The incredible edible egg is back with this guest post by Corinne Dobbas, MS, RD – Enjoy, Robyn

Lately, I’ve been quite obsessed with poached eggs. Their golden insides cradled by their brilliant whites have brightened my lazy Sundays, delighted my dinners, and snazzed-up my snacks … yup, a poached egg obsession would be quite a fair assessment! I’ve turned many a client on to them as well. I like to think of myself as the poached egg ambassador!
Poached eggs on toast are a traditional staple in many homes, including mine. I happen to love this belly-filling, tastebud-satiating combo; however, there are other ways to enjoy this little golden incredible edible egg—poached style of course! Below are some fabulous ideas, but before we get ahead of ourselves, I’ll quickly take you through how to poach an egg, just in case!

How to Poach an Egg (Using a Pot)
There are many, many ways to poach an egg, but this is my preferred method.

1. Fill a pot with a few inches of water and heat on medium
2. Crack an egg into a small bowl or cup
3. Add about a teaspoon of vinegar to the almost simmering water (this will help the egg hold its form)
4. Once tiny bubbles start to form in the water, quickly whisk the water, creating a whirlpool
5. Once you have your whirlpool, stop stirring/whisking, and quickly yet gently drop the egg from the small bowl or cup into the center of the “whirlpool”
6. Wait 3-6 minutes, depending if you like your egg more or less “runny,” and remove your wonderfully poached egg with a slotted spoon

Delish Ways to Enjoy Your Perfectly Poached Egg! All under 300 calories!

1. The Californian: One slice of whole-wheat toast , topped with ¼ of an avocado (sliced), 1 tablespoon of hummus, sliced tomatoes and a poached egg
2. The Sante Fe: 1 small corn tortilla topped with 2-3 tablespoons of guacamole, ¼ cup black beans, ¼ cup low fat shredded cheese, ½ cup grilled peppers and mushrooms, a poached egg and as much salsa as your heart desires!
3. A Healthified McMuffin: 1 whole-grain English muffin with 1 light laughing cow wedge, 1 slice of Canadian bacon or 2-3 slices of turkey, spinach, tomato and a poached egg
4. The Bacon Avocado Egg Tower: 3 slices of Canadian bacon, stacked, with ½ tablespoon of guacamole between the slices, topped with a poached egg
5. The Health Nut: One poached egg atop a bed of sautéed spinach, mushrooms, peppers, and zucchini (using light oil, about ½ tablespoon) dressed up with ¼ cup black beans or lentils and ¼ cup quinoa

About Corinne:
Corinne Dobbas, MS, RD is a leading nutrition counselor, writer, and speaker and trusted nutrition source for the media. She believes that optimal health starts with the activity that you do every day—eat. Corinne is a Registered Dietitian (RD) with a Masters in Nutrition who adores helping people find health through nutrition. You can find Corinne in the San Francisco Bay Area counseling, speaking, and writing about nutrition. She specializes in weight management, sports nutrition, and disordered eating. To learn more please visit Green Grape Nutrition. You can also connect with Corinne on Twitter and Facebook.

Treat yourself to this delicious blood orange salad from Chef Danielle Turner. Enjoy, Robyn

Blood oranges get a bad rap. The name is unappetizing at best, but they’re actually a delicious variety of orange marked by its telltale crimson flesh. The pulp is a deep, brilliant red that can resemble — you guessed it — blood. The dark color is caused by an extra pigment, anthocyanin, that regular oranges don’t have. Flavor wise, blood oranges are often slightly sweeter than most oranges and if you’re lucky you’ll taste subtle undertones of raspberry or strawberry. They typically have fewer seeds than regular oranges and are higher in Vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants – anthocyanin is an antioxidant known for fighting aging, cancer and diabetes.

Blood oranges are a winter/spring treat. They’re in season from December to April or May. Their bright, reddish color is striking in salads, sauces and even cocktails. Refrigerate blood oranges to extend their shelf life. They’ll last only a few days at room temperature.

This simple salad is a celebration of blood oranges, using the juice in the vinaigrette and tossing the segmented fruit in with the greens. It makes for a light, refreshing winter salad, perfect for a light lunch or as a side dish at dinner. You’ll get an extra dose of antioxidants from the almonds and vitamins A, K and folic acid from the peppery arugula.

Arugula, Blood Orange & Blue Cheese Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Serves 4-6.

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup blood orange juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste
4 cups arugula, rised and patted dry
4 blood oranges, peeled and segmented
1/2 cup thinly-sliced red onions
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Prepare vinaigrette:
Whisk blood orange juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Gradually add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until vinaigrette comes together.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette, to taste, tossing until evenly coated and serve.

Note: You’ll have a bit of vinaigrette leftover. Reserve it for other salads or as a marinade for fish.

