Healthy Food for Your Family and Kids

I've known for some time that my cookies and other baked goods always turned out differently depending on whether I used a certain type of butter or vegetable spread.  Now I know why.  In this wonderful, informative article by Julia Moskin for the New York Times, she explains that successful, trained bakers always use butter.  And ... they would never, ever microwave the butter to soften it!  Well, I've certainly done that "no-no" many times. We've all had our disappointments in the kitchen and definitely with baking.  Did you know that when a recipe says to 'cream' the butter that you should beat to soften the butter - to incorporate air - for at least three minutes?  For more information on the proper use of butter and baking wonderous treats, read the entire article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/dining/17bake.html?emc=eta1

Need a great new soup recipe? Well this one is perfect for Fall and Winter. The best time to try it out is after Thanksgiving when you are left with a little turkey, a little cranberry sauce, and other odds and ends. This Soup is easy, takes less than 30 minutes to make and cook.

Even my kids LOVE this SOUP! It is truly light, refreshing, yet hearty all at the same time. It is a new twist and step up on a traditional turkey or chicken soup. Yum!

To make the Turkey Cranberry White Bean Soup with a hint of Orange you will need:

Ingredients:

1 tsp Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves-minced
1/4 White Onion-diced
64 oz Chicken Broth or Turkey
2 Cups Cooked Turkey Meat

(can be more or less)
1 cup Water
1 can Cranberry Sauce diced (less if fine)
1 can White Beans with Liquid (Nothern Beans)
1/2 tsp. Basil
1/2 tsp. Coariander
1/2 tsp. Poultry or Stuffing Seasoning or Sage
1/4 tsp. Oregano
1/4 tsp. Thyme
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
Pepper to Taste
1/4 tsp Juice of Orange or 1/8 Orange Juice (optional)-adds a hint of citrus- think Heffenweizer with an Orange)

In a Large Stock Pot add 1 tsp Olive Oil over Medium Heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until soft (approx. 5-10 min). Add turkey broth,water, and diced turkey, and all seasonings. Then add beans and cranberry sauce and juice of orange (optional). Let simmer on Med-Low Heat until ready to serve. Or make the night ahead and reheat the next day once flavors have time to marry.

Serve warm with crusty bread! Enjoy!

For Vegetarians: Make this soup but replace broth with Vegetable Broth and Turkey with Crumbled Tofu- it is Amazing!

I have several ways I cook Salmon and a few recipes I work with when I am serving Salmon. The first way I love to use Salmon is to make Homemade Salmon Cakes with a Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce. Salmon Cakes are a favorite in my house and friends request I make these for them. They are much tastier (and different) from crab cakes, which I do enjoy.

Ingredients for Homemade Salmon Cakes

8 oz of cooked Salmon (cook it, or use leftovers or from a can/pouch)

½ cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

¼ cup of Reduced Fat Mayonnaise

¼ tsp thyme

¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper

¼ tsp Oregano

¼ tsp Basil

Sprinkle of Salt and Pepper

1 tsp of lemon juice

1 Tbs Olive Oil or Butter

Ingredients for the Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce

½ cup reduced fat Sour Cream (or regular)

¼ cup Honey Mustard Dip/Dressing (I use Ken's)

1-2 tsp of hot sauce (like Texas Pete) or you could try 1 tsp of horseradish or cayenne pepper instead which will work

1-2 Tbs of Brown Sugar

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Time to make: 25 minutes. 10 to prepare cakes, 5-10 to cook, and 5 to prepare the sauce

If you are like most families-you love having pizza but often take out pizza or frozen pizza is high in fat and made with white flour.  Our food correspondant, Krisitn wants to share a healthier whole wheat white pizza with you.  Another recipe I love to make and have given it my own twist is my version of a White Pizza. It is called White Basil Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust and it is a wonderful pizza that is perfect for an appetizer or for dinner when paired with a small salad or soup. You can also serve the pizza with a side of marina sauce for dipping the bites of the pizza.  By adding the marinara you are adding the healthy nutrients of tomatoes, like Lycopene to your meal.

Here is a great Three Bean Soup Recipe. 

This recipe was not created by myself or our site. I found this recipe in a magazine several years back.  I had ripped out the magazine page and filed it under soups. The page has ads on both sides of it and therefore the publication date and magazine name is not there.  I have searched the web looking for the recipe so I could link to it and give proper credit but I have been unable to find it even by searching using a search engine and by going to each site for magazines I have subscribed to in the past to try and find it.  If you come across this recipe and know where it came from please let me know and I will link to the recipe and remove this page.

Possibly came from Parents or Parenting Magazine or Health.