Happy Umami-days! Figgy Blue Cheese & Bacon Bites

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Inspired by the taste of umami, I have created an easy appetizer recipe that will have your taste buds exploding with happiness this holiday season – Figgy Blue Cheese Bacon Bites. I’ve talked about umami before, but in case you’re not familiar with the term, it certainly bears repeating. That’s because umami ingredients are a great way to bring crazy flavor to a recipe without tons of fat and calories.

Umami (oo-MA-mee) is a Japanese word that literally means “delicious essence” and is used to describe a fifth taste receptor. We all know the traditional four tastes of sweet, salty, bitter and sour are associated with specific parts of the tongue. However, there is a mouth-watering, savory, meaty and indescribable taste that happens when eating certain foods like beef, mushrooms, bacon, aged cheeses, fermented sauces and red wines – this taste is called umami. To put it sort of scientifically, umami is the taste of glutamates (the salts of an amino acid) and other small molecules called nucleotides working synergistically with other flavors to create a multidimensional taste experience.

blue cheese bacon fig newton appetizer

This recipe for Figgy Blue Cheese Bacon Bites is great to have on hand for impromptu holiday guests.  Using only four ingredients (including Fig Newton cookies!) you can treat guests to something simple and yet oh-so special to eat in no time!  It’s a recipe I’ve put together for Litehouse Foods using their delicious center cut blue cheese. Head on over to the Living Litehouse blog to get the full instructions.

I dare to say, you’ve probably already made quite a few recipes with food pairings that boost umami and not even realized it. Just think of the yumminess that happens when pairing salty feta cheese with ripe tomatoes or shrimp with soy sauce – all of these foods are high in glutamates. Below are a few favorite umami-rich recipes I’ve made lately, check them out!

jennifer fisher thefitfork.com pomegranate balsamic pot roast mushrooms

Pomegranate Balsamic Post Roast with Baby Bella Mushrooms

jennifer fisher litehouse camp stuffing blue cheese

Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Onion Bombs

jennifer fisher - thefitfork.com - spicy sesame salmon seared watermelon

Spicy Sesame Salmon on Seared Watermelon

Seasonal Sweets | Healthy Egg Nog Pudding Recipe

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Fa-la-la-la-la, la lick my lips! I may skipping a tad ahead on the calendar but I want to give you plenty of time to enjoy this healthy treat while cartons of egg nog are decking the market shelves. Most egg nogs have tons of sugar, fat and calories (up to 19g fat and 400 calories per cup), not to mention a few fingers of brandy or bourbon – not that there’s anything wrong with that! But, my lightened dessert version of this iconic holiday drink is made with fat-free Greek yogurt and light egg nog. With just 190 calories and 2g of fat per serving, you don’t have to feel guilty about digging into this seasonal sweet treat. Oh, and this recipe for Healthy Egg Nog Pudding also has 15g protein per serving, so it’s a pudding that pumps you up!

jennifer fisher thefitfork healthy egg nog pudding text

Healthy Egg Nog Pudding Recipe

  • 12 ounces 0% fat unsweetened Greek yogurt
  • 16 ounces light egg nog (made with skim milk)
  • ¼ cup sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 packets Stevia (or sweetener of choice)
  • Optional toppings: light whip cream, caramel sauce drizzle, additional cinnamon

Place all ingredients (except toppings) in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes until set. Top with whipped cream, caramel and cinnamon if desired.

Serves 4

 Nutritional information per 7 ounce serving (exclusive of toppings): calories 190, fat 2g (1g saturated), cholesterol 40mg, carbohydrate 30g, protein 15g

 

This week, I also did a guest post for Core Power and made a similar seasonal recipe (and so very different) using their Core Power High Protein Shake, pumpkin puree and Greek Yogurt. Head on over to check out this recipe for Core Power Pumpkin Mousse.

thefitfork corepower pumpkin mousse text

And, if you’re not interested in this healthy, high-protein recipe, you may want to visit just to find out what in the heck I’m doing with this pumpkin . . . and why.

pumpkin chest squat

 

SuperFoodie: Southwestern Sweet Potato Chickpea Soup Recipe

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Sweet potatoes. It’s hard to believe that I strongly disliked them until just a few years ago. I thank some overly sweet marshmallow sweet potato casseroles for the aversion and an amazing array of more savory dishes for my newfound love. In fact, I adore sweet potatoes so much today that they are my go-to carb source for pre-marathon race fuel. Plus, my recipe for Spicy Beef and Sweet Potato Samosas almost won me a million dollars in the Pillsbury Bake-Off.  Oh, some other potato appetizer won, but that’s okay — I still stand by the funky orange tuber!