Chef Danielle Turner teaches the ABCs of cooking at www.CookingClarified.com where she shares the tips, tools and techniques that make cooking simple.

My foodie friend Janel Ovrut Funk, MS RD LDN, is providing this fabulous recipe for Italian Bread Soup in today’s post. Enjoy! Robyn

I’m not a fan of cold weather, despite living in Boston or upstate-NY for my entire life. But if I had to choose one thing I enjoy most about the long, cold winter months of New England, my response is soup. Yes, soup is my favorite thing about winter. There is nothing more comforting than ending a cold, snowy day with a piping hot bowl of soup to thaw you out. And making homemade soup couldn’t be easier, or healthier, since you have control over how much salt you add to your pot, and can jam pack your broth with whatever veggies and whole grains you like.

This Italian Bread Soup became my absolute favorite soup after my Italian roommate introduced me to it a few years ago. I couldn’t get over how creamy and cheese-like it tasted, yet it contained not even a drop of dairy. My husband calls it “Pizza Soup,” saying it tastes just like a hot, cheesy slice in soup form. It is stick-to-your-ribs satisfying, and pairs perfectly with a light side salad, garnished with some beans or nuts for a little protein boost.

Ingredients for an extra large batch:
15 oz fresh bread – even a few days old bread is better but fresh is fine, in my opinion
2 (two) 28oz cans diced tomatoes, liquid included
4 cups vegetable broth
1+ cups water as needed
¼ cup olive oil
3 minced garlic cloves
Salt to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste
Bunch of fresh basil, some leaves chopped and some cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade)

1. Cut the crust off of your loaf of bread, then cut or rip bread into bite-sized pieces.
2. Place all ingredients (except extra water and chiffonade basil) in a large soup pot set on medium heat. When the soup begins to boil, lower the heat and cook covered, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add extra water as needed if you feel it needs a bit more liquid. The soup should be very thick, and the bread should start to dissolve into the liquid.
3. Turn off heat. Using a hand-held immersion blender, blend the soup right in the pot until it reaches a creamy consistency and all of the bread is broken down. You could also scoop some soup into a blender and blend it on low a few batches at a time to get a creamier consistency. Or, if you like the soup more chunky, leave it as is! I like leaving some chunks of bread and tomato in there, so I only run the immersion blender for a few seconds.
4. Ladle soup into bowls and top with basil chiffonade.

Janel Funk is a Boston-based Registered Dietitian who enjoys helping others make healthy changes, one bite at a time. You can follow Janel’s blog, Eat Well with Janel become an Eat Well with Janel fan, and follow her food and nutrition tweets on Twitter

Today’s guest post is from Deanna Segrave-Daly. Deanna is a partner with Teaspoon Communications www.teaspooncomm.com and a registered dietitian who pretty much lives to eat. She is the co-founder of the monthly Recipe ReDux bloghop www.thereciperedux.com, and is co-host of #kitchentool chats held every other month on Twitter. She tweets as @tspbasil.
~ Enjoy, Robyn

Ahh, I love a good roast. I’m not talking about the beef dish but rather the cooking technique itself. Roasting brings out the sweetness and a depth to many foods – including bananas Banana Cocoa Nip Muffins, a recent tip I learned from Robyn herself, who inspired this recipe for Bananas Foster. But I reserve roasting primarily for vegetables – it’s pretty much the only way I prepare broccoli and carrots anymore.

Wintertime is the prime time to roast vegetables. Root veggies and winter squashes that are now in season are glorious after being seasoned and then blasted with heat from a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or so. Take for example, parsnips, which look like carrots only paler in color but also have a sweet taste to them after cooking.

A recent article in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s food section on the winter harvest featured a divine recipe for roasting parsnips with butter, olive oil, apple cider and rosemary. This dish smells amazing when cooking and you won’t believe you are eating vegetables after tasting this almost dessert sweet dish!

Please click here for the roasted parsnip recipe.

Happy roasting!
Deanna

While I’m en route to Miami (my first year of being a “snowbird”) I know you’ll love this guest post for Beany Nachos by Elisa Zied. Perfect for a small crowd – and zero guilt! Enjoy, Robyn

Whether you’re a football fan or not, this nacho recipe, taken from my second book, Feed Your Family Right! (co-authored with Ruth Winter, MS) is sure to be a fan (or football widow) favorite in your home! Packed with refried beans (rich in filling protein and fiber) and colorful produce like onions, peppers, plum tomtoes and other colorful produce (rich in vitamins, minerals, and powerful plant chemicals that keep you healthy), this is a delicious quick-fix, no guilt dish to serve yourself and your guests alike.

BEANY NACHOS
Total cooking and preparation time: 20 minutes.
Makes 6 servings.

