big & huggable » healthy foods

Best Egg Salad Sandwich

admin_bighuggable — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 01:14:06 +0000

I’ve realized that 90% of the challenge here is properly boiling the egg. You need to boil it so the center sets yet stays moist. You also need to avoid the green/grey ring thing that surrounds the yolk in many hard boiled eggs. I use the same technique here that I learned camping with a hardcore egg enthusiast. It has worked for me flawlessly ever since. The key is to avoid over cooking, and to dunk the eggs in a bowl of icy water to stop the cooking after you remove them from the hot water. I always use good quality eggs, but something to keep in mind, the fresher they are, the harder they are to peel after boiling. There are ingredients of egg salad sandwich recipe:

What you need:

6 large eggs
1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
A tiny squeeze of lemon juice
2 stalks celery, washed and chopped
1/2 bunch chives, chopped
2 small handfuls of lettuce
8 slices of whole grain bread, toasted

Procedure:

Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so.
Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly seven minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so – long enough to stop the cooking.
Crack and peel each egg, place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper, now mash with a fork. Don’t over do it, you want the egg mixture to have some texture. If you need to add a bit more mayo to moisten up the mixture a bit, go for it a bit at a time.
Stir in the celery and chives. Taste, and adjust the seasoning – adding more salt and pepper if needed. To assemble each egg salad sandwich: place a bit of lettuce on a piece of toast, top with the egg salad mixture, and finish by creating a sandwich with a second piece of toast.

Tilapia with Mustard Cream Sauce

admin_bighuggable — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 03:25:53 +0000

Orange roughly or chicken can be used instead of tilapia, and tomatoes or spinach can be substituted for mushrooms.

What you need:

4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 ounce mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons whipping cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Procedure:

Sprinkle fish with thyme, pepper, and salt. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish; cook 1 minute on each side. Add broth, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, uncovered, 1 minute or until mushrooms are tender. Remove fish from pan; keep warm.

Add cream and mustard to pan; stir with a whisk until well combined. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Serve sauce over fish.

Best Lemon-Olive Grilled Chicken

admin_bighuggable — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:44:36 +0000

What you need:

Cooking spray
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind, divided
2 tablespoons honey mustard
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup whole-wheat couscous
1/4 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives
1/4 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Procedure:

Prepare grill.
Coat grill with cooking spray. Place chicken on grill. Cook 5 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through. Combine 1 teaspoon lemon rind with mustard; brush over chicken.
Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the couscous. Remove from heat; cover, let stand 5 minutes.
In a bowl, combine remaining lemon rind, olives, and remaining ingredients. Stir couscous into olive mixture. Spoon onto 4 plates; top with chicken.

Vegetable Spring Roll Recipe

admin_bighuggable — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 02:08:16 +0000

How did spring rolls get their name? This delicate but filling appetizer has its origins in the annual Chinese Spring Festival. The first spring rolls featured fresh vegetables from the harvest; meat was added later. To transform vegetable spring rolls into a truly vegetarian appetizer, use vegetarian oyster sauce (made with mushrooms).

What you need:

* 2 ounces cellophane noodles or rice vermicelli
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
* 2 cups shredded green cabbage
* 2 carrots, peeled and grated
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 cup fresh bean sprouts, rinsed
* 2 teaspoons fish sauce
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed in 2 tablespoons water
* 18-20 frozen spring roll wrappers, thawed
* Vegetable oil for deep frying
* Thai sweet chili sauce for serving

Procedure:

Place mushrooms in small bowl, add boiling water to cover and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Thinly slice mushrooms, discarding tough stems. Soak noodles in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and roughly chop into short lengths.

In wok or frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons oil. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add cabbage and stir-fry until cabbage is softened, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in carrots, cilantro, bean sprouts, noodles, mushrooms and fish sauce. Mix well and cool completely.

Separate spring roll wrappers, place on a work surface and cover with damp kitchen towel. Working with one wrapper at a time, place on work surface. Using your fingertips, wet edges with cornstarch and water mixture. Place 1 heaped tablespoon filling in middle of wrapper. Roll up diagonally, tucking in edges. Seal edge with cornstarch and water mixture. Repeat with remaining wrappers.

Heat oil in wok or frying pan until it reaches 375 degrees F on deep-frying thermometer or until small bread cube dropped in oil sizzles and turns golden. Working in batches, add rolls and fry until golden, 1-2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

Chicken with Caramelized Cauliflower and Green Olives

admin_bighuggable — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:15:18 +0000

Cauliflower gains incredible sweet flavor when roasted. Here, it is paired with healthy chicken and tossed in a homemade olive, almond, and parsley pesto-like sauce.

What you need:

1 head(s) (2 1/2- to 3-pound) cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 pound(s) chicken breast tenders, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon(s) freshly grated lemon peel
1/4 cup(s) slivered almonds
1/3 cup(s) pitted green olives, rinsed well
1/4 cup(s) packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus additional for garnish

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In 18 inch by 12 inch jelly-roll pan, combine cauliflower, 2 teaspoons oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper until well mixed. Spread cauliflower in single layer on pan. Roast 20 to 25 minutes or until cauliflower is golden brown.

