Cocoa-nut Energy Bites

Okay guys, this recipe was really fun to make, if you don't mind a little mess!  These Cocoa-nut Energy Bites are my take on Medjool Date Power Balls from NaturalDelights.com.  It's almost impossible to believe healthy these bites are because they taste just like No-Bake cookies.
I had never even tried a date before making this recipe and I was pleasantly surprised.  They are sweet and gooey and taste almost like caramels (YUM). Dates are little powerhouses that boast high numbers of potassium, fiber and iron.  You can't go wrong with this recipe, but feel free to play around with other ingredients!  I think this would be especially fun to make with children, too.
I bet you can't eat just one, although they are surprisingly filling and make a perfect snack.
See you back here soon!

Cocoa-nut Energy Bites
Recipe by Ali Caron, RD
Makes about 12 balls (6 servings)

Ingredients:
1 cup sliced almonds
16 Medjool dates, pitted
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup organic shredded coconut
1 tablespoon (low sodium) peanut butter
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions: 
Place 1 cup almonds in food processor and pulse until ground.  Place almonds in a medium bowl.
Place pitted dates in food processor along with a few tablespoons water and blend until smooth.  Add to bowl.  Add coconut, peanut butter, cocoa powder and cinnamon to bowl.  Combine well with fork (or use your hands).
Scoop about 2 tablespoons into your hands and roll to form a ball.  Place on parchment lines baking sheet and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  Store in air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Nutrition Facts: (2 Bites) 138 Calories, 12g Fat, 7g Carbohydrates, 5g Protein, 4g Fiber, 9mg Sodium, 209mg Potassium

Vegetarian Chili Verde

Looking for a soup to get you through these last few days of what feels like winter this spring? Look no further!  This "green chili" is a little sweet, a tad tangy and a bit spicy.  It is satisfying and a perfect meatless Monday option everyone will love!  Try pairing it with tortilla chips or corn bread to balance out the heat of the pablano pepper.  Trust me, you will love this one!

Vegetarian Chili Verde
Recipe by Ali Caron, RD
Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 large tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 russet or Yukon gold potato, peeled and chopped

1 Poblano pepper without seeds, chopped4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 shallots, chopped (or ½ cup chopped onion)

1 cup frozen corn

7oz can of mild green chilies

1 ½ Tbsp oregano

½ Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp whole wheat flour

1-2 cups vegetable broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garnish: Chopped green onions

Directions:  Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat.  Add tomatillos, potatoes, Poblano pepper, garlic and shallots, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent. 

Puree green chilies in food processor and add to pot along with corn, oregano, cumin and flour.  Stir well.  Add vegetable broth, a ½ cup at a time until desired thickness is reached.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Allow to simmer for another 20 minutes when potatoes are tender.  Serve with optional green onion garnish.

Nutrition Facts (1 cup): 139 Calories, 4g Fat, 24g Carbohydrates, 5g Protein, 4g Fiber, 346mg Sodium, 548mg Potassium

Seared Scallops with Orange Quinoa

Okay, so I'll admit it. I FINALLY got a teensy bit tired of my weekly salmon-for-dinner routine.  This week I decided to buy some scallops to shake things up a bit (wild and crazy, I know.)  A great tip is to always try to buy fresh, local seafood but especially when it comes to scallops, purchase the dry, wild-caught and not previously frozen.  The fresher the dry scallops are, the easier they will be to sear because they won't be carrying extra water.  On that same note, pat the scallops dry with paper towel before cooking.  This will ensure you get a nice golden color on each side.
For me, all really good scallops need is olive oil and salt, and maybe a squeeze of citrus.  This dish is paired with orange quinoa to help brighten the seafood up.  It is a mild and light yet mouthwatering dish that I will be making again and again.  And it is even easier if you have leftover quinoa in the fridge or prep it the night before.  I'd love to hear what you all think of this one if you make it!  See you back here soon!