16-ounce can fat-free/nonfat refried beans
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 cup chopped plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno peppers
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
8 ounces baked tortilla chips
1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons nonfat sour cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. In a bowl, combine refried beans with cumin and lime juice, and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, red onion, Tabasco, and 2 tablespoons cilantro, and set aside. Spray an ovenproof serving platter with a single layer of chips, top with 1/2 the bean mixture, 1/2 the tomato mixture, and 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Top with remaining chips, bean, and tomato mixture, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly, about 8 to 10 minutes. Garnish with several dollops of sour cream and remaining chopped cilantro.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories 230
Fat 2g
Saturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 720mg
Carbohydrate 45g
Fiber 7g
Sugars 2g
Protein 8g

Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN is a New York City-based registered dietitan. She’s the president and founder of Zied Health Communications, LLC,  and is a freelance health and nutrition writer. She’s the author of Nutrition At Your Fingertips, and co-author (with Ruth Winter, MS) of Feed Your Family Right!, and So What Can I Eat?! Elisa is the creator of The ZIED GUIDE blog and free e-newsletter. Visit her at www.elisazied.com.

Let’s get sweet and spicy with this fabulous guest recipe post by Andy Bellatti. Enjoy! ~ Robyn

Chili is one of my favorite fall and wintertime foods.  Several years ago I posted one of my favorite chili recipes made with traditional ingredients like corn, peppers, and a variety of beans (that recipe, by the way, goes great over a bed of brown rice or quinoa).

This time around, I want to share a much less conventional variety that contains a variety of vegetables and spices (cocoa powder, anyone?).  If your digestive system is particularly sensitive to beans, then this recipe is for you, since lentils are the stars (unlike beans, lentils do not contain sulfur — AKA: no unpleasant side effects).

This recipe is rather high in fiber, so if you are not accustomed to large amounts, you may want to start out having a a smaller serving of this as a side dish. It’s also an excellent way to add vitamin C, zinc, potassium, magnesium, and iron to your day.

YIELDS: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsps oil (I like coconut, though olive also works)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cup red onions, diced
• 2 cups peeled sweet potatoes, chopped
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups dry lentils, rinsed (brown lentils yield a chewier texture, whereas red lentils yield a softer texture)
• 1 regular (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (preferably a variety that comes with diced jalapeños)
• 2 cups water
• Sliced avocado (optional garnish)
• Chopped scallions (optional garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a large pot.  Once hot, add garlic, onions, sweet potatoes, broccoli, mushroom, salt, and spices.

2. Stir for ten seconds, to ensure that spices coat all ingredients evenly.  Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add lentils, diced tomatoes, and water to pot.  Stir and increase heat to high.

5. Once contents in pot come to a rolling boil, reduce heat to medium/medium-low and cook for 20 minutes.

6. Serve in bowls and top with avocado slices and/or scallions.

Andy Bellatti, MS, RD, is a Seattle-based dietitian who approaches nutrition from a whole-foods, plant-centric framework. He also takes a strong interest in food politics, nutrition policy, and deceptive food industry marketing tactics. He is the creator of the Small Bites blog and can be followed on Twitter.

Olive oil with lemon. Check. With herbs. Check. With chilies. Check. With onion. Hmmmm. I don’t know about you, but I have not come across a commercially produced olive oil infused with onion, until now. This week’s second Fabulous Food Finds discovery brought my eye to the oil aisle where I found Rivière D’Or Olive Oil and Onion. A lovely oil produced in the Middle East with a nice subtle onion background is perfect for all your cooking, especially to further enhance onion based vegetable dishes.

This beautiful layered vegetable tian is a perfect showcase for this aromatic olive oil giving you a double dose of the pungent allium. But best of all, my lemon, herb, and chili olive oils now have some company in the kitchen.

CARAMELIZED ONION TIAN WITH GREEN BEANS AND CHERRY TOMATOES

3 Tbsp Riviere D’Or Olive Oil and Onion
2 large onions, halved, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices
½ pound fresh green beans, trimmed, each bean cut diagonally into thirds
2 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp good quality thick balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/3 cup grated Fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute on medium for 5 minutes. Lower the heat and continue to saute for about 20 minutes until onions are very soft.

2. Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and turn off the heat. Let the beans stand in the water for 2 minutes. Drain well. Set aside.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add the thyme , balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to the onions and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add the drained green beans to the onions and coat the green beans with the onions.

5. Spread the onion green mixture evenly in a shallow baking pan. Top with the halved grape tomatoes cut side down. Sprinkle the entire tian with the Parmesan cheese.

6. Bake for 15 minutes or until cherry tomatoes are lightly browned and cheese is melted.

All photographs and recipe testing by Olga Berman from Mango & Tomato.

Come on, admit it. Sometimes you purchase a food product based on it’s name. I’ll admit I do on occasion, and so I couldn’t resist tossing Bada Bing Cherries into my car this week. Fortunately, there’s more to this jar of luscious plump cherries than its hilarious “New Jersey” moniker.