While cauliflower roasts, in large bowl, combine chicken, lemon peel, 1 teaspoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Push cauliflower to one side of pan and arrange chicken in single layer on other side. Roast 10 minutes longer or until chicken just loses its pink color throughout.

Meanwhile, in food processor with knife blade attached, pulse almonds until finely ground. Add olives and parsley and pulse until almost smooth. With machine running, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil until it’s fully incorporated, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add mixture to pan with hot chicken and cauliflower and stir until well combined. Transfer to serving plates and garnish with additional parsley.

Good New Year Appetizer

admin_bighuggable — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 08:01:01 +0000

Make it a special night with easy, elegant appetizers. The Blue Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms!

What you need:

3 strips bacon
6 large mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
3 ounces cream cheese
3 ounces blue cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs

Procedure:

Cook bacon strips in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy; drain on paper towels. While the bacon is cooking, remove stems from mushrooms. Set caps aside, and chop stems.
Add butter to skillet with bacon grease. When melted, stir in mushroom stems, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until the onions caramelize, 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray.
Once the onion mixture has reached a deep, rich brown color, place into a blender along with bacon, cream cheese, blue cheese, and bread crumbs. Blend on low until ingredients are roughly chopped and evenly combined. Stuff cheese mixture into mushroom caps and place into prepared baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven until bubbly and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Are you into S and M?

admin_bighuggable — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:14:03 +0000

Are you into S and M? (Snacks and munchies, that is.) If your answer is “Yes” then crack open a package of organic fruit leather – it’s a healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth while you’re at school, on the trails, or tied up in your favourite underground dungeon. Try this one:

Clif Kid Twisted Fruit – four tasty flavors of fruit ropes from the folks who brought you Clif Bars.
FruitaBü Smoooshed Fruit – widely available, chewy goodness; five flavors .
Bear Fruit Bars – thicker and heartier fruit leather option, in apple, apple blueberry, and apple raspberry.

Here are some benefits; it is much healthier than masochism. A nationwide study found that 62% of the people don’t eat fruit on a daily basis. These snacks deliver a small dose of nutrients, corn syrup-free. This is also less of an earth-lashing. Fruit leather is more concentrated than fresh fruit, so the pesticides are more concentrated too. Stick with organic. And you can satisfy your sweets fetish.

Photohunt: Pointed

admin_bighuggable — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 08:08:00 +0000

Hey dude don’t eat me yet I’m just having my nap the sleeping rice pointed out…
photohunt

Wordless Wednesday

admin_bighuggable — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:08:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday

Would you like to dance with me? I am bread in action…

Satisfying empty stomach without extra bulges

admin_bighuggable — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 03:12:00 +0000

Most people are extra conscious on their size especially those ages fifteen upward. Boys and girls alike feels awkward when they begin to gain weight at that certain age. Some teens do the crushed diet or starving themselves just to shed off those unwanted fats. This way they are not going to eliminate those they consider ugly bulges, but they tend to compromise their health as well.

Though I’m fat I can say I’m happy with my size and I ate every food I like and want to eat without worrying. But since many of you are not comfortable of being fat I want to share with you healthy foods that will satisfies your hunger but minimize your waistline. Melanie Marino a dietitian says that food that has high glycaemic index are quick to digest thus make you feel hungry easily. Foods that has low glycaemic index, will fills you up for long that lessen your total intake for the day.

Porridge this maybe made of brown rice or oatmeal. These are both high fiber contain. Natural oats and brown rice are rich in vitamin B6 which stimulate the production of serotonin: chemical responsible for our happy mood, and can also help absorb toxin. Adding peaches, apricots, cherries, pears, mangoes or plums will fills you. This can lower the glycaemic index that rise up from sugar and milk that you add in..

Pasta is also the right choice. Pasta has low glycaemic index but the additives make it high so it should be tomato base and go along well with sourdough bread.

Pizza has medium glycaemic index but can be lowered in a few changes. Selecting the wheat or thin crust instead of white bread. Avoid cheese filled crust.Tomato low fat cheese, mushrooms, olives and herbs such as basil and garlic are best option for low glycaemic index according to Marino.

Sweet potatoes are also good in replacement of potatoes because of low glycaemic index . Buy camote cue instead of French fries to fill in empty stomach.

Ice cream and cakes has low glycaemic contain but has”empty kilojoules “(load of sugar without nutritional benefits) Dig into low fat version and add berries or peaches or dark chocolates with nuts will go a long way.

Note: The foods that mention above doesn’t mean to replace your primary meal of the day. These can go in brunch or afternoon snack. Go, grow, and glow food should be eaten every meal to stay healthy but should be in moderation..These are only guidelines if you really need to diet for health reason.

Satisfying my Craving