nondairy alternatives such as rice and nut milks), because its nutrition profile most closely matches that of cow’s milk.

Sally Wadyka is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist who writes about nutrition, health and wellness.

from Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog http://ift.tt/23SKkzB

Trending! Sweet Heat for Your Sweetheart

Move over, sweet and salty; hello, sweet heat. This flavor combo that gives a subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) burn to sweet foods has been steadily gaining traction. And it’s moving far beyond chile chocolate and jalapeno margaritas. This Valentine’s Day, check out some of the latest offerings to sport the sweet-hot flavor combo.

Here’s where we’ve spotted it:

• Noosa’s Blackberry Serrano yogurt marries sweet-tart blackberries and spicy serrano chiles for an addictive and decadent yogurt.
• This complex take on spicy chocolate is blowing our minds: Equal Exchange’s Organic Lemon Ginger Chocolate with Black Pepper dark chocolate bar.
• You don’t need calories to get on this flavor bandwagon. Just brew a pot of this Ginger Pepper Orange Rooibos tea.
• These five beers are showcasing the sweet heat trend. One is even called Sweet Heat!
• They might be out of season, but we were pretty excited to see Sriracha candy canes.
• BBQ might be the inventor of the sweet-hot explosion, and interesting combinations are now flavoring more than just meat. Check out these Habanero BBQ almonds.

Other things to look out for in 2016? More specific varieties of peppers, from ají amarillo and ancho to guajillo and ghost pepper, as well as chefs showcasing traditionally sweet-hot ethnic foods, including harissa, jerk, Korean BBQ, and foods from Asian and Indian cuisines. We read in Food Business News that we should be on the lookout for these flavor combinations:

• Wasabi and maple
• Ginger, black peppercorn and pistachio
• Chinese 5-spice and almond caramels
• Watermelon and black peppercorn
• Aleppo, pomegranate molasses and vanilla
• Ají panca, toasted sesame and dark chocolate
• Pineapple jalapeno upside-down cake

We cannot WAIT!

Kerri-Ann is a registered dietitian who writes on food and health trends. Find more of her work at kerriannjennings.com or follow her on Twitter @kerriannrd or Facebook.

from Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog http://ift.tt/1UVzYsy

How National Grocery Chains Are Healthifying Options

Most of us shop for food at supermarkets. And while it’s possible to get healthy food there (hint: shop the perimeter), sometimes it feels like we’re being thwarted in our efforts to buy healthy food (we’re looking at you, checkout lane). So it’s refreshing to hear that several of the nation’s grocery stores are taking steps to make it easier for us to buy and eat healthier.

Aldi
Discount-grocery chain Aldi has taken yet another step toward healthy eating: It has removed certified synthetic colors, partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) and added MSG from all of its store-brand products. This follows Aldi’s previous initiatives, which include expanding organic-produce options, creating a SimplyNature line of products that’s free of over 125 ingredients and highlighting Dietitian’s Picks.

Raley’s
The checkout lane can be a landmine for shoppers trying to make healthy choices. California-based Raley’s grocery store is removing tempting candy and junk food from some checkout lanes to make them more family-friendly. We think it’s a great move for everyone!

Wegmans
Wegmans has put its own spin on the USDA’s plate method: “Half-Plate Healthy.” (Admittedly, it’s not a new initiative; they launched it in 2008.) As part of the plan, they’re encouraging customers to make half their plate produce by offering $6 meals. Customers can choose two servings of vegetable side dishes, fruit or a combination of both, and the other half of the plate is an entree.

Giant
Last June, the Giant grocery store chain, with markets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia, launched a magazine for customers called Savory Fast, Fresh and Easy. It gives shoppers nutritious, money-saving meal planning ideas that link directly to offers in the stores. You can find it in stores, as a tablet app or online here.

Fare & Square
A nonprofit grocery store in Chester, Pa., operated by Philabundance, the Philadelphia area’s largest food bank, recently rolled out a healthy-eating incentive in the form of a rewards program for buying produce. As of 2016, Fare & Square has added a produce reward for its Carrot Club members — when you shop and buy produce, 3 percent of the produce purchase is banked for the future.

Mrs. Green’s
Mrs. Green’s, a grocery store with locations in the New York metro area and Chicago, is slated to bring HowGood sustainability to their shelves in 2016. The ratings will be displayed next to the price tag and will provide shoppers with a simplified scoring system of the best, most-sustainable food products available. HowGood’s research model uses up to 70 indicators per product to evaluate its overall impact, both social and environmental. These indicators range from the brand’s sourcing standards to production practices and a company’s conduct over time. Currently, HowGood’s rating system is in use at over 70 grocery stores in 26 states.

Kerri-Ann is a registered dietitian who writes on food and health trends. Find more of her work at kerriannjennings.com or follow her on Twitter @kerriannrd or Facebook.

from Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog http://ift.tt/1K4Nb1T