Healthy meals & healthy snacks: How to make grilled Okra.

Grilled Okra.

How to make a quick & healthy snack with Okra

     by Goodhealthdiva

    

My ingredients of choice: Olive oil, homemade seasoning mix with salt,  and ground oregano.

 Mix and coat my Okra , warm the indoor grill, as I am grilling I am brushing more of the oil mix on my Okra.

10 minutes later....after snacking on some as I was grilling the rest, here's what's left...

The meal version:
That's the only grilling I did on the 4th of July.
                          
                         
                     Healthy eating: Grilled Okra
                                                  by Goodhealthdiva

My husband and I used to enjoy eating grilled Okra at a local restaurant known for their BBQ sauces. I started getting tired of  their grilled Okra because their Okra was sometime overcooked and not always attractive. It seemed like we were sometimes given leftovers and that the okras has been warmed over and over again.

I decided to make my own from now on and... boy oh boy... what a great idea.

1 pound fresh Okra from a local Indian store.

Washed and rinsed with white vinegar and water.

 Seasoned with homemade seasoning mix (Turmeric, salt, ground and dried Oregano) & Olive oil.

5 to 10 minutes of the grill

                           

A healthy and inexpensive meal for 2...

Ready to chow and happy that...

I can now enjoy fresh Okra, seasoned with my favorite herbs, and for only $2 the pound versus $2.50 for a small serving.

Do you also like okra? How do you prefer yours? Do you have a favorite okra recipe?  Please share it here or on our Facebook page "Healthy can be done"

Thanks for stopping by, sharing your comments, Following on the site , Liking the Facebook page, subscribing by email, sharing with your friends and all these good stuffs...(smiles)
Until next time have a better and healthier life...
N'na

Healthy choices: What are the benefits of Greek Yogurt

  The benefits of Greek Yogurt. What's the big deal about Greek Yogurt?
                                     by goodhealthdiva


   
Hi there,

Thanks for stopping by, it's always a pleasure to have you around.
Do you like yogurts? Just curious! I have always had a weakness for yogurts and I would eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner and in between. I just love yogurts.

I love all kind of yogurts, even soy yogurts. But it's only recently that I started a serious love affair with Greek yogurts. One of my friend visited me at the hospital the day after I had my baby and brought me for breakfast Greek yogurts and bagels from Panera. It was my first time eating the rich and creamy yogurt and having seen many commercials on TV I was pretty curious to see how they taste.

I have diligently added them to my grocery list since then. Since I just returned from my late shopping at Target with some Yoplait Greek Yogurts, I figured it would be fun to share some facts about Greek yogurts with you all.
I wanted to share a little about Greek yogurts as a healthy smart choice for anyone conscious about their diet or just wondering " what's the big deal" about Greek yogurts?



For people watching their weight and interested in lean muscles, Greek yogurt is a great healthy choice for breakfast or as a snack. It's even a good ingredient for baking and cooking.

What makes Greek Yogurts better than regular yogurts?







Protein: Greek yogurt has double the protein of regular yogurt. For weight conscious people,it's high protein content makes it easier to ward of hunger.

Carbohydrate: Greek yogurt has fewer carbs than regular yogurt.

Sodium: Greek yogurt has about half the sodium of regular yogurt.

Texture: Greek yogurt has a thicker and creamier texture than regular yogurt because it's strained more. Regular yogurt is strained twice while Greek yogurt is strained three times.

Greek yogurt is also better than regula yogurt for cooking because it doesn't curdle when heated.

What are the similarities between Greek and regula yogurts?

Calories: There's little difference in calories between the two as long as you consistently select plain yogurt without extra sweetness/sugar.


What are other ways to use yogurts?

Yogurts, Greek yogurt or regular yogurt, are healthy substitute for mayonnaise, heavy creams and sour cream. When baking you can substitute the eggs and oil with yogurts as well.Both types can also be used in place of other high-calorie ingredients in dips, sauces, salad dressings, smoothies, and desserts. 