It’s the dead of winter and all I want sometimes is a reminder that summer is coming. I love cherries more than any other fruit but have been let down with frozen cherries at this time of year. Other jarred cherries are far too sweet or contain so many dyes and colorings you are really not sure if that redhead is real. But passed its fun name, Bada Bing Cherries are so worthy of space on my pantry shelf–I might even keep them around when summer does arrive.

The quick filling healthy shake is an adaptation of a recipe in my book Get Healthy, Go Vegan co authored with Dr. Neal Barnard (DaCapo 2010).

CHOCOLATE CHERRY SHAKE

2 cups chocolate soy milk
2 bananas, peeled and frozen overnight
1 ( 13.5 ounce) jar Bada Bing Cherries, drained

1. Add the soy milk to a blender. Cut the bananas into chunks and add to the blender with the cherries. Process until the shake is smooth. Pour into tall glasses with some fun straws!

All photographs and recipe testing by Olga Berman from Mango & Tomato.

If you took a poll on what is the least liked vegetable, you probably would receive the usual suspects: Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and maybe even beets. It’s a shame the beautiful garnet colored tuber gets such a bad wrap. Usually people don’t care for beets because they have had them canned, and I would agree, there are some dreadful canned beets out there.

Of course cooking them fresh almost guarantees your beet eating experience will be lovelier, but not everyone is willing to go that far. So on my Fabulous Food Finds hunt this week I tracked down a most delightfully tasty jarred beet that can hold it’s own against the fresh.

Ricks Picks Phat Beets are pickled beets infused with aromatic spices such as ginger and have it all over the boring, washed-out taste of almost any other canned beet I’ve tried. Paired in this healthy, pretty salad you might just have another vegetable to add to your “like” list!

PICKLED BEET SALAD WITH APPLES AND GOAT CHEESE

1/3 cup chopped walnuts
3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 large Braeburn, Fuji or Gala apple, thinly sliced,unpeeled
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2-3 Tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups mixed greens
1 ( 15 ounce) jar Ricks Picks Phat Beets
2 ounces goat cheese, cut into small pieces

1. Add the walnuts to a medium skillet over medium heat. Toast the walnuts for about 2-3 minutes. Add the maple syrup and cook and stir until the nuts are evenly coated. Remove the walnuts form the skillet onto a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper to dry. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, toss the sliced apples and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

4. To assemble the salad: Divide the mixed greens among 4 salad plates. Arrange the Ricks Picks Phat Beets and apples over the greens. Drizzle the dressing over the greens, beets and apples. Sprinkle with the candied walnuts and pieces of goat cheese.

All photographs and recipe testing by Olga Berman from Mango & Tomato.

It’s the time of year when everyone begins to give up some food in their efforts to stick to their resolutions. But I’m not, I never do. It’s my true belief not only as a health professional, but also as an enthusiastic eater, to never give up on foods you love, but learn how to modify their consumption. And when it comes to chocolate, this never rings more true.

The health benefits of chocolate are well established, but even I know I can’t go full tilt with the rich confection. If there is any drawback to chocolate consumption, it would be of course in large frequent amounts it;s hard to justify the excess calories and fat. So that’s why on my search for new products for the new year, my eyes were drawn to Theo’s Roasted Cocoa Nibs. These scrumptious morsels are a great way to have your chocolate and eat it too. Added to baked goods or eaten out of hand, I can get a tiny powerful dose of chocolate without one speck of deprivation.

Why cocoa nibs versus regular chocolate chips? These cocoa nibs have many times over the antioxidant properties of regular chips, are lower in fat and aren’t so sweet that you get your palate craving sugar only to destroy those well thought out resolutions.

So go ahead and give up something else (I can think of a lot of things…the laundry…), but I’ll keep my hands wrapped around these cocoa nibs all year long.

BANANA COCOA NIB MUFFINS

4 ripe bananas
2 eggs
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup plain non fat yogurt
½ cup 1% milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup Theo Roasted Cocoa Nibs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat 16 muffin cups with cooking spray. Add water half full to any muffin cups that will not be filled with batter to prevent the unused cups from burning.

2. Add the unpeeled, whole bananas to a large baking sheet. Roast the bananas for about 20 minutes until the skins of the bananas turn black. Remove the bananas form the oven, allow to cool enough to handle. Peel the bananas, discard the skins and remove any stringiness from the bananas. Mash the bananas in a bowl. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, yogurt, milk and oil until smooth.

4. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg sugar mixture. Mix well, but do not overbeat. Fold in the bananas and cocoa nibs and mix for 1 minute.

6. Fill each prepared muffin cup two thirds full with the banana muffin batter. Bake the muffins back in the 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

7. Remove the muffins from the oven and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Turn out the muffins to a cooling rack and cool completely. Store in a covered container.

All photographs and recipe testing by Olga Berman from Mango & Tomato.