Kale & Mushroom Barley Risotto

Growing up in NY, I have a great appreciation for risotto. I have an even greater appreciation for those who slave over the stove for 45 minutes cooking risotto. 

NY State Pin map I made with a <3 around my hometown of Albany, NY
Oh how I miss the Italian food of upstate NY!

Up until yesterday, this was a dish I saved for holidays and unexpected days off from work... as those were the only times I could dedicate 45 minutes of my day to constantly stirring for the perfect dish. Don't get me wrong, it's completely worth it, but the recipe below is particularly appealing because of the time you save by using the slow cooker. I also used barley instead of the traditional arborio rice. Barley is a whole grain with more fiber to help keep you fuller, longer on a smaller portion than you may have with the arborio rice. The higher fiber content can reduce blood sugar spikes and decrease cholesterol as well - not to mention it was delicious!

Check out our Fall Kale & Mushroom Barley Risotto, a recipe I adapted from the RDs at Healthy Eats. 

Kale and Mushroom Barley Risotto from BLTFoodies

Kale & Mushroom Barley Risotto
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound sliced mushrooms (I used button mushrooms)
1 1/2 cups barley
6 sprigs fresh thyme
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced into circles
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1.5 cups water
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups frozen kale, cooked
Pepper

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or sauce pot over medium high heat.
2. Add the chopped onions and garlic and season with pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until onions are browned.
3. Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the barley and thyme sprigs, cook about 2-3 minutes.
5. Transfer mushroom mixture into a 6 quart slow cooker and add in the sliced carrots, broth and water. Cover and cook on high for about 3 hours, until all liquid is absorbed.
6. Once all the liquid is absorbed, discard the thyme sprigs. Stir in the kale, Parmesan cheese, vinegar and pepper. Mix evenly and until the risotto is creamy.
7. Serve and enjoy!

What foods do you miss from your hometown? Tell us in the comments below!

Sunday Morning Berry Walnut & Flax Oatmeal

This morning was a bit of a lazy-hazy Sunday morning and it is beginning to feel like fall with colder temperatures in the 60s.  (A big change from our 80 degree and humid South Carolina summer mornings)  It just seemed like the perfect day for this warm and hearty Berry Walnut & Flax Oatmeal!  We still have some fresh North Carolina Blueberries frozen from Happy Berry Farm (check out our other blueberry recipes here) and they were perfect in this recipe.  We've shared the recipe with you below :-)  Enjoy!

BLTFoodies: Sunday Morning Berry Walnut Flax Oatmeal

Berry Walnut and Flax Oatmeal
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups Silk Unsweetened Original Almond Milk
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
2 teaspoons flaxseed
8 walnuts, crushed
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

1.  Bring the 2 cups of unsweet almond milk to a boil in a sauce pan.
2.  Add 1 cup of old fashioned oats, and reduce heat to medium.  Cover and cook for 7-10 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed.
3.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg and flax seed to the oatmeal, stir well.
4.  Remove from heat, and serve 1 cup of oatmeal into 2 bowls.
5.  Top each bowl with 1/2 of the blueberries, half of the raspberries (1/4 cup in each bowl) and walnuts.
7.  Serve and enjoy!

Have a healthy week everyone!

Have you tried this recipe?  Leave us a comment below!  

Fig and Oat Bread

It's here!  Finally!  It's fig season in South Carolina.

Homegrown South Carolina Figs: BLTFoodies

Trevor and I got a bit anxious with our gardening this past year, and went ahead and planted a fig tree on a fluke warm weekend in late January.  Unfortunately, our South Carolina spring was not the best, and we had frequent temperatures below 40 degrees.  Despite this unfortunate weather, our fig tree survived!  And we could not be more excited.  

After much research on figs in the upstate Piedmont region of South Carolina, Trevor decided on a celeste fig tree.  Turns out, the celeste fig is known for it's cold hardiness. We sure put that claim to the test this spring!  The tree had buds in early summer, around May-June, and the figs just started to ripen within the past couple of weeks.  Ironically, after trying to convince Trevor to plant a fig tree for over a year, turns out we actually already had 2 fig trees behind the shed in the back yard!  So now with our abundance of figs, I have started to collect fig recipes for us to try this late summer/early fall.   Our celeste figs are decently sweet, and taste sort of like a plum and a strawberry mixed together.   Check out my fig Pinterest board here: http://pinterest.com/BrittanyChinRD/figs/

Our celeste fig tree: BLTFoodies

For our first bunch of figs we picked this labor day weekend, I decided to try this Fig and Oat bread recipe I found from Running to the Kitchen.  I love this recipe because it uses minimal saturated (bad) fat, and also does not have any added sugar!  It is sweet purely from the fresh figs and orange zest, which is perfect!  I made some slight changes to the recipe, but overall found it very easy and tasty.

