Peas and Eggs - A Nutritious, Tasty, Meatless Dish

Peas and eggs...who would think...but these two together make for a delicious combination and a quick, healthy, meatless meal. 

My mother and grandmother used to make this dish when I was growing up, so making and eating this dish brings back fond memories for me of both of them.

Peas and eggs are both packed with nutrition. Peas contain protein, fiber and vitamin C. Eggs are also a great source of protein and also choline, which is good for our brain.

Peas and Eggs

2 cups of organic frozen peas - cooked per package directions

2 organic, free-range eggs - whipped up in bowl

1 - 2 tablespoons of organic extra-virgin olive oil (to taste)

Salt, pepper and parsley to taste.

Directions

Place olive oil in am 8 - 10 inch skillet, on a low to medium heat for one minute.

Add the prepared peas. 

Mix and cook on a low heat for approximately 4 minutes.

Add the eggs (after slightly whipping them first in a bowl)

Cook for another 4 minutes, or until eggs are fully cooked.

Add salt, pepper and parsley (optional) to taste.

This recipe makes two servings. 

Enjoy!

Carole's Italian kale, white bean and vegetable soup

After several creative sessions in the kitchen, I came up with this recipe for a healthy, delicious, nutrient dense soup. Kale is loaded with vitamins K, C and A. 

The other vegetables in this recipe are bursting with vitamins and nutrients too.

Among their many important functions, vitamin K is essential for bone health, vitamin C supports our immune system, and vitamin A is necessary for eye health.

Even though our bodies process beans as carbohydrates, cannellini beans have a fair amount of protein and fiber. And if you decide to use bone broth, it will add more protein. 

Carole Jakucs Italian Kale, white bean and vegetable soup - 2020 - image subject to copyright.

Carole's Italian Kale, White Bean and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (16-oz) bag of peeled, baby carrots, sliced or chopped (about 2 cups)
• 3 – 4 large celery stalks, rinsed and chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 medium sweet or yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups chopped)
• 1 bunch of kale rinsed, remove large stems and finely chop the remaining leaves (about 6 loosely packed cups of kale leaves)
• 1 (32-ounce) container chicken bone broth, chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans cannellini beans (drained), you can substitute great northern beans if you don’t have cannellini beans
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (with juice)
• If you like potato in your soup, you can add one medium potato, skinned and finely chopped (this is optional)
• 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
• 2 – 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

• Heat olive oil for one minute over low heat in a 5 or 6-quart pot. Add onions, celery, carrots and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add kale and cook for an additional 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add broth, cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, potato (if you decide to use), garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and cover keeping a gentle simmer. Cook with lid for 25 – 35 minutes, or until carrots are tender. 

Carole Jakucs Italian kale, white bean, and vegetable-soup - 2020 - image subject to copyright.

Try this soup and enjoy. Wishing you good health!

Green Beans with Olive Oil Recipe

Green beans are packed with Vitamin C and fiber. This is a great recipe for anytime of the year and it's simple and quick to make. It’s a great side dish for back yard barbecues or formal dinners. Try to buy organic produce when you can to reduce your exposure to pesticides.

Photo By: McKay Savage from London, UK [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh green beans

1/2 cup of filtered water

1/4 – 1/3 cup of olive oil (depending on your personal taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse green beans well, cut off the tips/strings at each end of each bean, or buy fresh green beans (prepackaged) with the tips cut. If the beans are long, cut each bean in half.  If they are not, they don’t need to be cut. Place beans in a large 12 inch non stick saute/fry pan, add the filtered water to just cover the beans. Place a lid on the pan and cook at a low heat for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to get the beans softened but not overcooked to maintain higher levels of Vitamin C.

Drain the remaining water out of the pan then brown the green beans for approximately 10 minutes on a medium heat, stirring them gently and occasionally. Now add the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat to the lowest setting and cook for another 10 minutes while stirring them occasionally and gently.
  