Seared Scallops with Orange Quinoa
Recipe by Ali Caron, RD
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 to 3/4 pound dry sea scallops (buy local, wild-caught when available)
1 tablespoon olive oil
course salt

1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup canned chick peas (low sodium)
1 orange (zest, juice and slices)
1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a small or medium pan over medium heat.  Pat scallops dry very well with clean paper towel.  Sprinkle with course salt. Sear scallops for 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, combine quinoa, chick peas, orange zest and green onion in a bowl.  Squeeze the juice of half the orange over the quinoa, sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir until thoroughly combined.
Portion half of the quinoa onto two plates (about 3/4 cup each) and top with scallops.  Slice the remaining half of the orange for garnish and serve.

Nutrition Facts: 365 Calories, 10g Fat, 44g Carbohydrate, 27g Protein, 8.5g Fiber, 249mg Sodium, 700mg Potassium

March is National Nutrition Month!

Happy National Nutrition Month! Every year, March kicks off a whole month of awareness for the importance of nutrition in the U.S. We can use this time to motivate eachother to either start or maintain healthy eating patterns!  How are you going to celebrate?!

Ways to celebrate National Nutrition Month:

• Keep a Food Journal
• Reach out to a Registered Dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) in your area
• Make a nutrition or exercise goal for the month of March
• Use a fitness tracker to increase your activity and encourage friends with weekly competitions
• Visit choosemyplate.gov or eatright.org for information and great resources
• Try cooking a new, healthy recipe
• Follow the hashtag #NNM on Twitter or Instagram

From: dining.okstate.edu

Cayenne Sweet Potato Tacos

Several weeks ago, I travelled to Brunswick, ME for the last of my post-op appointments following my foot surgery.  I absolutely fell in love with the vibe of the downtown area and after my appointment I stopped at the Little Dog Coffee Shop for a latte to gear up for the 2 hour trip home.  I then stopped into Big E's, a local burrito joint that had some great reviews.  I opted for a veggie burrito bowl with cayenne sweet potato and I honestly now think that is the key ingredient that every burrito place should have.  It was fantastic!  The sweet and spiciness complimented the black beans so well and left me satisfied without feeling like I had overdone it.
A week or so after my trip I decided to recreate the dish in a taco version.  I can't believe how easy it was and again, how delicious it tasted.  I highly recommend you try making it for someone, they won't be disappointed!

Cayenne Sweet Potato Tacos
Serves 2 (makes 4 tacos)
Recipe by Ali Caron, RD

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Sweet Potato
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 shallot, diced
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup black beans
1 cup chopped greens or slaw mix
Olive oil spray
4 flour tortillas
Drizzle of ranch dressing

Directions: Wash and chop sweet potato into 1 inch cubes.  Heat oil in medium skillet and add sweet potato.  Cook on low-medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add shallots, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and stir until evenly coated.  Finish cooking for another 5-10 minutes, or until fork tender.
Meanwhile, heat black beans on stove top or in microwave.  To heat tortillas, spray each with olive oil non-stick spray and heat in toaster oven until golden brown.
To assemble, lay about 1/4 cup of each greens, black beans and cooked sweet potato into each tortilla.  Drizzle with ranch, sour cream or Greek yogurt and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts: (for 1 taco) 284 Calories, 5g Fat, 48g Carbohydrates, 13g Protein, 10g Fiber, 51mg Sodium, 958mg Potassium

Lemon Pantry's Must-Have Kitchen Essentials

I thought it was high-time I let you all in on my favorite go-to kitchen essentials.  These are some of my absolute favorite things I just can’t go without.  Honorable mentions include mason jars (duh) because they are so darn functional for storage and cute for cocktails as well as my Pampered Chef pizza stone for nice, crispy pizza crusts every time.  Take a peek at my list and let me know what your favorite items are in the kitchen!

Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor, 3-Cup

This food processor is PERFECT for making your own pesto or hummus.  I find it so handy when cooking for one but it also is just the right size for making dips for entertaining.  Find it here.

