Jeanette’s Mini Ham and Cheese Frittatas

Mini-Egg-FrittatasWith off the kids back in school, Jeanette Chen has a great weekday, breakfast-on-the-go favorite. Frittatas are basically an open-faced omelet that is baked in the oven. The base is made of eggs and the toppings are endless – it’s the perfect medium for using up all the little bits and pieces of vegetables in your refrigerator.
Mini Ham and Cheese Frittatas
Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup reduced salt ham, chopped
  • 1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chives or scallions, finely chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, Fines Herbes or your favorite dried herbs
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 2 large eggs
  • cooking spray

Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    2. Heat a large skillet with oil over medium heat. Add peppers and onions and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add ham; saute 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.
    3. Combine cheese, chives, thyme, pepper, egg whites and whole eggs in a medium bowl; whisk together. Add pepper/onion/ham mixture and stir well.
    4. Spoon into 24 miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray (use a non-stick pan and be sure to spray the cups well to prevent sticking).
    5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until set.

{adapted from Cooking Light}
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living.  She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends.
See more by clicking here

Gingered Blueberry Shortcakes with Light Creamy Topping Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Since there is still summer to celebrate before we’re back into the school season we are sharing this Blueberry Shortcake recipe from Jeanette’s Healthy Living blog. “These mini Gingered Blueberry Shortcakes are the perfect ending to a summer barbecue. A dollop of this Light Creamy Topping stands in for whipped cream with minimal fat. I’m always looking for ways to lighten up desserts, so today, I’m sharing our first of the season summer dessert – barely cooked fresh blueberries, topped with a gluten-free biscuit/scone, and finished with a generous dollop of a creamless creamy topping made with nonfat Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. Who doesn’t love creamy whipped cream on top of a summer fruit shortcake? The best part about this creamy topping is that it has no cream in it and it is very low in fat. The secret ingredients here are non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese. Of course, if you really want to use some whipped cream, you can, I would just use half the amount of whipped cream you typically would use and fold in this yogurt and cottage cheese topping for the other half. You’ll almost cut the amount of fat in half.” Jeanette Chen
 Gingered Blueberry Shortcakes with Light Creamy Topping Recipe (Gluten-Free)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 15 small servings or 8 regular servings
Ingredients 
Blueberry Topping 
4 cups fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons organic sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Shortcakes 
2 cups Pamela’s Gluten-Free Biscuit and Scone Mix
6 tablespoons Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, cut into slices
3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon organic sugar
Light Creamy Topping 
1 cup non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup low-fat (1% or 2%) cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
Directions 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 3 minutes or until berries begin to pop, stirring often; set aside. Place scone mix and Buttery Stick slices in food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and pulse until just combined. Turn mixture out onto lightly floured surface (use more scone mix). Press dough into a 7 inch circle. Use round biscuit cutters, cut dough into pieces (I used a 1 3/4″ biscuit cutter which made 15 circles). Place rounds 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Combine egg white and water in a small bowl. Lightly brush tops of biscuits with egg white mixture. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Place yogurt, cottage cheese, vanilla and honey in a blender; blend until smooth. To serve, place a few spoonfuls of the blueberry mixture in the bottom of a small plate. Top with one biscuit. Put a few tablespoons of the Light Creamy Topping on top. Serve.
See more at: http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2013/06/gingered-blueberry-shortcakes-with-light-creamy-topping.html#sthash.lqeltTk2.dpuf
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends.

Grilled Salmon with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

Salmon with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce 2Surprise the family with this tasty combination of grilling flavors. The Salmon is easy to cook on the grill and the sauce cooks up quickly for a delicious summer main course. Serve with freshly made robust salad with all the great in-season vegetable choices.
Grilled Salmon with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce
(from Jeanette’s Healthy Living)
Serves 6
Ingredients
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh salmon, cut into 3-4 ounce portions
Thai Coconut Curry Sauce
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Thai curry paste (red or panang are my favorites)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk plus 1 cup coconut milk, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons organic sugar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• fresh kaffir lime leaves, finely slivered, optional, for garnish
Directions
1. Oil a long piece of foil. Lay salmon pieces on top of foil and flip over so both sides of fish are oiled. Grill until just cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. You do not need to flip the fish if the grill cover is down.
2. To make Thai Coconut Curry Sauce, cook 2 teaspoons oil, curry paste and 1/2 cup coconut milk in a small saucepan until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add remaining 1 cup coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar and paprika. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer a minutes longer until slightly thickened.
3. To serve, spoon Thai Coconut Curry Sauce over grilled salmon.
4. Sprinkle slivered kaffir lime leaves on top.
Salmon with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living [http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/]. She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends.
– See more at: http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2012/05/salmon-with-thai-coconut-curry-sauce.html#sthash.NzPj0uq9.dpuf

