• You’re in college or grad school and you don’t have a kitchen to cook in, and you either have no fridge or a very tiny fridge
• You’re a busy professional, your fridge is empty and you use your oven for storage
• You always find yourself on the go: you’re traveling on planes often or just never at home
• You just don’t like to cook, but you still want to eat healthy
• You have kids and a full time job, but still want to give your family healthy options

How good does that look? I love Guacamole. I love the texture of it, the flavor, and the add-ins you can use to spice it up (I once had guacamole with balsamic vinegar and goat cheese in it – delicious!).

I also love that it’s really good for you. Avocado has fiber and tons of healthy fats (monounsaturated fat – the kind that helps lower cholesterol). And the best part is that you can use avocado (or guacamole) in so many different ways: as a topping for Mexican food, as a dip on it’s own, in sandwiches, as a topping for tortilla soup, the list goes on and on.

My husband loves guacamole, or “guac” as we lovingly call it, and oftentimes I will come home from work only to find him sitting at the table with a bowl of guac, a bag of chips, and a book.

I enjoy making Guacamole at home, because it’s so easy and you just can’t beat that fresh taste. I made this recipe for “Glammed Up Guac” from the book, Must Have Been Something I Ate, and it was the perfect twist on a traditional guacamole.

The Ingredients

• 3 ripe avocados
• 1 Tbsp chipotle peppers, finely diced
• 1/2 Spanish onion, finely diced
• 1/3 cup of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• Cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Congrats Jenny! You should be receiving your Bamboo Bottle and book very soon Thanks to everyone who entered – it was so nice reading all of your comments and hearing from some first-time readers! And now, all of you have another chance to win in this week’s giveaway from CHOFFY!

So what exactly is Choffy? Choffy is brewed, pure, all-natural, chocolate. It is made from 100% premium organic cacao beans – so it’s not sweet at all – it tastes more like a delicious super dark chocolate bar. And since Choffy comes straight from the cacao bean, it’s extremely good for you! The cacao makes it a superfood: there are more antioxidants in one 8oz cup of Choffy than in two servings of blueberries. And while it tastes like chocolate, it’s only 20 calories per serving, which makes it a guilt-free pleasure.

The cool thing about Choffy is that you can make it using a french press, just like you would with regular coffee. But unlike coffee, it doesn’t have caffeine in it! So you can get your rich-hot-drink-in-the-morning fix without the effects of caffeine. For those of you trying to cut back on your coffee fix, this might be a good replacement

There are also tons of different ways to enjoy Choffy – here are three that I tried:

Option 1: You can drink it black just like coffee (although, keep in mind that since it is cacao, it will be slightly bitter) – I actually thought it was pretty smooth when I took a sip straight, but I decided to add a bit of milk to make it even more decadent!

Option 2: Mix a 1/8 cup of 1% organic milk and some Stevia to taste into your Choffy. This is how I chose to drink it, and it tasted like an amazingly decadent hot chocolate. It was like liquid chocolate melting in my mouth. I couldn’t believe it was only 20-30 calories (with the milk).

Option 3: Use it in a blended chocolate drink by brewing Choffy, mixing it with milk and Stevia, adding ice cubes, and blending until combined

All were amazingly delicious. This is really a fantastic hot drink, and it is SO good for you. This has made it into my morning hot drink rotation, which was previously exclusively occupied by Chai Tea

For those of you who are thinking of trying this product, here’s a nice little graphic describing how to brew Choffy:

And for one lucky reader, you’ll win a bag of Choffy to try at home for free! The bag is HUGE, so it will last you quite a while.

Now, the important part – To Enter: You can enter in one of three ways -

1. Subscribe to The Picky Eater via RSS or via email
2. Follow me on Twitter (@pickyeaterblog)
3. Like The Picky Eater on Facebook

Then post a comment here letting me know which option above you chose. If you already are a subscriber, follower, or like The Picky Eater on Facebook, just leave a comment indicating that – it will count as one entry.

This giveaway will be open until Saturday, February 4th at 11:59pm PST. I will be selecting the winner at random (via random.org) and will contact them via email. I’ll be announcing the winner on Sunday, February 5th. I’m so excited for you to try this product, it really is great!

Samosas are one of the few Indian fried treats that I just can’t get enough of. They are savory, puff pastry packets of heaven: spicy and sweet, with a great crispy crust surrounding a piping hot filling. When made well, they aren’t too oily and are just fried to perfection.

I don’t usually make samosas at home, because honestly if I did, I would eat them all. They’re mainly a treat for me when we go out to Indian restaurants for dinner.

