Strawberry Short (whole wheat) Cake

Strawberry Shortcake can be as deceptive as a politician.   Hidden among the glistening red fruits and the lure of hitting 3 of the 5 the major food groups are mounds of sugar and butter fat.   "You say that like it's a bad thing," my husband would say.
It's summer, strawberries are spilling into the grocer's aisles and they're cheap - how can I not make this dessert?   So, I have refashioned Strawberry Shortcake with help from great online resources to make this old time favorite more nutritious, less caloric, but not sacrifice flavor.

Strawberry Shortcake

Filling:

Mix 4 cups sliced strawberries and 2 T sugar and let brew (can use Spenda and/or heat over stove and cool to produce more juice)


Whole Wheat Shortcake: adapted from Tammy's Recipes
Ingredients: 

4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar, divided*
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions: 

1. In a large bowl with electric mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Continue beating at high speed and add 1/4 cup sugar, about 2 tablespoonfuls at a time. Beat well after each addition, until sugar is completely dissolved and egg whites stand in stiff peaks.

2. In another mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the egg yolks, flour, water, oil, baking powder, vanilla, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the beaten egg whites until completely blended. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-inch springform pan or two smaller round cake pans.

3. Bake cake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched with finger and cake tests done. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing from pan. The cake will sink slightly as it cools. 


Whipped Cream: adapted from Eating Well
1/2 c whipping cream (I've tried with lesser fat milk and have not had success)
1/2 c fat free sour cream
2 T sugar or packet of sweetener

Whip cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and continue whipping until stiff.  Fold in sour cream until well blended.

To assemble: slice a cake wedge in half and fill with 1 T whipped cream and strawberries.  Place cake half on top and spoon more strawberries over and add another dollop of whipped cream.

Fast alternatives:  Use angel food cake and some fat free, ready made whipped topping

RECIPE

Chicken Apple Sausage²

I admit, sausages make me snicker like frat boy.  "I miss Jack" - who can name the movie?

We love food reinvention at One Real Bite.  We start with a great summer meal: grilled chicken apple sausages, asian slaw, corn on the cob, and watermelon.
I buy the links at Whole Foods where they grind their own sausages (snicker) without nitrates or hormones, from real organic chicken breasts.  But, I smell all the meat (snicker) and seafood from WF before I have them pack it up because, sadly I've purchased turned items too often from the store that usually grants all of my grocery wishes.

We grill twice as many sausages as we'll need, because that luscious, smoky and sweet sausage will be reinvented into minestrone soup.

I'm partial to Tyler Florence's Hunter Minestrone, but have modified it for my very own real food meal and offer options for speed and ease.

Sherri and Tyler's Minestrone Soup
Essential recipe:

1.  Chop and saute in 2 T olive oil:
     2 celery ribs, 2 medium carrots, one onion
2.  Heat:
     1 qt chicken broth
     1 qt vegetable broth
3.  Slice:
     3 grilled chicken apple sausages  reinvention
4.  Add to heated broth:
     sauteed vegetables to broth.
    1 (28 oz) can of chopped tomatoes
    1 bay leaf
    1 or 2 cans cannelloni beans
    sausages

5.  Salt and Pepper to taste.  Heat together for 15 minutes and serve or freeze.

Radical version:

Saute the following herbs olive oil before adding the vegetables:
  Thyme sprig, rosemary sprig and 8 fresh sage leaves
  (Remove before serving)

Heat broth with 1 head of garlic - halved.  Remove before adding vegetables to the broth.

Add:
   1/2 bunch chopped fresh Italian parsley
   1/2 pound partially cooked, small whole wheat rigatoni
Serve with:
   grated parmesan cheese

RECIPE

Get Me To The Greek

Mediterranean cuisine, long recognized for its light and healthy fare, includes a variety of fresh vegetables, fish and olive oil.  No matter how many salads I try, I keep coming back to the Greek.   The vegetables in this salad are also good to have on hand when a snack attack hits.  I avoid the prepared dressings where I can because they are packed with preservatives and salt and my simple flavoring just taste better.  Because I had all of these ingredients prepped in my refrigerator, the salad took me 5 minutes to create.  Try it without lettuce for an authentic Greek.   

