The Ultimate Caesar Salad Recipe

Caesar salad gets a bad rap as a non healthy food choice - deservedly so in most cases, as they often contain a generous content of mayo, parmesan, croutons, and oil.  These versions can easily come in at a higher calorie count than a Big Mac!

Here is a fabulous, calorie savvy recipe that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.  Instead of adding croutons and cheese, throw a grilled chicken breast or salmon on top to make a fantastic, protein-rich dinner.
Note that this dressing is not low salt, due to the salt in the anchovies.

INGREDIENTS: (super easy to remember, as everything but the anchovies are in 2's):

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 can of anchovies (in olive oil) - 'Millionaires' brand tastes best
• 2 large heads of romaine lettuce, chopped

DIRECTIONS:  (it couldn't be easier!)

Put the first six ingredients into a small blender (e.g. Magic Bullet).  Blend until smooth. 

Put the lettuce in a large bowl, pour the dressing on top, and toss.    Serve into bowls. 

Makes four dinner sized servings. Per serving:

• calories: 133
• fat: 11g
• carbs: 4.5g
• protein: 3g

Follow me on twitter! @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2018

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The Easter Waftata

It's always fun to play around with a new recipe on the long weekend, when there's a little extra time!

I had never heard of a Waftata, but apparently it is a recipe reincarnated from days of yore - and super easy to cook in a modern day waffle iron! I have upped the flavour factor from the original recipe, and given options below for using eggs or egg whites in the recipe.  I think there is lots of opportunity to get creative with flavour - try adding paprika or oregano for an extra twist!

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup egg white)
• 1/3 cup part skim ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 3 tsp freshly chopped parsley
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 cup peeled and shredded white potato
• 1/2 cup finely diced apple (with or without skin)

Directions:

1.   Beat eggs in a small bowl.

2.  Add ricotta, onion, garlic, parsley, pepper and salt.  Whisk well.

3.  Preheat your waffle iron.

4.  Stir potato and apple into the mixture.

5.  Spray waffle iron with non stick spray and pour mixture onto it.

6.  Close lid and bake until eggs are set and golden brown.


Makes 2 servings.  Per serving:  (with whole eggs)

• Calories: 160
• Carbs: 12.5g
• Fat:  6.5g
• Protein:  11g

If you substitute 1/2 cup egg whites for the two eggs:

• Calories: 115
• Carbs: 12.5g
• Fat: 2g
• Protein: 13g

Enjoy!

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www.drsue.ca © 2018

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Apple Chai Oatmeal Cups!

(picture is from original recipe - they were eaten so quickly at our house that I didn't get the chance to snap a pic!)

Fall is here!  The leaves are golden, the air is crisp, and wafts of allspice and nutmeg are in the air.  Chai tea is a wonderful and warming favourite in the fall – so why not transport that deliciousness into something edible?  I was asked by a colleague recently to post something she can use for her kids' lunches - these little nuggets of goodness are perfect. With no sugar (aside from a little maple syrup) and no flour, I was admittedly dubious... but they turned out to be delicious! 

I switched up the coconut oil for canola in the original recipe – coconut oil, contrary to popular belief, is not good for you (read here for more on this topic).  I have also added more spice for better flavour.  We loved the apple bits – don’t skimp here!   One more tip: we tried some Roger’s Porridge (blue bag) instead of the rolled oats and they turned out perfectly.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups rolled oats (or Roger's porridge blue bag)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 large apple (or 2 small) - minced
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large banana (or 1.5 small)
• 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a 12-count muffin tin with muffin liners. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place rolled oats, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl and combine.
3. Peel a large apple and then finely dice. Set aside.
4. Place banana in a medium size bowl and mash. Then add in eggs, maple syrup, canola oil, and almond milk. Add wet mixture into the dry mixture and fold together. Add the apple bits and mix again.
5. Fill 12 muffin liners to the top.  Place in oven at 350ºF and bake for 19-21 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from muffin tin. 

Makes 12 muffins.  Per muffin: (using rolled oats)

Calories: 137

Carbs: 21g

Fat: 4.7g

Protein: 3.9g

Follow me on twitter! @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2017

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Por-Puffed Wheat Squares

So I'm sure you're already wondering... what on earth is a PorPuffed Wheat Square?

A couple of weeks ago, I wandered into a local cafe in Calgary, and found these enormous puffed wheat squares staring me in the face:

I bought one of these mammoth creations.... and before digging into it, I decided to cut it up just to see how many appropriately (in my opinion) portion-sized squares it would make.  I thought maybe 4, 5, 6.....

Sixteen.

SIXTEEN!!

I cut it up into 16 pieces and brought them to work to share with my work family.

(And yes ok maybe I caved and bought a Rice Krispie square too.)

ONE Rice Krispie square is cut up in the bag on the left.
ONE Puffed Wheat square is in the bag cut up on the right.

So the teaching today is about portions: sadly, portion sizes have grown by 3-4x (and in this case, 16x!) compared to what portion sizes were in the marketplace 30-40 years ago.  This is a problem especially out of control in North America (travellers may notice that portions are usually smaller on other continents).