No Sugar Added Fig and Oat Bread: BLTFoodies

No-Sugar Added Fig and Oat Bread
Yield: 1 loaf, about 8-12 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups almond milk (curdled with a squeeze of lemon juice)*
1 cup chopped fresh figs
zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 table spoon Smart Balance spread, melted
oats for topping
*almond milk with a squeeze of lemon juice mimics buttermilk with a lower fat content

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Combine whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, oats, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3.  Make a hole in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the almond milk
4.  Loosely combine with a wooden spoon.
5.  Add chopped figs, orange zest and walnuts.  Fold in carefully with a wooden spoon.
6.  Once dough starts to form, transfer to a floured wood cutting board and gently combine until the dough forms a ball.  (Be careful of pushing on the dough too hard and smashing the figs)
7.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil, and transfer the ball of dough onto the baking sheet. Make an "X" in the middle of the dough with a knife for added style.
8.  Brush the top of the dough with the melted Smart Balance spread, and sprinkle the oats on top of the bread.
9.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean, and top is golden brown.
10.  Serve warm with Smart Balance spread and local honey, or by itself.  Enjoy!

With the leftover meat of the orange, we decided to use our grapefruit mint and make Orange Mint Water!  Simply cut up the 1 orange you used for the zest in the Fig and Oat Bread recipe, and squeeze into a large pitcher.  Add the leaves off of 3-4 springs of fresh grapefruit mint.  Add water to the pitcher, stir and let sit for 30-60 minutes for flavors to infuse.   Serve in a perfectly southern mason jar!

Orange and Mint Water: BLTFoodies

For our next fig recipe, we really would like to use our dehydrator to dry the figs and use them as an appetizer with some brie cheese and local honey similar to this recipe .  Check back to see how it goes!  

If you have any fig recipes you think we should try, please leave the info in the comments below!

Until next time,
BLT

Happy Berry Farm: Blueberry Cinnamon Crumb Cake & Blueberry, Cucumber and Mint Salad

The summer this year in South Carolina has been quite unusual.  In the upstate we are actually hoping for typical sunshine and humidity, because all we have had this summer is rain.  This past Sunday, in the midst of finally decorating and completing house projects, I was asked by a friend to go blueberry picking at the local Happy Berry Farm in Six Mile, SC.  I have never picked my own blueberries before, and of course we love them, so I figured might as well get out of the house and try something new!

We had a wonderful experience at Happy Berry and didn't even realize that you can also pick blackberries, figs, grapes and other fruits at the farm too!  Hannah and Nicole turned out to be much better berry pickers than I am (I think I might talk too much while picking...), and they got nearly 3 pounds for only a few dollars!  

Our pickings from Happy Berry!

The "sin bucket" - they donate the money to charity.

Of course I couldn't wait to come home and start cooking and baking with the berries I had picked!  

First we made a delicious summer salad: 

Blueberry, Cucumber and Mint Salad - from BLTFoodies.blogspot.com

Blueberry, Cucumber and Mint Salad
Servings: 2

Ingredients
4 cups 50/50 mixed greens 
2 cups fresh blueberries, washed
1 cucumber, halved and sliced into half moons
2 Tablespoons fresh grapefruit mint
1/2 cup pecan halves
2oz goat cheese

Directions
1.  Place 2 cups of the mixed greens in 2 large salad bowls.
2.  Top each salad with 1 cup of the blueberries, 1/2 of the cucumber, 1 tablespoon of the mint, 1/4 cup pecans and 1oz of goat cheese.
3.  Top with your favorite vinaigrette dressing and serve!

Later in the week, we had family from Boston visiting in Greenville and we wanted to be sure to make a yummy dessert for them!  I found this easy blueberry cake recipe, and adapted it  with some healthier baking substitutions.  

Blueberry Cinnamon Crumb Cake from BLTFoodies.blogspot.com

Blueberry Cinnamon Crumb Cake

Ingredients:

The Cake
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup almond milk
2 cup fresh South Carolina blueberries

The Crumble
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, cut into cubes

Instructions
1.  Spray a bundt pan with olive oil spray.
2.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.
3.  In a medium size bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.  
4.  In a larger bowl, beat the softened butter, olive oil and sugar until light and fluffy.  Then beat in the egg and almond milk until smooth.  
5.  Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.  Fold in fresh blueberries.
6.  Spread batter into bundt pan.
7.  For the topping: whisk the sugar, flour and cinnamon together.  Cut in the butter until crumbs form and sprinkle over cake batter.
8.  Bake for 40-45 minutes and cool on wire rack.  Serve and enjoy as a dessert or brunch option!

