Product Review: Terra Krinkle Cut Sweet Potato Chips with Sea Salt

I'm not sure what I was expecting, exactly, but what I got wasn't it.

Don't get me wrong, Terra Krinkle Cut Sweet Potato Chips with Sea Salt taste fine, but they're a bit like overcooked sweet potato fries.
 
This ridged chip is very crisp and a bit thicker than most chips. I like them a bit thinner and less crunchy. If you like thick, crisp chips, try them.

On the up side, they're definitely better for you than sweet potato fries. 

One serving of 17 chips yields 160 cal, 90 mg sod, 3 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 1 g protein; 11 g total fat  and 1 g saturated fat.

Chili Con Carne á la Mom

My mom doesn't get nearly enough credit; she finds the best way to make something and sticks with it. Take her chili, for example. It's evolved over the years. Now she uses:

3 14-oz cans tomatoes (one with green chilies, one salt-free and one Mexican-style blend)
3 14 to 16-oz cans of beans (any kind of white bean, one can kidney beans and either seasoned black beans or seasoned chili beans works well. (Don't use more than one can of seasoned beans, unless you like really hot chili.)

1 1/4 pounds ground sirloin
1/2 onion, chopped fine 

Saute onions, add meat and freshly ground black pepper in a large saucepan; saute until meat is no longer pink. Add tomatoes and beans, cook until thoroughly heated. (Usually, 20 minutes will do it, unless it's a double batch.)

This is a mild chili, depending on the brand of tomatoes used. Add more chili powder to season if it's not hot enough.

A Revolution in Snacking

My all-time favorite appetizer is Olga's Snackers™.  I was appalled to learn how much salt and fat are in those cute little pita crackers and the Swiss cheese spread that accompanies them.

I determined this afternoon that I'd make my own version. It's already 12:30 p.m. and I've made one and tried it. (Now that's a quick snack.) 

First of all, I wanted them to look and taste somewhat like the original. Paprika mimics the red coloring, which probably was achieved from seasoning salt. So, after spraying with Olivio spray to make the seasoning stick and allow for some browning, lightly cover one half a whole wheat pita (but split it first) with enough paprika. Also sprinkle the pita with a bit of  a of Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil Garlic and Lawry's Seasoned Pepper (at a guess, it'd be about 1/4 tsp of each spice blend). 

Place on a rack in a toaster oven; set toaster oven to toasting option (or in the case of mine, on bake) and set the dial on medium. As toaster ovens are all a little different, watch the pita so it doesn't burn. Use about 2 tsp. Swiss cheese spread (I tried Kaukauna's version). 

Product Review: Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Bell peppers, chickpeas, garlic and tahini. Those are the only ingredients listed for Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus on the company's website. I've tried several kinds of hummus and it's my all-time favorite. The garlic is in perfect proportion to the rest of the ingredients. (I find many hummus spreads to have a tad too much garlic in them for my taste.) Tahini is what gives the hummus a creamy texture, not unlike spreadable cheese or peanut butter. My favorite uses for this hummus are:
- spread it on crackers (low-sodium Ritz is a great choice)
- use it as a vegetable dip, especially for grape tomatoes, sliced red pepper and cucumbers

It would make an excellent substitute for cheese in a vegetable quesadilla. (I would suggest roasted or sauteed red pepper, mild onion and mushrooms as a perfect combination.)

I have tried other Sabra hummus flavors: Spinach and Artichoke and Supremly Spicy Hummus. (Both are good, but bear in mind the latter's label isn't lying; it brought tears to my eyes.) I look forward to trying other flavors, but I suspect my favorite won't change.

Review: Heart Smart Cookbook

A classic cookbook which was published in 1991 by the Detroit Free Press/Henry Ford Health System, this was a recent garage sale find that I reacquainted myself with (my original copy disappeared somewhere between Novi and Mt. Pleasant more than 10 years ago); its contents take into account people's tastes while catering to the wisdom of the time.

Overall, it's a great cookbook. (How many cookbooks tell you how to make your own natural peanut butter and your own turkey breakfast sausage?) I've made quite a few recipes in it in the past. These are real recipes that people would make and eat.

The one thing that's a little outdated, perhaps, is the emphasis on total avoidance of egg yolks and minimizing all fat (including healthy oils, such as olive oil), but that's a small thing. The one bit of nutritional information it is missing is fiber, which wasn't considered as important to healthy eating as overall fat content in 1991.

What I didn't know until I tried to look up the original publish date of this book, is that a second one has been published. I hope to get a copy soon and see if Heart Smart II cookbook is even better.  

What to Do with the Great (Meaning Big) Pumpkin

Pumpkins are in season right now. The variations in size (and, to some degree, shape) can be enormous.

If you (or someone who you know) has a big patch of pumpkins that need to be used up this fall, keep this in mind.  

-Pie pumpkins are not meant to be carved, they are intended to be eaten! Find a good recipe (such as Classic Pumpkin Pie with Betty White on Martha Stewart's website) and use it. It definitely tastes better than canned pumpkin. (Roasting a small pumpkin in the oven isn't a huge production; you just cut it in halves, take out the seeds and roast it. The pulp scoops out nicely with a large spoon.) Or you can simply eat it as you would eat squash. Allrecipes.com has an article showing how to bake, boil or microwave the pumpkin, along with links for several recipes.

-For the rest of the year, when fresh pumpkin isn't available, see some of Hungry Girl Lisa Lillen's recipes on her website using canned pumpkin.

An Apple a Day

Found a tidbit about apples, which are in season. posted by Julie Freeman, RD, MA, LD on Visions Medical Center blog, reminding me why apples are so good for us. (It's a bit of a way down the page listing recent entries.)

Apples have insoluable and soluable fiber. Fiber can sweep away toxins, lower cholesterol and help you to feel full while eating. The flavanoids in apples can help to fight prostate cancer, and decrease the type of inflammation that inflames asthma and allergy attacks.

I highly recommend a sweet apple that's only available this time of year called Honey Crisps. I usually find them at Colasanti's Market in Highland or VG's  Grocery (which has several locations). I'm going to get some before they're gone!