What's the secret to making a pasta-less mac and cheese just as irresistible as the classic? Cauliflower. The cruciferous vegetable is the perfect vehicle for a cheesy, creamy sauce made from cheese, coconut milk, butter, and coconut flour. While the resulting dish is gluten-free and under 400 calories, note that it's high in saturated fat, so enjoy this comforting dish in moderation.
A tall frozen piña colada may taste like a tropical vacation, but this cocktail can clock in at 245 calories with a whopping 31.5 grams of sugar! Leave prepackaged mixes for the amateurs, and blend up a fresh colada-inspired smoothie that cuts out 102 calories and nearly half the sugar content.
The interesting array of tropical ingredients in this recipe create a drink with a flavor and texture even more satisfying, but still true, to the original. Whether you prefer an alcohol-free mocktail or a boozy treat, this refreshing drink is well worth the five minutes of prep time. Ready for a taste? Keep reading for this simple and fresh recipe.
Who says raw vegetables can't pack plenty of flavor? This vegetable sushi roll, made with creamy avocado and crunchy cucumber and carrots, has two secret ingredients: gomasio and umeboshi paste. Gomasio literally means "sesame salt" in Japanese. This condiment is sprinkled onto Asian cuisine like salt and is made from crushed, toasted sesame seeds and salt. Unlike salt, which only adds one dimension of flavor to a dish, gomasio gives food a nutty, roasted quality. Just be sure to keep your bottle in the fridge, because sesame seeds go rancid quickly, and nothing is worse than ruining a dish with rancid seasoning!
Also contributing to the saltiness of the sushi is umeboshi paste, or puréed, pickled Japanese plums. What does this bright purple paste taste like, you might be wondering? Umeboshi paste is at once extremely salty and full of savory umami flavor (the Western equivalent, in terms of texture and flavor, would be concentrated bouillon paste). Even just 1/4 of a teaspoon of umeboshi paste smeared on a sushi roll will give the sushi sufficient seasoning, so much so that you probably won't be tempted to dip the roll in a dish of soy sauce.
To see how this simple vegetable sushi roll is constructed, keep reading for the recipe.
It's a staple at Summer BBQs, but when you're trying to make healthy choices, many macaroni or pasta salad recipes are far too high in fat, calorie, and sodium. Swap out your old recipe for this fiber-filled salad; crisp veggies, whole wheat pasta, plus a low-fat dressing come together to create a tasty pasta dish that's less than 215 calories per serving and packed with vitamins A and C.
Between the chopped pickles and tangy dijon mustard, the flavor of this vegan Summer side is so good you won't even miss the mayo! Keep reading to learn all about your new favorite pasta salad recipe.
Pamper your belly with this debloating and low-calorie soup recipe from Canyon Ranch Spa. Cooling cucumbers, mint, and yogurt serve as the base, while garlic, chives, and a touch of lemon add bright flavor. This recipe is almost as good as being at the luxurious spa itself!
Learn how to make the hydrating recipe after the break.
Until recently, I thought of mochi, a Japanese glutinous rice cake, as an ingredient best suited to dessert. Whether served atop tart frozen yogurt or wrapped around green tea ice cream, this irresistibly chewy, slightly sweet ingredient seemed squarely in the realm of sweets. That is, until I started noticing slabs of the brown-rice version nestled up next to tofu, miso, and other Asian delights in my supermarket. Curious as to what to do with this mysterious ingredient, I snapped up a package and flipped through our office's collection of cookbooks until I found an enticing contender.
Firm and unyielding to pressure, the mochi remained mysterious until sliced into cubes (tip: use a sturdy, sharp chef's knife) and heated through. After a turn in the oven, the cubes puffed up as if by magic, their tender, chewy innards exposed between layers of crackly crust. Sliced open and stuffed with savory sesame-glazed vegetables, these puffy bites made for a satisfying dinner that I'll be turning to when looking for a fast and easy meal.
Meat can get a bad rap, and even though it's hard to say no to a juicy burger forever, there are reasons to switch to a plant-based diet that go beyond the normal ethical reasons. If you've been contemplating making the leap, here are three reasons to go veggie for your health, and how you should start.
If you're a meat lover, however, don't worry: there's no reason to panic. You don't need to go completely meat-free if you don't want to. Flexitarians enjoy just as many benefits as vegetarians, so if you can't forgo meat for good (you can count me among this group!), try limiting your meat intake to a pound a week. From Meatless Mondays to going vegan before dinner, here are a few of our favorite ways to eat less meat.
Crowd-pleasing, easy to make (the components can even be prepped ahead of time), and full of bold flavors, this Mediterranean take on 7-layer dip is just the ticket for casual Summer entertainment. Serve this hummus and pesto-based appetizer with pita chips or crudités and be prepared for it to be devoured with relish. Watch the video to see how it's done, then print out the recipe and get dipping.
For mushroom lovers, it'd be sacrilege not to seize the moment during the short window of time that morels are in season; they have a uniquely nutty, earthy quality that simply can't be resisted. Unfortunately, the cost of morel magnificence certainly doesn't come cheap: more often than not, these babies go for upwards of $40 per pound!
Yet I've discovered ways to work in little bits of this luxury item into my everyday meals. This pasta, which is coated in a pesto of morels, shallots, and pine nuts, is the perfect way to stretch a small amount of the delicacy while getting a good amount of their flavor, and the tab is a manageable $5 to $10 a person. Want to savor morel mushrooms on a budget, too? Here's one way to do it.
Thanks to its mild flavor, cucumber plays well with others — even pungent flavors. Salt, vinegar, hot peppers, and spices like dill and caraway likely first come to mind thanks to its popularity as a pickled vegetable, but it takes to sweeter ingredients with aplomb as well.
Cinnamon, citrus juice, and orange flower water seem like odd bedfellows for the crisp cuke, but if you add a generous dose of salt and let them mingle briefly, the resulting salad is exceptionally cool, refreshing, and a perfect pairing for any manner of spiced meat. Or, if you're like me, the dish is a satisfying snack in its own right; I devoured the entire bowl of salad in one sitting, bite after addictive, sweet, salty, floral bite.