The husband is somewhat of a samosa connoisseur - he loves them even more than I do. It’s pretty much guaranteed that if we go to an Indian restaurant that no matter what the other appetizer options are available, he will order samosas every time. This actually works out well for me, because then I can nibble on the crispy pastry crust of more than one samosa without my fellow diners getting annoyed with me Because honestly, the crust is SO good.

When making samosas at home, I would probably bake them in the oven versus frying them. This recipe below gives you the instructions to fry them if you so choose, but you can also bake them in the oven using these directions from Aarti on the Food Network.

Today’s recipe for samosas comes courtesy of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, who contacted me with the idea of adding split peas into samosas to amp up the protein & fiber in traditional recipes. I thought it was a great addition to the traditional samosa filling, since it goes really well with the potatoes and other Indian flavors in this dish.

Note: Makes about 24 samosas. These little turnovers contain yogurt in the dough and a curried vegetable filling. Serve them with chutney or a good tomato ketchup.

The Ingredients: Filling

• 1 cup dry USA green or yellow split peas, rinsed
• 2.5 cups water
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander (with a few whole coriander seeds sprinkled in)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• Chutney or tomato ketchup, for dipping

The Ingredients: Dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (whole wheat flour preferred)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup plain yogurt
• 1⁄4 cup canola oil

.

The Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine split peas and water. Bring them to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until peas are tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Drain peas, and set aside.
2. Boil potatoes with 1 teaspoon salt until they are tender. Drain, and mash the potatoes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the dough. Combine flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Make a well in the center and add yogurt and canola oil. Mix ingredients until they form a ball.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it is smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Cover dough, and set it aside for 30 minutes.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a heavy skillet. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are translucent. Add ginger, and continue stirring for another minute. Add coriander, garam masala, and salt, and cook, stirring, for about a half minute more. Add potatoes and peas, and mix well. Set filling aside.
6. On lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle measuring about 12 x 18 inches. Cut dough into 3-inch squares.
7. Place 1 scant tablespoon of filling on each square. Use your fingers to moisten edges of dough with water, and fold dough diagonally in half to make a triangle. Press edges firmly together to seal in the filling.
8. Heat 1 inch oil in a heavy skillet until it is hot but not smoking, about 350° to 380°. Fry samosas until golden, turning once. Drain samosas on paper towels, and keep them hot.
9. Transfer samosas to a heated serving dish, and serve them with chutney or tomato catsup.

If you don’t already love samosas, you will after trying this recipe!

Nutritional Info: For 1 Samosa

• Calories: 82
• Protein: 3 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Total Fat: 2 g; Saturated Fat: 0 g

Mushroom and Spinach Tartines.

Doesn’t that just sound like some kind of exotic treat you’d get in France?

“Tartine” is actually a fancy bread with either a sweet or savory spread on top, often found in France. It sounds fancy, but it’s basically an open-faced sandwich. It also happens to be the name of one of my favorite bakeries in San Francisco.

In the spirit of incorporating more whole grains into my diet, and my recent partnership with Sunbites, I decided to post this great recipe for a healthy take on the traditional Tartine.

It seems like a bit of an odd pairing of ingredients, but I promise it tastes delicious. The secret is lots of garlic, and a great crusty bread. This dish was inspired by a recipe I found on VegetarianTimes.com. I made a few modifications, so my modified recipe is below. To all of my Sunbites readers, I hope you enjoy this recipe! Don’t be thrown off by the addition of tofu into the spread: it provides a great protein punch, and it doesn’t taste like tofu at all!

This is the perfect recipe for a simple, weekend supper but it can also be used as an appetizer for parties.

The Ingredients

• 6 oz. soft tofu, drained
• 6-9 cloves roasted garlic (I say the more garlic the better, but if you’re not a garlic lover like I am, go with 6 cloves)
• 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
• 10 oz of sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 6oz-10oz fresh baby spinach
• 1-2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese per tartine (so if you’re making 8 tartines, that’s 8-16 Tbsp total)
• 1 whole-wheat baguette, sliced lengthwise and toasted

The Directions

Step 1: Roast the garlic. This is very easy to do: simply trim the tops of whole garlic bulbs to expose the cloves, set on a piece of foil, and drizzle with olive oil (about 1 tsp).

Step 1 (continued): Wrap the garlic tightly in foil, and bake 30 to 35 minutes at 400°F, or until garlic bulbs are soft. When it’s done, it looks like this:

Step 2: Place tofu and garlic in blender or food processor, season with salt and pepper, and blend until smooth.

Step 3: Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté mushroom and onion 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened.

Step 4: Stir in spinach, and sauté 2 minutes, or until wilted. Add 1 Tbs. Parmesan cheese to pan, and remove from heat. I also added salt and pepper to taste for more flavor.