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sauce – Featured Recipe

fishtacos2_edited-1Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends. Today, she’s sharing her recipe for Fish Tacos with a Chipotle Sauce – it’s a great casual meal that everyone can assemble themselves. To make things even easier, substitute shredded romaine lettuce for the coleslaw.
Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sauce
Ingredients
Coleslaw

  • 4 cups coleslaw mix (or shredded cabbage and carrots)
  • 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Fish

  • 4 fillets firm white fish such as tilapia
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika, optional
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Chipotle Yogurt Sauce

  • 1 chipotle pepper, seeds removed
  • 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons lowfat mayonnaise
  • dash of salt

To Serve

  • Corn or taco size flour tortillas (about 12)
  • Optional toppings:tomatoes, chopped avocado or guacamole, tomato salsa

Directions 
Coleslaw

  • Mix all Coleslaw ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cover and chill until time to serve.

Fish

  • Drizzle olive oil on both sides of fish fillets, using your fingers to lightly cover all the pieces.
  • Sprinkle chili powder, smoked paprika and a little salt and pepper on each piece.
  • Grill or broil fish on top of a lightly greased piece of foil until done (this keeps the fish from sticking to the grill). Flip the fish halfway through cooking, or just leave it alone and let it finish cooking without turning.

Chipotle Yogurt Sauce

  • Finely mince chipotle pepper (without the seeds or else it will be way too spicy). Mix with yogurt, mayonnaise and a dash of salt.

To Serve

  • Lightly warm corn tortillas over gas flame or in a pan on the stove (you can also wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave until soft, about 30-45 seconds). Let everyone serve themselves by topping the corn tortilla with some Grilled Fish, Coleslaw and a drizzle of Chipotle Yogurt Sauce.

Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole Recipe

Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole (1)Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole
(gluten-free/dairy-free adaptable):
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends. The Strawberry Banana French Toast Casserole she’s sharing is perfect for Easter Brunch, and is easily gluten-free and dairy-free adaptable.
Ingredients

  • 8 slices bread (whole grain or gluten free), crust trimmed, cut into cubes
  • 2 banana, mashed
  • 12 strawberries, diced
  • 1 cup low-fat milk or non-dairy milk (almond, soy, rice)
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • maple syrup for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking dish with spray oil (for a more elegant presentation, use individual ramekins). Place cubed bread in baking dish(es). Mix mashed banana, strawberries, milk, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Pour milk mixture over bread cubes and toss gently until bread is evenly coated.
  2. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
  3. Serve with maple syrup.

Skinny Philly Cheesesteak Dip Recipe

Skinny Hot Philly Cheesesteak Dip
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living. She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends. This Skinny Philly Cheese Steak Dip is perfect for March Madness – it’s deceptively rich tasting and will satisfy the meat lovers in your crowd.
Skinny Philly Cheese Steak Dip (gluten-free)
Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups 1% milkfat cottage cheese
  • 1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 8-ounce package mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 pound ground turkey or chicken
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper
  • paprika, if desired

Directions

  1. Place cottage cheese in food processor and process until smooth. Add milk, cornstarch and shredded cheese and process until combined.
  2. In a large pan, heat oil and saute bell pepper, onion, mushrooms and garlic until onions are softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until browned, breaking up pieces.
  3. Add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook a minute or two for flavors to develop.
  4. Stir in cottage cheese mixture and turn off heat. Stir until cheese is melted and dip is creamy. Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with paprika if desired.
  5. Serve with tortilla chips or whole grain crackers.