Al Dente

Inspired Healthy Giving

Standard fruit baskets are like the egg whites omelets of the gift world. You know they are good for you, they just fail to excite. But when everyone is up to their eyeballs in rich, fatty, over-the-top food, a respite from that can be a truly welcomed gift. It just has to be inspired, intriguing, absolutely delicious and fun. Here are some ideas for healthy gift giving that are sure to elicit ho-ho-hos instead of ho-hums.

Get Exotic
Instead of the run-of-the-mill fruit basket, create one using a small, beautiful selection of exotic fruits (pomegranates, star fruit, gold kiwis, persimmons). If you can’t find exotic fruit at your local store there are a number of on-line sources available.

Deliver Breakfast
A breakfast basket of whole wheat pancake mix, fresh oranges, a jar of real maple syrup, and a pound of top notch coffee beans is fun, delicious, and will inspire the recipient to start the day off right.

Give Energy
Who doesn’t need an energy boost at holiday time? Whip up a batch of these energy bars and put them in a decorative tin. Include a fun, personal note about the giftee’s energy needs like: “Energy for shopping” (maybe include a gift card to their favorite store) or “Energy for dealing with your family….”

Energy bars
From The Food You Crave

Cooking spray
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup shelled unsalted raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted dried dates
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Place all the ingredients, except the maple syrup and eggs, in a food processor and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Add the syrup and eggs and pulse until the mixture is well combined. It will resemble a coarse paste.

Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then cut into 20 bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes 20 bars, each about 3 x 1 1/2 inches
Serving size: 1 bar

Per Serving:
Calories 133; Total fat 5g (Sat fat 0.6g, Mono fat 1.8g, Poly fat 2g); Protein 5g; Carb 20g; Fiber 2.5g; Cholesterol 21mg; Sodium 19mg
Excellent source of:
manganese
Good source of:
fiber, phosphorus, thiamin

--Ellie Krieger

Holiday Season Party Survival

Holiday season can be tough when you are trying to eat well, with party after party of sausage and cheese, sour cream dips, puffed pastry hors d’oeuvres, sausage and cheese, cookies, cake and oh, did I mention sausage and cheese? Hey, I crave the occasional dog-in-blanket and love a good Camembert as much as the rest of the world, but I like to balance it out with something lighter and better for me.

One solution to this overload is to bring a healthy dish when you go to a party, so at least you can fill up on that. But who really wants to be the one who brings the boring cut veggies? The good news is you can bring something that is both healthy and indulgent. Here are two of my favorite dishes that celebrate food both festively and healthfully.

Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups with Herbs and Cheese
From The Food You Crave

These bite-sized morsels are absolutely beautiful, with tender spinach and basil leaves peeking out of delicate grilled zucchini rolls filled with creamy herbed goat’s cheese. These are ideal for a special picnic or an hors d’oeuvre at a cocktail party. When served atop a basic green salad, they turn it into something to celebrate.

3 small zucchini (about 1/2 pound each), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 1/2 ounces fresh goat cheese, preferably reduced-fat
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 ounces baby spinach leaves (2 cups lightly packed)
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves

Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium heat.

Discard the outermost slices of zucchini and brush the rest with the oil on both sides. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Grill until tender, about 4 minutes per side. You can make the grilled zucchini a day ahead and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, parsley, and lemon juice, mashing them together with a fork.

Put 1/2 teaspoon of the cheese mixture about 1/2 inch from the end of a zucchini slice. Top with a few spinach leaves and one small or half of a large basil leaf. Roll up and place seam side down on a platter. Repeat with the rest of the zucchini slices. You can make these up to a day before you are ready to serve and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes 16 roll-ups
Serving size: 4 rolls

Per Serving:
Calories 80; Total fat 5g (Sat fat 1.5g, Mono fat 3g, Poly fat 0.5g); Protein 3g; Carb 7.5g; Fiber 2.5g; Cholesterol 2mg; Sodium 160mg
Excellent source of: molybdenum, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K,
Good source of: fiber, manganese, potassium, riboflavin

Check out my recipe for Devilish Eggs after the jump.

--Ellie Krieger

© Ellie Krieger, The Taunton Press, Inc., 2008