sweet-potatoes (1)

Not native to America, the sweet potato was brought over by Columbus from the West Indies. Thriving in many parts of the country, folks during the Revolutionary War relied on this early “superfood” as a primary source of nourishment. One physician during the era anointed the tuberous root as an “indispensable vegetable” and I couldn’t agree more. The sweet potato is loaded with calcium, potassium and vitamins A and C. The Center for Science in the Public Interest rates sweet potatoes as the number one most nutritious vegetable on the planet because they such are so nutritionally rich. Sweet potatoes rate low on the glycemic index which keeps blood sugar levels from spiking. Sweet potatoes have a glycemic load of just 17 while a regular white potato comes in at 29. Finally, a carbohydrate you can feel great about eating!

Since I was planning soup as our main dish for dinner, I wanted to add something to maximize the protein – chickpeas seemed an innocuous ingredient choice that would pump up the overall protein by 6 grams per serving (for a total of about 18 grams per serving) without altering the taste.  Knowing my family likes slightly spicy, southwestern flavors, I also added just enough Ancho chile powder to take down the sweet a notch without making it “hot.”  Soup’s on — hope you enjoy!

ancho sweet potato chickpea soup

 

spicy sweet potato and chick pea soupUpdate March 2017: This soup was featured in Taste of Home’s Healthy Cooking Annual Recipes cookbook.

 

 

 

 

 

Southwestern Sweet Potato Chickpea Soup Recipe

  •  1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, halved lengthwise (about medium)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground Ancho Chile pepper
  • 4 cups vegetable stock (eg: homemade, canned or reconstituted)
  • 1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ounce fresh Parmesan cheese, shaved (about 1/4 cup)
  • 2 green onions, bubs and greens sliced

Place potatoes, cut sides down, in an 11 x 7-inch microwave-safe baking dish. Add 1/4 cup water; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at HIGH 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cool slightly; discard potato skins.
Heat stock pot over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute or until translucent. Stir in cumin and Ancho powder. Scoop sweet potatoes out of skin and add to pot along with stock and chickpeas.

Place half of sweet potato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters); blend until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining mixture. Stir in salt.
If serving as an entrée, divide soup evenly among 4 bowls (6 to 8 bowls for soup course); sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over top. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Oh, and if you’re in a breakfast-for-dinner mood don’t miss my “Top of the Morning” Sirloin Sweet Potato Hash, it’s great way to fuel up for the weekend and the leftovers make fast and filling breakfast tacos come Monday.

leftover-beef-sweetpotato-hash

Dishing Details on the 46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off!

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Did I go home with the million dollar prize in the 46th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest tonight?!

pillsbury the whole group

Surely my recipe for Spicy Beef and Sweet Potato Samosas won, right? Well, sadly, no. After a busy week capped off by a sidewalk face plant and trip to the emergency room, I headed out to Las Vegas to battle it off bake-off style with 99 other amazingly creative and talented home cooks. I tasted so many of these dishes, by the end of the day, I thought I might pop! In the end, a recipe for Loaded Potato Pinwheels won the top prize – yum!

Spicy Beef and Sweet Potato Samosas

My finalist entry into the Pillsbury BakeOff – Spicy Beef & Sweet Potato Samosas

jen by pillsbury recipe sign

The Bake-Off day started with the “grand march” of contestants – we all showed off our spirit as we paraded around the floor to the beat of a kitchen pots and pans band! Check out the video!

I couldn’t resist the urge to squeeze and hug the Dough Boy – who can?!

jen and dough boy

We had 3.5 hours to make our recipe up to 3 times and submit the best to the judges. I wasn’t nervous at all until I realized my oven wasn’t heating up properly. The oven people had to come over and check it out and time was slipping away while the problem was diagnosed! Now in a near panic, I threw my second batch in the oven, set the timer and left to visit the other contestants work stations (the majority of people were done by now)! After sampling my way through a couple of dozen delicious dishes, my sixth sense kicked in and said “get back to your oven.” Although there was 30 seconds left on the timer, I was pretty sure they’d be under cooked like the first batch – but (insert harks and angels singing), they were perfectly browned – the batched turned out even better than I could have expected!

at my station pillsbury

Top Chef host, Padma Lakshmi, lead the celebration night dinner. Pillsbury treated us like celebrities; we walked the “blue carpet” and posed with the golden doughboy before our fancy dinner at the Aria Resort!