For example, you can top your baked potatoes with yogurt instead of sour cream.
Yogurt makes a great marinade for meat. Check here for my marinade for meat kabobs.

Greek yogurt cost more than regular yogurts and has less calcium but again, for a healthy choice to support your weight management endeavors the amount of proteins in Greek yogurt makes it a worthy contender.

Why is protein so important?

Proteins are the building blocks of life and the body needs it to maintain itself and repair itself. Every cell in your body contains proteins.

What are some good sources of proteins?

Animal sources of protein:

• Fish or shellfish
• Turkey or chicken with the skin removed.
• Lean cuts of beef or pork, such as round, top sirloin, or tenderloin (trim away any visible 

Non animal sources of protein:

• Nuts and seeds such as almonds, almond butter, almond milk, hazelnuts, mixed nuts, walnuts, peanuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, etc.

(Make sure to watch how much you eat, because nuts are high in fat)

• Beans such as black beans, kidney beans, lentils, pinto beans etc
• Tofu and other soy protein products
• Low-fat dairy products 
• Greek Yogurt!!!

 What else can you do with yogurt?

You can also use plain unsweeten yogurt as a deep conditioner for your hair.

You can use plain yogurt as a face mask because yogurt moisturize the skin.

Come back for future posts sharing deep conditioner or face mask recipes!

What do you prefer? Greek or natural yogurt? Why? If you like Greek yogurts which brand is your favorite? How do you cook with Greek yogurt?

Thanks for stopping by, sharing your comments, Following,Liking the FB page, subscribing by email, sharing with your friends and all those good stuffs...(smiles) Until next time, have a better and healthier life...

Good eat: A taste for Thai food @ Rain Thai Bistro

   My previous article was on Thailand and since "Thailand's on my mind" and I since love to eat international food, I figured that a trip to a local Thai restaurant was a pretty timely way to satisfy my desire of anything Thai...

When I am hungry for Thai food, I normally go to a small restaurant downtown Chattanooga, called “Thai Smiles”. This  past Sunday my hubby suggested we tried a restaurant closer to the house right next to our gym. So we tried RAIN a Thai Bistro, located in the Hamilton Place Mall area in East Brainerd Chattanooga TN.

Rain Thai Bistro Chattanooga TN

Rain Thai Bistro Chattanooga TN.

                                                            

 Before we even got seated, a young lady who recognized us from a different restaurant she used to work at, came to us and teased us that we were following her. After the little chit chat I asked her my favorite question "What do you recommend"? She mentionned that her favorite is the Fried rice.

Menu @ Rain Thai Bistro Chattanooga TN.

Not knowing what to expect, I selected the Spicy Basil and requested that it be mild to play it safe, because the server had told us that 'Hot' and 'Thai' were truly spicy.
I should have been more adventurous and go for at least 'hot' because ' mild' truly lacked… “dimension”.. It was not spicy at all, the food was good but spicy food takes your taste buds to a different dimension, don't you think? Plus it's actually good for you, for your metabolism... Well...I just think that spicy food is tasty unless you have acid reflux issues or ulcer.

Even though the food was not as spicy as I wanted it was truly good, I had to order an extra side of white rice this was just not enough...

Spicy Basil @ Rain Thai Bistro

Our server Joshua recommended that I try the same dish with noodles instead of rice at my next visit. So I will keep you up to date on that one.

The hubby and the children kept it simple and went for Fried Rice. I had to convince my youngest two that they would love it as they had never had Thai fried rice before.

One of the reasons why I enjoy eating out so much is because I believe that  eating food is an experience to take beyond satisfying our palate. I love being in a nice setting and when I am not eating out I like to create an environment at home that truly brings me a lot of pleasures from what I serve my food in, to my table setting. The Rain  Thain Bistro offered so many little gifts. More that I could capture at my first visit there so stay tuned for more.
I asked the children to tell me about 'Thailand' from what they observed from the decor....
Elephants, tropical flowers, bamboo trees, buddhist art, water fountains, the Buddha, etc...the beautiful environment certainly reflected Thailand' on a tiny scale.