What is your favorite summer blueberry recipe?  Have you gone blueberry picking locally before?  Tell us in the comments section below!

Picnic Ready Sides: Low Carb Broccoli Slaw

This summer we have spent a good amount of time grilling and attending pot-luck picnics.   We wanted to take a minute to share low-carb broccoli slaw recipe with you.  With many of the traditional carb heavy picnic sides such as potato salad and pasta salad, the broccoli slaw is the perfect healthy side to bring for your next BBQ.  Strive to make your picnic just a little bit healthier this summer!

Low Carb Broccoli Slaw - BLTFoodies.blogspot.com

Low Carb Broccoli Slaw

Ingredients
Serves: 4

1 10oz bag Eat Smart Broccoli Slaw
1/3 cup Smart Balance Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
Pepper to taste
Almond slivers (optional)

Directions

1.  Pour 10oz bag Eat Smart Broccoli Slaw into a large mixing bowl.
2.  Add in the Smart Balance Mayonnaise, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, raisins and pepper.
3.  Toss with 2 large serving spoons until salad is coated with dressing.
4.  Top with almond slivers for garnish if desired.
5.  Serve and enjoy!

Happy 4th of July to our readers!  As you can see, Lilly will be spending the day in her pool :-) We hope you enjoy your independence day as well!

Lilly of BLTFoodies.blogspot.com

Watermelon & Cucumber Salad with Feta, Sweet Onion and Mint

Summer is finally here!  In the Upstate, we have been battling below normal spring temperatures and an obnoxious about of rain and thunderstorms this year.  We are happy to put it all behind us and welcome summer!

Trevor and I enjoying summer in the park.

In honor of the first day of summer (todayFriday June 21st!), we have decided to share our new favorite summer salad recipe with you!  This is a great salad to bring with you to BBQs or get together since it only takes a few minutes to prepare.  Want to save even more time?  Prepare the salad the night before and pop it in the refrigerator, allowing the flavors to mix together for an even better salad the next day.  Your guests will love the freshness of this salad!

Watermelon & Cucumber Salad with Feta, Sweet Onion and Mint

Watermelon & Cucumber Salad with Feta, Sweet Onion and Mint
Adapted from Cooking Light June 2013

Ingredients:

• 1/4 watermelon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup watercress, chopped
• 3/4 cup Vidalia (sweet) onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium English cucumber, sliced (we used ours from the garden! see below)
• 4 tablespoons grapefruit mint (we used ours from the garden!)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat feta cheese

Directions

1. 1.  Combine the cut watermelon, watercress, onion and cucumber in a large bowl.
2. 2.  Combine mint, lime juice and olive oil in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk to make the dressing.
3. 3.  Add dressing to the watermelon mixture, and add the feta cheese.  Toss gentle.
4. 4.  Serve and enjoy!

Fresh cucumber from our garden

What is your favorite summer salad?  Tell us below!

Easy Spinach and Parmesan Egg Muffins

Hello everyone!  It has been again a while since we posted, and we apologize for that.  Many many things have been going on!  Now the semester is over, the move is done, the half marathon complete and house projects are on the way.  

We wanted to be sure to take a few minutes to share with you one of our favorite new breakfast recipes - baked spinach and Parmesan cheese egg muffins!  It's a great low-carb and gluten free recipe that takes only 15 minutes, and can be made the night before.   Egg's used to get a bad rap, but as a Registered Dietitian reviewing the literature, it turns out that the cholesterol in the eggs is not internalized into our own cholesterol.  Eggs are a great low saturated fat choice for breakfast and has a good amount of protein as well to keep you full! It's also a great option if you have company over, since the eggs are all done at the same time.  Enjoy!!

Recipe and photo by Brittany Chin, RD, LD

Easy Baked Spinach and Parmesan Egg Muffins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

10 eggs

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Pepper, to taste

Paprika, to taste

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat eggs with a fork or whisk.  Add pepper and paprika to taste.
3.  Spray muffin tin with Pam Olive Oil spray.

4.  Divide thawed spinach into 8 muffin tins.  

5.  Ladle 1/2 cup of the egg mixture into the muffin tins over the spinach.
6.  Top with of Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 oz).
7.  Place in the oven on 375 for 15 minutes.  Once bake time is completed, broil for 2 minutes to brown the cheese.
8.  Let cool for 2-3 minutes.  Serve and enjoy with some fresh fruit :-)

Nutrition: 125 calories, 3.7g saturated fat, 1g total carb, 212mg sodium, 11.6g protein

Note: try with your favorite kind of low-fat cheese (such as feta or mozzarella) and whatever kind of vegetables you have available (peppers and onions, tomatoes, zucchini - almost anything!)