*Remember that when cooking with olive oil you cannot use high heats due to its low “smoke point." Maintain a low heat to prevent smoking of the oil. High heat also leaches out some of the healthful qualities of olive oil. 

This can be served as a side dish to a roast or barbecued meats and provides approximately 4 servings.  Enjoy!

Cranberry Salad for the Holidays or Any Day

Cranberries are nutritious containing antioxidants, vitamin C, help to prevent certain types of urinary tract infections and are low in calories. The problem is that most cranberry recipes contain too much sugar or are loaded with unhealthy fat from mayonnaise. Canned cranberry sauce is high in sugar or corn syrup. With Thanksgiving yesterday and the official start of the holiday season here, cranberries take center stage. Here’s a great recipe that I created that’s simple, quick and delicious. 

Ingredients:

1 package of fresh cranberries (you can freeze to maintain freshness, and cook it frozen also)

1 cup of water

1/3 cup of sugar (most recipes call for 1 cup; trust me, you don’t need it)

1/3 cup of finely chopped walnuts

1/3 cup of finely chopped celery (approximately 1-2 small stalks)

Directions:

Rinse cranberries well.  Combine cranberries, water and sugar, place in a 3 quart pan and boil for 5 minutes.  Stir occasionally during this time.  You will hear and see the cranberries pop during this process; watch that your heat is not too high so it does not splash out onto your skin. Remove cranberry mixture from heat, place in a serving dish.  Add the chopped walnuts and celery.  Mix well.  Cover then chill for at least 4 hours.

The fat and extra sugar will not be missed. This recipe serves as a great side dish to a meal or a tasty topping to non-fat Greek yogurt or non-fat cottage cheese for a healthy lunch or snack. Try to make cranberries a part of your regular diet throughout the year and not just during the holidays. 

(You can also follow me here, covering topics related to dermatology).

Tip # 3 - 3 Tips to Prevent Skin Cancer – Healthy Food

Can skin cancer be prevented, or, your risk reduced by eating certain foods? Various foods, vitamins and nutrients are being examined to determine just that. The jury is still out regarding this and skin cancer; however, some studies suggest they may offer some protection. In the interim, you can gain numerous health benefits by consuming a diet that contains a variety of colorful fresh fruits and vegetables every day from improved heart and brain health, stronger and better looking skin and a reduced risk of some cancers.

Here’s a list of a few vitamins and nutrients that are good for your skin and health in general:

Vitamin A and Beta Carotene – Found in carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe

Vitamin B – Found in eggs, chicken, nuts, fish

Vitamin C – Found in oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, cantaloupe

Lycopene – Found in tomatoes, tomato paste, ketchup

Omega 3 Fatty Acids – Fatty fish and nuts

Remember to: Drink enough water especially during the hot summer months and with increased physical activity. You’ll feel and look better. Also, try to minimize your exposure to pesticide laden produce whenever possible and buy organic when you can.  All produce needs to be washed well before consuming.


More tips to help prevent skin cancer:
Conduct a monthly examination of your skin along with:

Monitoring Your Moles -Tip # 1 at:  http://carole-jakucs.blogspot.com/2012/05/3-tips-to-prevent-skin-cancer-monitor.html   

and learning to become: 
Savvy about Sun Safety - Tip # 2 at:  http://carole-jakucs.blogspot.com/2012/05/3-tips-to-prevent-skin-cancer-savvy-sun.html  

Delicious and Nutritious: Eggplant Parmesan

Happy New Year! Here is a great way to fulfill your New Year's diet resolution with a tasty and healthy dish. Eggplant contains fiber and is low in calories, tomato sauce is packed Vitamin C and Potassium and Ricotta Cheese is high in protein (whey). It is also vegetarian (if you use Marinara style tomato sauce) and low in fat.