Whispering : It's soothing to have such nice decor in the restroom but ever better when the restrooms are very clean and they were very clean yeaah!!!



I just like the sink...

Outdoor fountain at Rain Thai Bistro

Well that's it for our delightful time at Rain Thai Bistro I am heading through that back door to the Asian Market where I get my Green Tea from...

But before I leave you, I wanted to invite you to check my friend's Lala's video. She's a new vegetarian and interesting enough her first cooking video is about a Thai dish...Aren't you curious to know what her 'Taste for Thai food' was a few weeks ago?

So what have you had a taste for lately? Thai food by any chance? If so what would you recommend? The 'Bangkok chicken" at "Thai Smiles" downtown Chattanooga is truly my favorite local 'Thai dish'.

N'na

Good Eat: Beef kabobs with yoghurt marinade and the blessings of a kitchen garden

Well it's almost holiday week-end and being pretty much grilling season I wanted to offer you all a little bit of grilling inspiration. I eat more seafood than I do meat and poultry once in a while I just like to eat some tender homemade brochettes! Lamb is my preferred meat but beef chunks are cheaper and more easily available so I am sharing below something you can cook on a budget and still have a diliiiiciouuus meal!!!
Everyone has their own way for making marinade or grilling etc so here's N'na's way!!!

                                            
It's so much fun to flavor dishes with fresh ingredients right there at my fingertips. The fresh herbs I selected here from my kitchen garden were thyme, oregano, rosemary and parsley. Read more about it the following link: http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/04/benefits-of-gardening-my-edible.html

Some of my ingredients from the kitchen cupboard: Ground cumin, cayenne pepper, white vinegar, salt, oil, dried parsley flakes, dried oregano powder, Cajun spice. I prefer using Apple cider vinegar for cooking but since I was out of ACV I just used the white vinegar!

                                                                  Add some  Yogurt.

Mix it all together

Store in a Ziploc bag and shake well and

Let it marinate and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or overnight.

Get your skewers ready, cut what the fruits or veggies you would use,

I used some tomatoes, onion and green pepper,

and make your brochettes

Time for the Grill!!!!

Remember to turn often!

To keep your meat from being dry mix a little bit of oil and crushed bouillon  cubes. I used something from West Africa called " Cube Maggi". Use a brush and brush the kabobs with the mixture.

Voila!!! Delicious brochettes!

It looks good doesn't it? It was delicious as well. We did serve them with rice and potatoes on that day but I enjoyed them just fine with nothing else!

Well have a nice week-end and hope this post gave you some new ideas for the next time you grill. If you haven't done it yet grow a kitchen garden and keep some potted herbs by your kitchen. They will always be useful and add some omp to your dishes!There is nothing like cooking or grilling with the flavor of fresh ingredients especially the ones you can have at your fingertips when you have a kitchen garden!

N'na

Health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acid (linolenic acid)

It's been weeks now that I keep talking about fish, seafood and a pescetarian diet.
Many fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines etc are high in the essential fatty acid omega-3. but Omega-3 fats can be found in other foods as well. (See below)
Most Americans are deficient in omega-3 due to the high consumption of over processed food! Consequently, their health is more likely to miss the benefits of those superb fatty acids while other nations with a diet high in Omega-3, clearly reap some remarkable benefits!

I read somewhere recently that in the 1970s a study was done on the Inuit ( Eskimos) of Greenland and scientist discovered that they were the healthiest people in the world. They attributed their great health to their diet that's very high in fat from eating whale,salmon and seal. They also had fewer health problem than other Europeans. So the scientists' conclusion was that Omega-3 was the determining factor in the Inuit people's superior health.  They barely suffered from coronary heart disease, arthritis, diabetes etc.