Step 5: If you have any roasted garlic left over, spread one clove over each baguette half. Top with tofu-garlic spread, then with mushroom-spinach mixture, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Toast under broiler 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown. I also added a bit of salt and pepper on top (just a sprinkle) for extra flavor.

Doesn’t that look delicious? If you’re eating this as a meal, I’d serve it with some light tomato soup to make it more of a well-rounded and filling dinner. As an appetizer, it can be served by itself.

Either way, it is extremely healthy for you! It’s full of whole grains, fiber from the vegetables, and protein from the tofu and cheese. 1 tartine has ~300 calories, 14g protein and 12g fiber (which largely depends on the amount of fiber in your baguette). Dig in!

. . .

It’s no secret that I am a Picky Eater.

And as a Picky Eater, I am always on the lookout for healthy food alternatives. I never accept a meal or food product as is; I always ask myself if it’s healthy or if I can give it an increased nutritional punch by making a few substitutions.

What do I mean by “healthy food alternatives”?

These can be individual food products: using low fat cheese instead of full fat cheese in meals, or healthy recipes: like making mac n’cheese or pizza healthier & lower in calories.

It also involves “sneaking” extra veggies into a dish, like in this vegetarian lasagna

It doesn’t look like it’s super healthy, but it is!

In the spirit of getting healthy for the new year, I thought I would share 25 of my favorite Healthy Food Swaps. All of them are easy and take almost no effort:   with just a little bit of mindfulness and the 25 swaps in this post, you’ll be on your way to eating healthy for the new year!

My Top 25 Healthy Food SWAPS

SWAP #1: Bread: Always substitute whole wheat bread for regular white/sourdough/ciabatta/anything that’s not whole wheat or whole grain. BONUS – If you really want to go the extra mile, get sprouted grain bread like the kind by Ezekiel

SWAP #2: Milk: Always use low fat (2% or 1%) or fat free milk instead of full fat (regular whole) milk

SWAP #3: Cheese: Try to use low fat cheeses instead of full fat/regular cheese, or just use less of the full fat cheese (try for 3/4 or 1/2 the called amount)

SWAP #4: Chips: Eat baked potato or tortilla chips instead of regular/fried. BONUS – make your own baked fries or sweet potato fries at home!

SWAP #5: Cold Cereal: Buy whole wheat or whole grain cereal (like Kashi Heart to Heart) with at least 3-4g fiber per serving instead of … Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp – you get the idea .

SWAP #6: Hot Cereal: Try steel cut oats or rolled oats instead of pre-sweetened/sugary instant oatmeal or cream of wheat (you can make your regular oatmeal flavorful on your own with cocoa powder, fruit, nuts, stevia, cinnamon, and honey)

SWAP #7: Sides: Ask for carrot sticks, fresh fruit or a salad instead of fries when ordering out

SWAP #8: Cream Cheese: Try Laughing Cow Cheese or low fat / whipped cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese

SWAP #9: Burgers: Opt for veggie burgers or turkey burgers instead of regular full fat/beef burgers, and order them on a wheat bun or a lettuce wrap.

SWAP #10: Mexican Food: Opt for refried vegetarian/low fat black beans instead of regular refried beans (which are often cooked in lard)

SWAP #11: Sour Cream: Try 0% Greek Yogurt or fat free sour cream instead of regular

SWAP #12: Condiments: Try ketchup & mustard instead of mayo/dressings/oil on your sandwiches

SWAP #13: Condiments the Sequel: Try hummus as a spread in sandwiches instead of cream cheese, mayo, mixed creamy spreads, etc.

SWAP #14: Sugar: Try honey, agave, raw cane sugar instead of refined white sugar. If you’re trying to cut calories, try Stevia instead of Equal or any sweetner with Aspartame

SWAP #15: Soda: Try this easy swap: combine 1/4 cup 100% fruit juice with 3/4 cup sparkling naturally flavored water or just plain sparkling water. Tastes just like a soda without all of the chemicals! If you can’t find this and REALLY want a soda, diet soda once in a while is a low calorie swap.

SWAP #16: Dressing: Try fat free salad dressings or a tiny bit (1-2 tsp) of olive oil/vinegar/salt/pepper instead of regular creamy salad dressing

SWAP #17: Soup: Opt for broth based soups (made with a tomato base or vegetable stock) instead of cream based soups. I usually ask if there’s cream in a soup before ordering it at a restaurant.

SWAP #18: Alcohol: Stick to 1 glass of red wine instead of hard alcohol/mixed drinks (1 glass of red has ~100 calories compared to 300-500 in one mixed drink)

SWAP #19: Meat: Choose white meat (chicken, turkey, fish) instead of red meat (beef, lamb, pork)

SWAP #20: Grains: Instead of white rice or regular couscous, try brown rice, whole wheat couscous or quinoa.