Salad:  Lettuce - Cucumbers - Tomatoes - Red Peppers - Red Onion - Feta Cheese - Kalamata Olives - Shrimp (roasted, see When In Doubt, Roast)

Seasonings:  Red Wine Vinegar - Olive Oil - Dried Oregano - Salt and Pepper 

Mayo Clinic shares the key components of the heart-healthy Mediterranean Diet:

• Exercise and eat meals with family and friends
• Eat a generous amount of fruits and vegetables
• Consume healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
• Use herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
• Eat small portions of nuts
• Drink red wine (in moderation for some)
• Consume very little red meat
• Eat fish or shellfish at least twice a week

RECIPE

Breakfast for the Junior Conquerer

Sunday is Prep Day for the rest of the week here and so we start the morning with a big batch of waffles that can be frozen and reheated as the week drags onward. To boost up the nutrition for those long days where school runs immediately into sport practice, I mix 1:1 white flour with flour from a high protein grain. My favorite is emmer, also known as farro. Emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum for you gardeners who love latin names) is the original ancient wheat. It was first cultivated in the Middle East then migrated to the Mediterranean where it literally fed the Roman Legions. Why were they so successful in building their Empire? Emmer flour contains twice the protein of regular white wheat flour!!

We get our emmer flour from a local farm, Bluebird Grain Farms but other local wheat producers are popping up all over the country to sell specialty flours. If you can't find emmer flour, look for flours made of "hard" winter wheat. Unlike wimpy generic cultivated wheat, these wheats are genetically programmed to survive harsh conditions by storing more nutrients-all the better to build strong healthy kids! The whole farro grains are fantastic on their own too, but I'll sing their praises on another day.

Protein Packed Waffles

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup canola oil

2 cups flour (one cup white, one cup emmer or other hard wheat variety)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Whisk wet ingredients together. Mix dry ingredients together separately. Mix wet and dry ingredients together. Pour into prepared waffle maker.

RECIPE

Roasting Continued

Don't be afraid to experiment with roasting veggies that you normally eat raw or steamed! Blasted broccoli tossed with olive oil and garlic is a revelation-the crispy flowers taste almost fried. Cauliflower carmelizes into tender nuggets that are super tossed with curry. Fennel turns into licorice flavored sweet onions, and if you've never had a parsnip you'll weep once you taste the sweet apple carrot flavor that roasting brings out.

Throwing what ever veggie is in season into a hot oven is a great way to vary your intake of different vitamins and anti-oxidants throughout the year. Our bodies are clearly designed to need this variety. Studies show that exposure to lots of different plant products reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease. BUT if we try and pick just one of those products to take as the cure all (I'm talking about you beta-carotene) and turn it into a pill there are no benefits at all. So pick a new veggie ever month to blast in the oven-your blood vessels will thank you!

RECIPE

5 Minute Salad - 5 Ingredients

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An easy salad with a big taste. Good feta and aged balsamic are flavor savors to packing in loads of flavor with small amounts.  

1. Cherry tomatoes
2. Crumbled feta cheese
3. Chopped fresh basil
4. Dash of seasonings: salt and pepper
5. Balsamic vinegar

3 servings - 85 calories each

RECIPE

When In Doubt, Roast

Olive oil, salt, pepper and a 400° oven is all you need to roast any meat, chicken, fish or vegetable to perfection.
Potatoes (shown) for 45 minutes and turn. Make them in bulk to have throughout the week. I added chopped, fresh rosemary to these. Potatoes are more starch than vegetable so they will not give you the nutrients you need you need from our vegetable friends, but keep the skins on because they are a rich source of fiber and it makes prep even easier.
Shrimp (raw, peeled) for 5 minutes (no turning necessary). Roast shrimp in bulk and then reincarnate it later in the week: salad topping, reheated over pasta, sautéed with garlic.
Chicken for 30 minutes.  Make extra for future meals.
Vegetables for 45 minute, turning as needed.  The goal is to bring out the natural sugars in vegetables for caramelized flavor.
Fish (salmon, halibut (shown), orange roughy, tilapia, etc) about 15 minutes, no turning necessary.

RECIPE