 I also read that people in Iceland were reported ( in the 1970s), to have the longest life expectancy, the lowest infant mortality rate in the world. In addition to that they have fewer problems with heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.  All those benefits thanks to Omega 3- fish oils.

Since I personally believe that nature offers us the best prevention and the best medicines from sickness and disease, I have disciplined myself in the past years to take advantage of nature's gifts.
As those studies cited above show,  Omega-3 fats are the good fats our body need and they have the incredible power to prevent us from many illnesses and keep us in great health.
Below, I am sharing a list of benefits from consuming Omega 3 fats and then sharing ways to add more to your diet. It's easy to do. Just increasing your intake to at least twice a week should allow you to take advantage of this natural gift to you.


First of all there are conditions that show a deficiency in Omega-3 fats. So you need more Omega-3 facts if you suffer from:

• Depression
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Fatigue
• Dry, itchy skin
• Brittle hair and nails
• Inability to concentrate
• Joint pain

Omega-3 fats are benefiting to our health because they help promote:

• Joints health and mobility
• Healthier Skin and complexion
• A stronger Immune system
• Visual function
• The ability to breathe
• Positive Behavior in children
• Function of the nervous system
• Spatial function and spatial memory
• Cellular communication
• Weight maintenance as they reduce the risk of becoming obese and improve the body's ability to respond to insulin by stimulating the secretion of leptin. Leptin is an hormone that helps regulate food intake, body weight and metabolism. 

Omega -3 fats also help :

• Reduce inflammation throughout your body
• Keep your blood from clotting excessively
• Maintain the fluidity of your cell membranes
• Lower the amount of lipids (fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides) circulating in the bloodstream.

Well, I think this is enough for some of the benefits of Omega 3 fats, we could go on and on and be very technical but it will be well beyond the scope of this post.


Now that I mentioned how those good fats benefit you, here are ways to add it to your diet. Some of you probably do it with full awareness of those benefits, some of you might not know that some of the food you have been consuming have been so good to your body and some of you might be having a wake up call!
 So as you go grocery shopping here are some things to look for:

•  Salmon

Rainbow trout!

• Bluefin tuna mackerel, herring, and rainbow trout 

• Anchovies and sardines. Little warning as they tend to be hingh in sodium  

• Crustaceans such as Shrimp, mollusks, and Alaskan king crab are also excellent sources Oils. Like flaxseed oil  and olive oil.
• Nuts and seeds such as pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, walnuts and flaxseed
• Flaxseed oil is reported to have the highest content of linolenic acid
• Winter squash

• Beans. Some beans are better than others so look for pinto, kidney and mungo beans.
• Papaya. Probably the only fruit  with more omega 3 than omega 6.
• And last but no least spinach, broccoli and cauliflower

My top  favorite ways of adding omega 3 fats to my diet is with flaxseed and of course salmon.

I add flaxseed daily to my diet by adding some to my plain vanilla yogurt or to every one of my homemade smoothies!

If you are familiar with my previous posts you must know by now that my favorite way to add Omega 3 fats to my diet is dining in my favorite restaurants  J. Alexander's restaurant and F2O.  This past Sunday  I decided to do an 'autopsy' on my salmon sandwich because I was curious to know what made it so good, beyond the obvious.

Showing you what's left of this delicious sandwich before it disappeared in my hungry tummy

                                Now, doesn't it look yummy?! It's not just yummy, it's healthy!


So this is my favorite way of adding omega-3 to my diet! What about you? What's your favorite source of Omega-3? Do you see ways you could add more to your diet? Have you ever suffered from a deficiency of omega-3 fats? Which one of the conditions listed above (of deficiency) were more apparent in your life?

Delicious Tuna Croquettes recipe inspired by the Queen of Soul Food!