Carole’s Healthy Eggplant Parmesan

2 Small Eggplants (approximately 6 - 8 inches in length by 3 inches in width)

3 - 4 Large Eggs (2 - 3 for dipping the eggplant in, 1 for use in the Ricotta Cheese Mixture)

2 cups of Italian Style Bread Crumbs

1 pound container of Fat Free or Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
8 ounces of Shredded Mozzarella (Part Skim)

2 teaspoons of oregano, salt and pepper to taste

2 - 3 cups of Italian style Marinara Tomato Sauce (depending on preference)

1/4 - 1/2 cup of Olive Oil or Canola Oil 
2 Small to Medium bowls to prep/dip the eggplant
Pan spray; olive oil or canola, for prepping the baking dish.
1/4 - 1/2 cup of Grated Italian Parmesan Cheese (Romano will work too).
Wax paper (for use in preparing the eggplant)

1 Medium mixing bowl (to prepare the Ricotta Cheese)

1 large non-stick style fry pan, 12 inch size

1 large baking dish, 13 x 8 inches in size

*Try to use:

• Eggs with Omega 3 (it will be on the label/carton)
• Bread Crumbs without hydrogenated oil
• Marinara Sauce (if you're buying prepared sauce) without high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil
• Ricotta cheese that is fat free or part skim and Mozzarella that is part skim

*Doing these 4 things above will yield an even healthier final dish.

Cut the eggplant in ¼ inch size width slices.  Start with one egg and whip in a small bowl. Place ½ cup of bread crumbs in a separate small bowl.  One by one, dip each eggplant slice in the egg bowl, coat both sides in the bread crumbs. Once each eggplant slice is dipped in both, place on a separate platter, separate the layers of prepared eggplant with wax paper so they don’t stick together.  (Add the 2^nd egg as needed to the egg bowl and add more bread crumbs to that bowl, depending on your preference/how thick a layer of bread crumb you want to coat each piece with).

After all of the eggplant is prepared, place approximately 1 - 1 1/2 Tablespoons of oil in the pan, now you can begin to lightly saute them on the stove top, approximately 3 minutes on each side or until soft to the touch and slightly browned on the outside.  Place the cooked eggplant in a separate dish (different from the one used for the uncooked eggplant), separate each layer with wax paper as you proceed (as above).

Helpful Hints:

• Add a little more oil each time you add new pieces of eggplant as needed if the oil dries up.  However, if using a good non-stick type of fry pan, you won’t need too much oil. The goal is for the olive oil to add to the taste of the dish. If you use canola, it is a healthy oil also, but it won't add any flavor. 
• The pan will get hotter the longer you cook the eggplant, lower the heat accordingly when this occurs, so the eggplant will not burn. *if using olive oil, please remember is has a lower "smoke point", so you will need to maintain a low to medium heat to prevent smoking and burning.

Once the eggplant is prepped above, mix the ricotta cheese with one egg, the package of mozzarella cheese and the oregano. Keep on the side for your next step, layering in the baking dish with the eggplant.

Spray the inside of the baking dish with Olive oil pan spray (or canola). Spread 2/3 cup of tomato sauce evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. (You may need to use slightly less or more, depending on the thickness/consistency of your sauce). Add one layer of eggplant over the sauce.  Now add all of the ricotta cheese mixture, spreading evenly over all of the eggplant. Spread another 2/3 cup of tomato sauce over this.  Now place a 2^nd (and final) layer of eggplant evenly over the pan.  Top with another 2/3 cup of tomato sauce. Add and spread the grated cheese on top of the sauce. 

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for one hour. Rotate the pan carefully in the oven at 30 minutes (half way through the total cooking time), so it cooks evenly

Helpful Hint: 

• Place your eggplant baking dish on a larger baking dish, such as a cookie sheet with sides, to help prevent burning yourself from splash burns. The contents can become very bubbly and hot sauce can spill easily when moving the pan. I also  recommend you wear good quality oven mitts as a second level of precaution when handling this hot dish). 

Cool slightly and serve with extra tomato sauce and grated Parmesan or Romano cheese on the table; so guests can add extra sauce and cheese to their liking. If you plan on serving the eggplant with a small side of pasta, plan for a little extra tomato sauce. Add an Organic Romaine based salad on the side to complete this great Italian meal.