So here's my recipe for PorPuffed Wheat Squares (short for Portioned-Puffed).  There are many permutations on this out there - this one is chocolaty, delightful, and will make a square that stays fairly soft for several days, if you follow my guidance below.

Disclaimer: the ingredients are high glycemic index and not healthy (though puffed wheat squares will have a lower calorie bill than something more dense like a brownie or granola-based bar), but portioned appropriately, they are a delectable and very reasonable little treat once in a while.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 5 tbsp cocoa powder
• 8 cups puffed wheat

DIRECTIONS: 

1.  Melt the first 4 ingredients under low-medium heat until the mixture just starts to boil.  (don't wait any longer or the squares will be too hard)

2.  Remove from heat and fold in the puffed wheat.

3.  Press into a 9x13" pan, lightly greased with margarine. 

That's it!  Super easy. 

Makes 20 squares. Per square: 

• Calories: 135
• Carbs: 21g
• Fat: 4.8g
• Protein: 1g

Follow me on twitter! @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2017

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Blueberry Zucchini Loaf!

This May long weekend, I'm sharing a delightful loaf that I concocted in my kitchen one Sunday afternoon.... I had a hankering for a healthy muffin, and I was fresh out of muffin cups after trying out an online recipe that produced something resembling a dough pellet (epic fail!).  I had just been to Costco and had way more zucchinis than I knew what to do with.... sooo... voilà!  And it turned out great.

Ingredients:

• 1.75 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt fat free
• 4 tbsp egg white
• 2tsp vanilla
• 1.5 cups shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup blueberries

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 350F. 

2.  Mix first 6 ingredients (the dry ones) together in a large bowl. 

3.  Whisk together canola oil, milk, greek yogurt, egg white, and vanilla in a separate bowl until smooth.  Stir into flour mixture until batter is just moistened.  Fold zucchini and blueberries into batter. 

4.  Spray a standard loaf pan (8.5" x 4.5") with non stick spray, and pour batter in. 

5.  Bake 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Makes 12 slices.  Per slice: 

• Calories: 169
• Fat: 4.8g
• Carbs: 28g
• Protein 3.2g

Note: I think this would also be good with half the white sugar (1/4c instead of 1/2 cup) - if you try this, let me know how it tastes (post a comment at the end of this post). 

Follow me on twitter! @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2017

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Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Tenderloin With Apples!

One word: YUM.  Ok two words: HEALTHY!  Pulled pork is a favourite for adults and kids alike... the only problem is, it is usually made with high fat cuts of pork and doused in high sugar, high calorie barbeque sauce or something similar.   Pork shoulder has a whopping 24g of fat and 317 calories per 100g serving - contrast this with pork tenderloin, which has just 3.5g of fat and 143 calories per 100g serving!

I went on a mission to come up with a delicious concoction using pork tenderloin, which is a lean cut of pork, and voilà! Success. I used this recipe as the base, and sauced it up Dr Sue style.  It was a huge hit at our house!


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kg pork tenderloin (2 tenderloins)
• 3 Gala apples, sliced into wedges
• 1 sweet onion, sliced into strips
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 2 cups 100% apple juice
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 3 tbsp Mediterranean spice (or Italian)
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:  It really IS this easy!

1. Put everything into your slow cooker. Put the pork tenderloin in first so that it is submerged in liquid while cooking.  Set on low and cook for 8 hours.

2. Around 5-6 hours into cooking, use two forks to start pulling the pork apart parallel to the fiber of the meat.

3.  Around 7 hours, finish pulling the pork apart - at this point it should really be looking like pulled pork (tendrils of meat).


Serve over one half of a whole wheat bun, or eat on its own!

Makes 10 servings.  Per serving: (not including the bun)

Calories: 223
Fat: 3.5g
Carbs: 19.5g
Protein: 26g

Follow me on twitter! @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2017

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Gingerbread Cookie Dough Bites - A Practice In Portions!

Whaaaaat??? you say.... Dr Sue is blogging a cookie dough recipe?!  Yes, in fact, I am.  Let's face it - it's the holiday season, and indulging is likely to happen one way or another.  This brings me to one of the most important survival skills when less healthy choices present themselves: Portion Control.  Years ago, I conducted and published a clinical trial on a portion plate and showed that it was helpful for weight management, but the trouble is, foods like desserts and cookies can't really be measured on a plate.  So, if you are in need of a holiday treat recipe, consider this fantastic bite-sized recipe.  Not only is it delicious, but it reminds us that just a bite or two can be enough to enjoy without setting all your hard work staying healthy off the rails.  Amy uses applesauce in her recipe as a low calorie way to cut back on the margarine - I like it!


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1.5 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp margarine, melted
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp applesauce, unsweetened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 tbsp brown sugar, packed

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Whisk together the flour, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, stir together the margarine, molasses, applesauce, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Mix in the brown sugar. Add in the dry flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. Line a baking sheet or large plate with wax paper. Roll the cookie dough into 32 little balls, using between 1 – 1½ teaspoons of dough in each ball. Place on the wax paper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 32 bites.  Per bite: 

• Calories: 31
• fat: 0.4g
• carbs: 6.5g
• protein: 0.4g

I would suggest 3 bites (or less) as a serving. 

Enjoy!

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www.drsue.ca © 2016

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