A few nights ago I decided to surprise my hubby with one of his favorite food. I figured I will share the recipe with you because it's really easy and would make a great appetizer or great snack for the week-end or any week night when you just want something delicious and quick.
The recipe below is originally from Evelyn Woods, sister-in-law of Sylvia Woods owner of the world famous restaurant Sylvia's restaurant in Historic Harlem! I have never had the pleasure of eating there but since I have had her book "Sylvia's Family Soul Food Cookbook" for over 5 years now, I have had the pleasure of eating some delicious meals inspired by her cookbook!


 I say inspired here because I have the habit of always adding my own ingredients to a recipe. I can never stay true to the ingredients suggested when I am cooking an American dish. Having been raised with French and International Food, my palate is pretty obstinate and always after delicious flavors. For example, if a cake recipe did not call for flavoring like cinnamon, vanilla extract or nutmeg you can count on me to add one of those or lemon zest to the recipe. I even twist a simple waffle recipe to taste like a delightfully perfumed little treat! I love adding unexpected flavors to my cakes and dishes so below I will just share her original recipe and add pictures I took 3 evenings ago when I was fixing those croquettes. Even though I don't like frying, this recipe is certainly worth it.

Ingredients for Tuna croquettes by Evelyn Woods
Two 6 ounces cans tuna, drained
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped bell pepper
3 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ginger teriyaki sauce ( or 1 teaspoon soy sauce plus a pinch of ground ginger)
1/8teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8teaspoon salt
2to3tablespoons vegetable oil

 1. In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients (except the oil)! Well in the book she explained step 1 by listing all the ingredients one by one come on! If you read the ingredients it's obvious that you keep the oil for frying and mix everything else.

2. In the author's words: "In a large skillet , heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium -high heat until the oil bubbles when a little bit of the tuna mixture is tossed in. Drop the tuna mixture by soup spoonful into the oil to make patties about 3 inches in diameter. Fry until browned on the bottom, for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn and fry until browned on the other side, for 1-2 minutes more. Drain on paper towels. Continue until all patties are cooked,adding more oil to the pan if necessary." ( Sylvia's family Soul Food Cookbook p.159)

I use a measuring cup or soup spoon to place each patties in the oil and I do put much more than 2 tablespoons of oil . I use my wok constantly so I do not use a skillet. I generally fill my wok  1/3 of the way for all my frying, which I do rarely because I really do not like frying food. I don't  like the smell of fried food and I especially do not like to deal with left over oil. I never re-use the same oil because it's unhealthy  and I discard my oil by pouring it in clear jar that I seal with a lid and wrap in an old grocery bag before placing it in the trash can.  In college I was taught in my environmental sciences classes that pouring oil in the toilet, the drain or the backyard like some people do, it not healthy at all for the environment! I don't buy jars for that, I simply save empty jars from pasta sauce or jams and re-use them as needed! Well that was a little GREEN lesson here! (smiles)

Soooo back to the recipe, I did not use ground red peppers in mine. I did use ginger and soy sauce instead of the ginger teriyaki sauce and I used more ginger than suggested in the recipe. I don't care to measure my onion and bell pepper. So I just used what I had left over from the lunch I had fixed earlier that day. I actually had sardines for lunch and had used onions and green pepper with some seasoning and apple cider vinegar to make a small fresh sauce for my sardines.
In fixing the tuna croquettes I prefer to use olive oil. I also added some garlic to the recipe. I would have preferred fresh ones but had used it all for my lunch so I made due with garlic powder.The recipe in the book did not suggest adding any so that's just me playing with flavors here. I also added cayenne pepper, some red Cajun spices that I got from the Dekalb farmer's market in Atlanta,GA and I added some fresh chili peppers that were left from my lunch. So as you see I added a few ingredients that the original recipe in the book did not call for. I call my version my Cajun tuna croquettes considering all the 'heat' I added!
But the croquettes did not taste that spicy just very juicy and tasteful. Said with all modesty right?lol. I did not drain my tuna unlike what she suggested. My tuna had vegetable oil and I figure I will pour the whole thing in my mixture to moisten it.