SWAP #21: Smoothies: Use unsweetened soy milk (0g sugar) or low fat/fat free plain yogurt in smoothies instead of frozen yogurt or ice cream

SWAP #22: Yogurt: Try plain 0% / non-fat Greek yogurt instead of sweetened Yoplait or other sweetened yogurts (1 container of sweetned Yoplait can have up to 200 calories, 1 container of Fage sweetened with stevia or honey will have only 90-100 calories and TONS more protein)

SWAP #23: Potatoes: I will often make baked sweet potatoes or yams instead of regular russet potatoes for a higher fiber and antioxidant boost

SWAP #24: Oil: Use olive or canola oil instead of other cooking oils (and I try to stick to a small amount, no more than 1-2 Tbsp in most recipes)

SWAP #25: Chocolate: For me, it’s always dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. I try to find chocolate that’s 70% cacao – the calories are the same as milk chocolate, but there’s a bit less sugar and you get the antioxidant boost with dark chocolate. Dark chocolate covered almonds are an even better alternative, since you get some of the protein and fiber from the almonds.

Aren’t those delicious dark chocolate almonds a great excuse to make a healthy swap?

Remember, with just a little bit of creativity and mindfulness, you can come up with a lot of great, healthy substitutions that still give you all the flavor and deliciousness of foods you love. And the benefit is completely worth it: you get a much more nutritious meal that’s lower in calories and unhealthy ingredients!

Happy swapping everyone!

Banana bread is like comfort food for me. It’s a complete weakness of mine, and it’s so hard to resist eating it at breakfast bars and brunch buffets.

Why would I want to resist eating banana bread for breakfast? The thing is, traditional banana bread might as well be called banana cake – it’s usually loaded with fat and sugar, and is much closer to dessert than a breakfast option.

If it weren’t so delicious, it would bother me that “banana bread” sounds like a healthy breakfast dish, when in fact it’s not.

I’m always looking for recipes that make banana bread healthy while still maintaining the moistness that traditional versions achieve with tons of butter. So naturally, I was super excited when Driscoll’s Berries reached out to me to share their recipe for Blueberry Banana Oat Bread! I love Driscoll’s Berries because they’re organic and always taste delicious.

This traditionally unhealthy breakfast-dessert gets a boost with Driscoll’s Berries’ recipe by:

1) Adding rolled oats which give it texture, a nutty flavor and loads of nutrients

2) Adding blueberries, a super food bursting with antioxidants, bringing sweet tang and moistness.

I further amplified the nutritional value of this recipe by adding whole wheat flour, and you can cut the fat by substituting apple sauce for half the amount of oil in the recipe.

The Ingredients

• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana, about 2 medium
• 2/3 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cups canola oil (you can use 1/6 cup oil + 1/6 cup apple sauce if you like)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 packages Driscoll’s Blueberries

One of my favorite classic North Indian dishes is Chana Masala. It’s basically chickpeas stewed with spices, curry and tomatoes.

When cooked correctly, it is delicious. But when cooked incorrectly (or when ordered from a $5-meal-open-all-night-Indian-takeout-place) it can end up being way too oily, way too spicy, and a great inducer of stomach-aches.

I’ve made Chana Masala in the past, and have often served it with a vegetable dish and either naan or rice for a well-rounded meal. But a few days ago, I wanted a quick one-pot meal that resembled Chana Masala, but had some veggies in it so I could forgo the extra dish.

I was inspired by this recipe from Eating Well. It combines the delicious flavors of Chana Masala with some veggies for a thicker-stew-like consistency. It’s pretty quick to pull together, and after that you can just let it simmer on the stove until you’re ready to eat.

The Ingredients

Makes 6 servings, 1 1/4 cups each

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 large onions, coarsely chopped (4 cups)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Curry powder to taste
• 1 pound new potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 19-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup low-fat or fat-free plain greek yogurt (optional)

The Directions

Step 1: Chop all your veggies. Heat oil in a Dutch oven (or a large pot) over medium heat.

Step 2: Add onions to the pot and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cumin seed, ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom and cayenne; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add potatoes, water and salt; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add chickpeas and tomatoes; stir to combine.

Step 3: Bring the stew to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally and adding 1/2 cup water, if needed, until the potatoes are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Stir in cilantro.

Once you’re ready to eat, you can serve this with naan, rice or yogurt. An alternative way to serve this is to toast up some whole wheat burger buns, and use this as the burger “filling” along with some yogurt drizzled on top to moisten it and some chopped red onion for texture.

I chose to have mine plain, with naan on the side.

This dish makes great leftovers as well, because the flavors just get more pronounced the longer it sits! It’s also extremely healthy: each serving has only 264 calories, 4g fat, 9g protein and 10g fiber. It really is a one-pot meal!