Southern Protocol

We’re still on our healthy food kick here at Southern Protocol, because let’s be honest – as good as heavy, creamy meals taste, we all want to feel light and fit during the warm bathing suit months!

This particular feel-good salad hails from the Southern Living All Time Favorites cookbook… and I can guarantee it will become a favorite of yours and your family. The sweetness of the fruit and balsamic vinegar make you forget you’re eating something so healthy!

Summer Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette (makes 6-8 servings)
8 cups mixed salad greens
1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
1 pint fresh strawberries, halved
2 nectarines, sliced (can substitute peaches or chopped cantaloupe if you don’t have nectarines)
Blueberry vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Drizzle with 1/3 cup of Blueberry Vinaigrette, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with almonds.

Blueberry Vinaigrette (makes 1.5 cups)
1/2 cup blueberry fruit spread
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup minced onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Whisk together first 5 ingredients. Gradually whisk in oil until blended. Refrigerate leftover vinaigrette for up to two weeks.

Enjoy!

I’m sure most of you Charleston readers have all experienced the delight of the Marion Square Farmer’s Market crepes (obviously I’m still on the Farmer’s Market kick I was on last week….). While those are such a lovely treat on Saturday mornings, sometimes I feel like they’re a bit greasy and leave me feeling less than swimsuit-ready for the rest of the day. So I researched for a crepe recipe that is light and refreshing, using tasty summer flavors… I stumbled across this particular one from EatingWell.com and my mouth is literally salivating right now…

Summer Vegetable Crepes (4 Servings)
1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup fresh chopped chives, divided, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons low-fat milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 1/4 cups chopped green beans
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 9-inch “ready to use” crepes (either in the produce section, or near the tortillas)

Stir sour cream, 1/4 cup chives, milk, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until combined. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, green beans, and corn, and cook until beginning to brown; about 6-8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in ricotta, Monterey Jack, remaining 1/4 cup chives, and remaining half teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook, stirring gently, until the cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

To roll crepes, place on sheet of parchment or wax paper (or leave it on the piece of plastic in the crepe packaging used to separate each crepe). Spoon 1/4 of the vegetable-cheese mixture (about 3/4 cup) down the center of the crepe. Use the paper (or plastic) to help roll the crepe around the filling. Place the crepe seam-side down on the plate. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling. Serve each crepe with 2 tablespoons of the reserved sauce and more chives, if desired.

Extra fun facts: Each serving only has 302 calories, 17 g of fat (mostly good fat!), and 15 grams of protein… plus it’s rich in calcium and vitamin C! Enjoy guilt-free!

We’re getting closer and closer to warm weather, meaning we’re also getting closer and closer to beach season and light clothing. So we figured we’d start your week off with a healthy, delicious, filling salad. At the risk of sounding like Ina Garten on Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa, it’s a relatively simple, low-prep recipe – so be sure to use the best quality of ingredients to make it truly mouthwatering.

Argulua and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts (4 servings)
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups baby arugula leaves
2 Bosc pears, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; whisk to combine. Add arugula and pears to bowl; toss to coat. Place about 1.5 cups salad on each of four plates, then sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

The recipe, courtesy of Myrecipes.com, even comes with nutritional info:
168 calories
12.5 g of fat (all good fat!)
2.6 g of protein
15.1 g carbs
3 g fiber

(To toast your own walnuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place walnuts in single layer on baking sheet, bake for 5-10 minutes. Halfway through, shake pan a bit. Remove and chop into desired size pieces!)

Enjoy!

I am constantly on the lookout for recipes that are not only delicious, but healthy, too! It can be a bit challenging, especially if you’re not willing to break the bank on all varieties of extreme health-nut ingredients, but when I find one it’s a big thrill.

Cooking Fish en Papillote, or fish in parchment, is not only healthy and yummy, but easy as anything for preparation and clean-up. It’s also a dish that has literally thousands of variations, allowing it to be a staple meal without ever getting boring! It usually consists of some kind of seafood (white fish, like cod, scallops and shrimp are the best), an assortment of fresh veggies, a grain (like orzo), and a bit of olive oil and seasonings to top it all off. Below is a recipe I came up with using a Viking cooking class recipe as a base; meaning I used the instructions and seasoning inspirations from the official recipe, but substituted in flavors and ingredients I enjoy.

Cod en Papillote (serves 2)
-1/2 cup orzo, uncooked
-Variety of herbs: basil, oregano, whatever you like!
-2 filets white cod
-6 medium asparagus spears, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch lengths
-1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
-1/2 cup sliced baby portabella mushrooms
-1/2 medium red onion, cut into thin strips
-One lemon, for zesting and juicing
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Salt and pepper, to taste

For the orzo: In a medium stock pot, bring the water and salt to a boil; add the orzo and stir to prevent sticking. Cook ~5-7 minutes, drain thoroughly. Toss the cooked orzo with the olive oil, a bit of lemon juice, and some herbs of your choice. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside until needed.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut two lareg heart shapes from two 11X17-inch pieces of parchment paper (make SURE you cut your parchment big enough to fit all your ingredients inside!).

Place half of the prepared orzo  in the center of the right half of the parchment heart. Top the orzo with half of the asparagus, red onion, mushrooms and sundried tomatoes; season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle lemon zest over the cod, then season lightly with salt and pepper. Place the fish on top of the orzo and vegetable mixture. Drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, herbs of choice, and salt and pepper. Place 1 teaspoon of butter on top before sealing each parcel.

Fold the heart in half from left to right; starting at the top left curve of the heart, seal by crimping in 1-inch sections until the packet is completely sealed. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients for your other parcel. Brush the tops of the packets lightly with oil.

Place the parchment packets on a baking sheet, and cook until the packets are puffed and brown; about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

The presentation of this dish is quite cool, too: a steaming, unbelievably-smelling display of food from a browned parchment. How gourmet! Added bonus: the actual meal’s clean-up is a breeze… just wad up the parchment and throw in the trash. Enjoy!

Even for a girl who’s not huge on sweets, I can even admit that it’s pretty hard to completely give them up. In the past for just a quick treat I’ll keep some Andes mints in the freezer, but lately I am completely obsessed with Skinny Cow desserts!

Under the advice from the fantastically addictive book Eat This, Not That I added some Skinny Cow chocolate truffle bars to my shopping cart at the beginning of the summer. These delicious ice cream bars – chocolate with a heavenly drizzle of dark chocolate on top – are only 100 calories and 2 grams of fat! That plus the relatively low sugar content, gluten-free stamp and yummy taste makes for a perfect late night treat.

Now I’m on to the mint ice cream sandwiches. At 140 calories and a bit more sugar (still on 2 grams of fat!) they’re a tad worse…but please! 140 calories for a scrumptious dessert! Now you can keep an eye on your waistline and still enjoy the sweeter things in life. Check out the Skinny Cow website for all their products and nutrition information!