The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook (5 page)

¾ cup low-fat (1%) milk

1 tablespoon amber agave nectar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Canola oil in a pump sprayer

8 slices whole-wheat or multigrain bread

½ cup sliced natural almonds, toasted (see “Toasting Nuts,”
here
), for serving

1 (6-ounce) container fresh raspberries (about 1
⅓
cups), for serving (optional)

To make the sauce: Pulse the raspberries, agave, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender just until the berries are smooth. (Don’t puree until the raspberry seeds are crushed, or the sauce could be bitter.) Strain through a fine-meshed wire strainer to remove the seeds. Set aside at room temperature.

To make the French toast: Preheat the oven to 200°F.

In a large, wide bowl, whisk together the egg and egg white. Whisk in the cinnamon until it is well distributed. Whisk in the milk, agave, vanilla, and almond extract.

Spray a large griddle or nonstick skillet with oil and heat over medium heat. In batches, dip a bread slice into the egg mixture to moisten, but not soak, the bread. Place on the griddle and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the underside is browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the French toast with a wide spatula and cook until the other side is browned, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to
a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while cooking the remaining French toast.

For each serving, place 2 slices of French toast on a plate. Top with 3 tablespoons of the sauce and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons almonds. Add a few fresh raspberries, if desired, and serve immediately.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

(1 serving, without the added whole raspberries) 465 calories, 16 g protein, 74 g carbohydrates, 14 g fat, 16 g fiber, 49 mg cholesterol, 372 mg sodium, 684 mg potassium. Food groups: 2 whole grains, 2 fruit, ½ nuts.

NOTE:
In this recipe, if you would like to cut the added sugar content, you could skip the agave nectar for both the berries and the French toast.

Agave Nectar

More and more cooks are appreciating the natural sweetness of agave nectar (also called agave syrup), collected from the agave plant in Mexico and South Africa. It is processed without cooking, making it a favorite of raw food proponents, and comes in light, amber, and dark varieties. Agave nectar has a liquid consistency that is slightly more fluid than honey and a sweeter flavor than table sugar. The most versatile agave nectar for general cooking is amber, which has a full (but not overpowering) flavor and sweetness level. Because it is sweeter than sugar, you can use slightly less.

Whole-Wheat Pancakes with Strawberry-Maple Compote

Pancakes can be a weekend indulgence with a few alterations from the original. Maple syrup is the main culprit, but it can be augmented with sliced strawberries for a healthier alternative. Do not refrigerate the compote, because you don’t want cold fruit on your hot pancakes. To add more protein to the meal, top each serving with a big dollop of yogurt.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Compote

1 pound (1 quart) fresh strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped

¼ cup maple syrup

Pancakes

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1½ cups low-fat (1%) milk

1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites

2 tablespoons canola or corn oil, plus more in a pump sprayer

To make the compote: Mix the strawberries and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature to allow the strawberries to release their juices, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

To make the pancakes: Preheat the oven to 200°F. In a medium bowl, combine the whole-wheat pastry flour, unbleached flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and egg whites, and the 2 tablespoons oil. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Heat a griddle (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat. Spray with the oil. Pour ¼ cup of the batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until the top surface of each pancake is covered with bubbles, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes with a wide spatula and continue cooking until the undersides are golden brown, about 1 minute longer. Transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while making the remaining pancakes.

Serve the pancakes hot, topped with the compote.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

(1 serving: 2 pancakes with ⅙ compote) 267 calories, 8 g protein, 45 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat, 3 g fiber, 34 mg cholesterol, 264 mg sodium, 325 mg potassium. Food groups: 2 whole grains, 1 fruit.

Variation

Whole-Wheat Banana-Pecan Pancakes:
Stir the batter just until moistened with some visible streaks of flour. Add 1 ripe banana cut into ¼-inch dice and ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans and stir just until combined.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

(1 serving: 2 pancakes) 278 calories, 9 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat, 4 g fiber, 34 mg cholesterol, 262 mg sodium, 313 mg potassium. Food groups: 2 whole grains, ½ fruit, ½ nuts.

