Side Dish Recipe

I'm excited and doing my happy dance is that I made this delicious, sweet, and savory side dish that tastes amazingly decadent yet is very low in sodium. Anytime I can eat delectable food plus have it be healthy and good for me is a time to celebrate.

Whipped Sweet Potatoes:

Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
2 bananas, unpeeled
1/2 cup (1 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, put them in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes.
3) Toss the bananas into the pan and continue roasting for 10 to 15 minutes, until both the bananas and potatoes are very soft.
4) Remove the pan from the oven but don't turn the oven off.
5) When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh into a large mixing bowl. Peel the bananas and add them to the mixing bowl along with 1 stick of the butter, brown sugar and the honey.
6) Beat in mixer on low speed until everything's well combined and the mixture is fluffy.
7) Place in serving bowl and serve hot.

Enjoy!

February 14th!

Happy Valentine's Day! Just a reminder to enjoy this holiday moderation. Make smart choices whether your cooking at home or going out on the town. Also don't forget today is National Donor Day! For more information go to http://www.organdonor.gov/index.html

Have a great day!

National Donor Day

Just a friendly reminder to honor National Donor Day by registering as an organ donor. For more information go to http://www.organdonor.gov/index.html

Triple Berry Napoleons

Triple Berry Napoleons:

Serves 4

Ingredients-

12 Wonton Wrappers

2 teaspoons Canola Oil

10 oz raspberry purée or raspberry preserve 

1 tablespoon sugar

2/3 cup Strawberries (sliced)

2/3 cup blueberries

1/4 teaspoon Confectioners Sugar

Directions-

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place wonton wrappers in a single layer on a large baking pan. Brush both sides of each wrapper with the oil.

3. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer pan to a cooling rack and let the wrappers cool for 10 minutes.

4. Put raspberry purée or preserve and sugar in sauce pan over medium until warm and sugar is dissolved.

5. Place 1 wonton wrapper on each plate. Sprinkle some strawberries and blueberries over each wonton wrapper. Then drizzle 1 teaspoon of raspberry sauce. 

6. Repeat with another layer of wonton wrappers and some more strawberries & blueberries. Drizzle another teaspoon of raspberry sauce.

7. Top each with last wonton wrapper.

8. Sprinkle tops with the confectioners' sugar. 

Amount Per Serving:

Calories 133.6. Total Fat 2.8 g. Saturated Fat  0.2 g. Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g  Monounsaturated Fat 1.4 g. Cholesterol 2.2 mg. Sodium 139.2 mg. Potassium 110.1 mg. Total Carbohydrate 24.8 g. Dietary Fiber 2.5 g. Sugars 8.2g Protein 2.8 g

Video

I had the opportunity to share some of my heart healthy recipes, tips and ideas with my cardiologist Dr. Deborah Meyers at Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal. Here is one of the videos of our conversation. 

Heart-healthy valentine brownies with Chef Amanda and Dr. Meyers

Sweetheart Brownie Bites

Here is Heart Healthy Valentine's Day dessert recipe.

Brownie Sweetheart Bites

Makes 24

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour, (spooned and leveled)

1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. 

2. In another bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water,

place chocolate, butter, and brown sugar stir frequently until almost completely melted. 

3. Remove from heat, and stir until completely melted; let cool slightly.

4. With a mixer on low put chocolate mixture and egg until well blended. Gradually add in flour mixture (dough will form a ball).

5. Divide dough in half; roll out each half on a sheet of parchment paper to a 1/2 inch thickness. Transfer each half (still on paper) to a baking sheet; freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Working with one half at a time, flip dough onto a work surface; peel off paper.

7. Using a 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies; place, 1/2 inch apart, on two baking sheets. 

8. Bake until firm and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

Nutrition Facts:

Amount Per Serving

Calories 45.0   Total Fat 2.1 g   Saturated Fat 1.2 g.  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g.  Monounsaturated Fat 0.7 g.  Cholesterol 7.4 mg.  
Sodium 32.1 mg.  Potassium 28.8 mg.  Total Carbohydrate 7.6 g.  Dietary Fiber 0.7 g. Sugars 5.0 g. Protein 0.8g

Go Red...

HAPPY GO RED MONTH! Heart disease is the #1 killer in women is more deadly than all forms of cancer. Being young women who has been dealing with heart disease my whole life this message is very important to me. To help sprend the message through the month of February I will be posting heart healthy tips and recipes. So check back and Go Red!