Corn & Bean Salsa Night!

Nothing satisfies the appetite and taste buds like salsa or Pico Del Gallo! Salsa is a Spanish term for sauce. In the United States we usually think of salsa as a tomato based mixture with peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro, spices and lime juice. It can be cooked or fresh and is often made with a variety of vegetables or even fruits. In Mexican cuisine Pico Del Gallo is also know as salsa fresco. It is generally a combination of the same ingredients but is served raw and is much drier than traditional salsa.

Corn & Black Bean Salsa

When it comes to nutrition, salsa is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, phyto-chemicals and can be a good source of protein too! Season this black bean and corn salsa recipe to taste and personalize the ingredients to make your own special healthy snack :) One of my favorite variations is adding a diced avocado!!!!

Ingredients:

4 plum tomatoes (1 cup diced)

4 cloves roasted garlic (minced)

½-1 yellow or red diced bell pepper

¼ cup chopped cilantro

2 cups corn (fresh roasted cut off the 

cob or frozen)

1-2 minced jalapeno peppers

1 ½ cup black beans

¼ cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon cayenne  pepper or 1/2 t  

red pepper flakes (optional to taste)

2 T lime juice

1. Chop, mince, and dice the vegetables and herbs.

2. Juice the fresh lime.

3. Combine corn, drained and rinsed beans, vegetables, spices and lime juice in a large bowl.

4. Serve with tortilla chips or use as an accompaniment to your favorite taco, burrito or burger too!

Nutrition Facts  (http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php)

Serving Size 45 g 

Amount Per Serving

Calories 

68

Calories from Fat -3

Total Fat 

0.4g

1%

Cholesterol 

0mg

0%

Sodium 

118mg

5%

Potassium 

287mg

8%

Total Carbohydrates 

13.2g

4%

Dietary Fiber 

3.0g

12%

Sugars 

1.4g

Protein 

3.9g

Vitamin A 3%	•	Vitamin C 10%
Calcium 2%	•	Iron 8%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Additional Resources:

http://girlfromtexas.blogspot.com/2011/11/salsa-vs-pico-de-gallo-whats-difference.html

http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Pico_de_gallo.html

Sunday Brunch!!!! Whole grain, lowfat, low sugar, buttermilk waffles.

Weekends are perfect for carving out a little extra time to make fantastic healthy breakfast foods.

Sunday morning brunch--crepes, pancakes and waffles with fresh fruit, maple syrup, bacon, porkies or ham were always the perfect ingredients for creating  special family time as our children were growing up.

Although most foods, when consumed in moderation can fit into a balanced diet--when it comes to main dishes I always look for recipes that don't go over board on fat and sugar.  Years ago I found this waffle recipe in the Milwaukee Journal (yes, that long ago...not the Journal-Sentinel!) and it is still one of my favorites.  In fact, it is one recipe that I have never been tempted to change.  It incorporates whole grain flour, is a good source of protein and has a very small amount of added fat and sugar. And they are DELICIOUS!!!

This morning I garnished them with a dollop of Greek yogurt  whipped cream, fruit or nuts.

Buttermilk Waffles

 1 cup whole wheat flour

mies en plas !

1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups lowfat buttermilk
1 large egg, separated
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar


Directions:
1) Stir together flours, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl.

2) Whisk together buttermilk, egg yolk, vanilla and oil in another bowl.

3) Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon just until moistened.
4)In a glass or metal bowl, beat all 3 egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form.  Add sugar and continue beating until stiff and glossy. (Tip: bring egg whites to room temperature before beating--they'll beat faster. Also make sure all equipment is free of fat.)

4) Whisk 1/4 of the beaten egg whites in with a whisk. With rubber spatula., fold in remaining beaten egg whites.

5) Brush preheated waffle iron with oil.  fill iron two-thirds full with batter.

Cook 4-6 minutes or until waffles are crisp and golden. Repeat with the remaining  batter.










Nutrition analysis using: (http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp)
About 160 calories per waffle (8 per batch), 3.3 g fat, 26 g carbohydrates (2.2 g fiber), 7.3 g protein

Topped with Greek yogurt whipped cream, pecans & maple syrup

Whipped Topping
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup lowfat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons sugar

Place all ingredients in a glass or metal mixing bowl and whip with an electric beater until soft peaks form. (Keep the ingredients and equipment cold and the cream will whip nice and fluffy fast!)

This topping is about 1/3 less calories than traditional whipped cream. A dollop providing about 27 calories, 1.8 grams from fat, 2.2 grams from carbohydrates and .7 grams from protein.