Cornmeal Waffles with Blueberries and Yogurt

Get out the waffle iron and make these crisp, golden-brown treats. (A nonstick waffle iron works best, as the batter tends to stick otherwise.) Substitute your favorite berry for the blueberries if you wish, but the combination of blueberries and cornmeal is hard to beat.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons sugar

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1¾ cups low-fat (1%) milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon canola or corn oil, plus more in a pump sprayer

2 large egg whites

2 cups plain low-fat yogurt, at room temperature, for serving

2 (6-ounce) containers blueberries (about 2
⅔
cups), at room temperature, for serving

Preheat the oven to 200°F. Preheat a nonstick waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, and the 1 tablespoon oil. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just barely combined with streaks of flour; do not overmix.

In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric hand mixer on high speed just until they form stiff, but not dry, peaks. Fold the whites into the batter.

Spray the waffle iron with oil. (Do not use aerosol nonstick spray.) Pour about 1 cup of batter into the waffle iron (the exact amount will depend on the size of your waffle iron), close the iron, and cook according to the manufacturer’s directions until the waffle is golden brown. Remove the waffle from the iron, transfer to a baking sheet, and keep warm in the oven while making the remaining waffles.

Divide the waffles into squares. For each serving, stack 2 waffle squares on a plate, top with ¼ cup of the yogurt and ⅓ cup of the blueberries, and serve immediately.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

(1 serving) 233 calories, 9 g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 2 g fiber, 10 mg cholesterol, 239 mg sodium, 319 mg potassium. Food groups: 1 whole grain, 1 fruit, ½ dairy.

Banana-Berry Smoothie

Breakfast in a hurry? Mix up a smoothie and be on your way… This is a basic formula to use with just about any fruit you like. If the fruit is frozen, you will get a frosty, slushy beverage; if the fruit is at room temperature, add 3 or 4 ice cubes.

MAKES 1 SERVING

½ ripe banana, preferably frozen

½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries

½ cup low-fat (1/%) milk

½ cup plain low-fat yogurt

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon amber agave nectar (optional)

Peel the banana and cut it into chunks. Puree all ingredients, including the sweetener (if using), in a blender until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and serve immediately.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

(1 serving without sweetener) 180 calories, 8 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 2 g fat, 3 g fiber, 8 mg cholesterol, 94 mg sodium, 578 mg potassium. Food groups: 1 dairy, 1 fruit.

Smoothies

Here are a few tips to make the best smoothies ever:

• Keep your favorite fresh fruit in the freezer. Frigid fruit will give your smoothie a slushy texture and icy temperature. A few ice cubes can be added to the smoothie mixture to lower the temperature, but don’t add too many or you will dilute the flavor.
  
• Bananas can be frozen, unpeeled, for up to 2 months. The skin will turn black, but it is easy to peel off.
  
• Use a blender, and not a food processor, to make smoothies. Liquidy smoothies tend to leak through the central tube of a food processor bowl.
  
• To increase the protein content, add whey powder, nut butter, or sunflower seeds to the smoothie mixture.
  
• Sweeteners are usually optional in smoothies. When the fruit is sweet, you may not need any sweetening at all.
  

Chocolate–Peanut Butter Smoothie

This smoothie may taste like the most decadent shake, but it is actually an energy-packed breakfast beverage. The banana should be ripe, with brown specks on the skin, not black and squishy. If you wish, freeze whole, unpeeled bananas (no need to wrap them) for up to 2 months. The skin will turn black, but the fruit will be unaffected. Frozen bananas are easy to peel and cut into chunks.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

1 ripe banana, frozen at least overnight

⅔
cup low-fat (1%) milk

⅔
cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon amber agave nectar (optional)

4 ice cubes

Peel the banana and cut it into chunks. In a blender, puree the banana with the milk, yogurt, peanut butter, cocoa powder, sweetener (if using), and ice cubes. Pour into two tall glasses and serve immediately.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

(1 serving) 250 calories, 13 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat, 5 g fiber, 9 mg cholesterol, 173 mg sodium, 847 mg potassium. Food groups: ⅔dairy, ½ fruit, ½ nuts.

Kale and Apple Smoothie

Green smoothies certainly look strange, but they are a way to get vegetables into your diet first thing in the morning. The kale has a surprisingly neutral taste.

MAKES 1 SERVING

1 cup stemmed and loosely packed kale leaves, well washed

½ sweet apple, such as Jonathan or Gala, cored and coarsely chopped

⅓
cup apple cider

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

6 ice cubes

8 fresh mint leaves

Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and serve immediately.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

(1 serving) 171 calories, 5 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 5 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 31 mg sodium, 460 mg potassium. Food groups: 1 vegetable, 1 fruit, 1 seeds (nuts).