Calphalon Kitchen Essentials Non Stick Pan

This pan gets used almost every night at my house.  Perfect for grilling salmon, veggies or even fruit.  You can also make Panini’s (although I never have) or toast up bread on it.  It leaves great grill marks you just can’t get otherwise in the dead of winter.  Find it here.

Rachael Ray Cutlery 3-Piece Japanese Stainless Steel Chef Knife Set with Orange Handles and Sheaths

Ray-Ray no longer makes these exact knives but has changed the style slightly and still carries a similar version, here.  The chef’s knife is absolutely perfect.  What more can be said.

NutriBullet Hi‑Speed 12‑Piece Blender and Mixer System

I didn’t even know about the NutriBullet until I received it as a Christmas gift a few years ago and I am hooked.  It is incredibly handy and totally took the place of my old blender.  For real, I got rid of that thing because the NutriBullet is so easy to clean and user friendly.  Ideal for smoothies and the second blade is great at grinding up nuts and seeds.  (I also recommend these to my patients on modified-texture diets.  Because of the different cups it saves you from washing a regular blender 3 times for a single meal.  This way, you can puree meat in one, potatoes in a second, and peas in a third.)  Find it here.

Hamilton Beach 2-Speed Hand Blender

If you are into making your own soups then you need one of these, really.  Every time I use it I am just so happy I have it.  It saves so much effort and prevents me from spilling hot soup while I try to get it into a blender to puree.  This one has a blade that detaches for easy cleaning.  Find it here.

100% Greek Olive Oil and Lemon Juice

This is not exactly a kitchen tool but I use it so frequently I had to include it.  I cook with a LOT of olive oil and lemon juice and this just saves me one step in flavoring most dishes.  It’s also nice to drizzle over dips or salads.  Find it here.

Anchor Hocking 10-Piece TrueSeal Storage Set
I found these on Amazon for a STEAL and they are still available, find here.  I have switched almost 100% to glass Tupperware and I have to say I much prefer it.  I just love that you can get glass Tupperware REALLY clean and it doesn’t stain like plastic.  Also, it looks nice in the fridge and makes it easy to see what you have on hand!

Black Bean Soup

I had a different post planned for the first Lemon Pantry recipe of the year but with the Nor'Easter coming (or already here if you're further south) I thought a nice warm soup would be just perfect for a snowed in weekend.  I had a couple weeks off from blogging which I think was needed after a busy holiday season but I am happy to be back!  How are you all doing?!
This soup is my take on a classic that is so nice and filling but great for you.  It is low in fat and sodium yet high in fiber and a great vegetarian protein-packed meal! Plus, beans are a good source of magnesium and potassium.  I topped my soup with diced avocado and pico de gallo but you could serve it with sour cream or a few tortilla chips or even crumbled bacon if you're feeling frisky.  Best thing of all this tastes amazing and won't set your New Year's resolutions off just yet!  Have a great weekend everyone!

Black Bean Soup
Recipe by Ali Caron, RD
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped finely
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
2 cans black beans (do not drain)
1 cup vegetarian low sodium broth

Garnish: diced avocado and pico de gallo*

Directions: Heat olive oil and onion in a large soup pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic cloves and cumin after a couple minutes and continue to stir until onions are translucent.  Pour in black beans and bring up to a simmer.   Remove 1-2 cups of soup with a ladle and puree in a food processor.   (Optional: Here I also scooped out most of the onions to puree to avoid having big chunks in the soup.)  Add pureed beans and broth to soup pot and bring back up to a simmer.  Dish into bowls, garnish and serve.

*For pico de gallo:  Finely dice onion and tomato and add a pinch of salt, a splash of lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro.  Mix and serve.

Nutrition Facts: 427 Calories, 5g Fat, 72g Carbohydrates, 25g Protein, 18g Fiber, 56mg Sodium, 1714mg Potassium