Mixture for tuna croquettes

Now, if you are watching your weight your probably should not imitate me on that! Remember I mainly fixed those for my husband and he barely has any extra body fat. He is all lean muscles so he can afford eating like this once in a while. I can too...while I do the quality control that is!!! Quality control a.k.a. snacking while cooking!!! (lol)

 But I left the rest to him! The picture above shows the plate I fixed for my hubby.  He was delighted when I presented this plate to him as soon as he stepped into the kitchen upon returning from work. I heard many " Humm this is real good" " Man this is goooodd" the whole time he was eating them. In the meantine all I ate for dinner was what you see on the picture below, after saving some for  my lunch for the day after.  Well, yes that was my only serving...considering that by the time all was said and done I did not have much appetite left due to my diligent quality control while cooking... Yessss, I snacked on quite a few of those while I was cooking them! (Making a guilty grin)

So you see that I did indeed add my little twists to the original recipe. I am sure a lot of people are like me! A cookbook is mainly for inspiration and guidance after all! Don't you think?! I like to own what I cook so I can't help twisting a recipe. I stay true to the ingredients only to some extent! When it comes to flavoring a sauce,a cake or a any dish I stay true to my well trained French palate! (smiles)

 The author explained in the book that the recipe was actually intended for salmon cakes but that day they ran out of salmon and all they had left was tuna. So if you don't have tuna or don't like tuna you can simply use some salmon and you will be gooood to go!!! (smiles).

I hope you will get the chance to try this recipe and indulge! This is truly an easy recipe worth sharing! I got home from my morning walk and decided to take some time to share this recipe and my adaptation with you. If you can try it let me know how yours turned out. For the fun of it you could cook both the original version of Miss Wood and my own "Cajun" adaptation and tell me which you like the most. Every one's taste is different so that would be a tasty experiment!

Before I leave I will also share with you a picture of some branches I cut this morning. It has nothing to do with cooking but it will have a lot to do with eating my meals while enjoying the charms of flowering shrubs.  One neighbor allowed me to cut it from her yard when I asked her this morning. It's so exciting to see Spring coming back. Each morning as I was passing by my neighbor's home this week, I kept thinking about how lovely those would be as floral arrangements. So glad I got the opportunity to get some today.

Branches cut during my morning walk from some flowering shrubs in a kind neighbor's front yard!

 On my pescetarian menu this week-end are Fish tacos at J.Alexander's restaurant tonight or tomorrow, Salmon fish sandwich at F2O on Sunday and I will probably fix more of those tuna croquettes for my hubby sometimes this week-end.  Please remember to use a towel to soak some of the oil off of your food every time you fry.
Here are some pictures of Sylvia's restaurant that I just found online:
           I find her life's story to be very inspiring, not just her cookbook.  Hope to get the pleasure of visiting her establishment one day mainly for her red velvet cake! I personally don't care much for " Soul Food" . I initially got the book for cultural reasons as I was curious to educate myself more on the dishes that are so popular with " Soul Food's Lovers". I fell more in love with her personal story than I did with 'Sould Food' itself.  I greatly appreciate her values and the ones she inculcated her children. Another recipe from her cookbook that I used to fix a lot was her chicken soup. I had also adapted it to my taste but it has enough ingredients in it to keep me from being too creative. Cooking that soup is a true labor of love. Should I cook it again I will make sure to share some pictures with you.

I was wondering...What place would you recommend for tuna or salmon /crab cakes? I ate a few years ago at a restaurant in Saint Louis Missouri which I believe was called the Fish Market. I felt in love with their salmon cakes, so so good!!!Too bad  it's now closed! Do you have a salmon/tuna cake recipe worth trying or a restaurant that you would recommend for their salmon or crab cakes? Who is the best salmon/crab cakes cook that you know? Anything that makes their recipe stand out? When was the last time you enjoyed some delicious yummy salmon/crab cakes? Has any of you eaten before at Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem? How is it?



N'na