P1020278

Beef & Sweet Potato Samosas with Sriracha Orange Sauce

  • ½ lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 cup pico de gallo salsa
  • 1 cup refrigerated mashed sweet potatoes or canned sweet potatoes, mashed
  • 1 box Pillsbury™ refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
  • 1 jar (12 oz) orange marmalad

Heat oven to 375°F. In 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the chile powder, the cumin and pico de gallo; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat. Stir in sweet potatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Unroll pie crusts; cut each into 6 triangles. Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons beef mixture in center of each triangle. Brush edges with water. Bring corners of dough together over filling; pinch seams to seal. Place on large nonstick cookie sheet.

Bake 28 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown.

Meanwhile, in medium microwavable bowl, microwave preserves on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring once, until hot. Stir in remaining 1 to 2 teaspoons chile powder. Serve warm with samosas.

Sirloin Cobb Kebabs with Ranch Vinaigrette Recipe #LivingWell

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Earlier in the Fall, I traveled to Chicago to visit with the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner people and attend their #LiveWell event. While I mentioned this tasty trip a while back on the blog, all the (ahem) hard studying and sampling of lean beef distracted me from sharing one of my favorite parts of the trip – a recipe challenge!

Scene of the showdown - The Chopping Block in Chicago

Scene of the showdown – The Chopping Block in Chicago

Our blogging, beef-eating group gathered at The Chopping Block, a popular cooking school in the Windy City, and divided up into teams.  I was partnered up with the perfect cooking clique; we were truly “a cut above.” With Amee, the CrossFitting, book-writing mama , from Amee’s Savory Dish wielding bamboo skewers on one side and Shaina, also an author and epicure, from Food for my Family ready to whisk, there was no way we could lose this showdown. Oh, I missed the memo that this was not, in fact, a contest! However, trying to be creative under the time and ingredient constraints, thinking it was a cook-off, is what made it all the more fun!

cobb kebob team

Our team was charged with making over a traditional recipe – Cobb Salad. This iconic entrée salad was only meant to be our inspiration; we could concoct anything we pleased as long as it was a healthy, quick fix. Oh yeah, and it had to include top sirloin steak (which by the way is one of the 29 lean cuts of beef, about 150 calories per cooked 3-ounce serving and under 6 grams of fat).

jennifer chopping block

I use top sirloin all the time for the grill, especially kebab-making (check out these Mojo Beef Kebabs). The collective creative wheels didn’t spin long with our wing-it-and-bring-it party of three. In a matter of minutes, Amee, Shaina and I were grabbing up fresh produce and supplies from the “ingredient bar” to make (drumroll, please) . . . . . Sirloin Cobb Kebabs!

sirloin cobb kebobs

Sirloin Cobb Kebabs with Ranch Vinaigrette Dressing

 Ingredients for the kebabs:

  • 1 ½ lbs top sirloin, cut into 2” bite size pieces
  • 2 red peppers, cut into 2” size pieces
  • 1 pint golden cherry tomatoes, keep whole
  • 3-4 large romaine leaves, rinsed and patted dry
  • 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese (block), cut into 2” chunks

Ingredients for the dressing:

  • 1/3 cup light ranch dressing
  • 1 lemon, juiced and zested
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Additional ingredients:

  • 3 large eggs
  • Bamboo skewers
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare your medium boiled eggs (firm white and semi-firm yolk) by placing them into a small pot and cover with cold water.  Bring water to a full boil, then turn off heat and cover with a lid and set the timer for 6 minutes.  When the timer goes off, immediately place eggs in an ice bath to stop the cooking process while you prepare your other ingredients.

To prepare dressing, mix together the ranch dressing, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, and half of the fresh parsley. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Top with remaining parsley before serving.

For the kebabs, soak wooden skewers in water to prepare them for the grill for 10 minutes (or use metal skewers).  Toss steak cubes, peppers, cherry tomatoes and romaine in a little olive oil and season lightly with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Place steak cubes, peppers and cherry tomatoes on a skewer, leaving room for the romaine and cheese on the end (but do not add them yet).

Grill kebabs over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes per side (so steak is medium rare).   Lay romaine leaves onto the grill and cook quickly until each side is starting to wilt and ends are getting brown, approximately 1 minute per side.  Remove from grill, chop into large pieces for skewering and set aside.

In a grill pan, flash cook the cheese until it just gets warm and soft enough to skewer.  Now add the romaine and cheese to the kebabs.  Peel and slice your eggs and arrange on a platter with the kebabs.  Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with the dressing on the side for dipping.

Serves 4 to 6.

cobb kebob close up

Sirloin Cobb Kebabs