Pumpkin Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Recently I was out with my good friend Cathy and she was telling me about the pumpkin grilled cheese she made. I quickly told her that the next time she makes the recipe she has to take a picture and do a guest post. Then I realized, I should make it myself! So...I did, with a few modifications (see my recipe below, and Cathy's recipe below that).

Gina's Pumpkin Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients
(Makes 1 sandwich)

2 pieces whole grain bread
1/4 cup pureed pumpkin
2 tsp. garlic olive oil
1 slice pepper jack cheese
2 slices swiss cheese
2 t butter

** You can use another type of cheese if you want, but this combination worked well for Nick and I. Also, if you want to saute real garlic cloves instead of using garlic olive oil, that's fine too. We don't use garlic in our household because they contain FODMAPs. **

Directions

1. Add the pumpkin and garlic olive oil (or sauteed garlic) together in a pan and heat on medium for about a minute.

2. Grab your bread and add the cheese to one piece and spread the hot pumpkin puree and garlic onto the second piece. Close the sandwich.

3. Heat the butter in the pan until melted, then add the sandwich to the pan and heat each side for about 2 minutes (or until both sides are crispy and brown).

ENJOY!

Nick ate his with ketchup, because...that's just how he eats grilled cheese. I ate mine without dipping it in anything, and I was in heaven.

Here is Cathy's original version of pumpkin grilled cheese sandwiches;

Cathy's Pumpkin Grilled Cheese Recipe

Ingredients
(Makes one sandwich)

1/4 c pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp sriracha (can omit if you can't stand the heat)

1/4 c diced sauteed yellow onion

sprinkle of black pepper

1 wedge swiss cheese (35 calorie) -- room temp --OR use a Tbs of grated parmesan cheese

1 slice of thin cheese--any flavor

Directions

-Combine first five ingredients and set aside

-Toast 2 slices whole wheat bread

-Lightly butter one side of each piece after toasting.

-Evenly spread pumpkin mix on top of unbuttered side of one piece of bread. Lay cheese slice on top. Cover with second piece of bread, leaving the buttered side up.

-Heat pan to med-high
-Cook sandwich on both sides until it's heated through and the cheese is melted. (about 2 mins per side)

ENJOY!

Want to try this sandwich with some tomato soup? Check out Nicole's recipe for roasted tomato soup!

QUESTION: What's the craziest thing you've put on a grilled cheese sandwich??

By the way, thank you so much for all of your questions and comments about my impending Celiac test (it's happening today at 2:30pm!!). I promise to do a follow-up post with the results, and answers to some of your questions.

Getting the Test. The Celiac Test.....

I'm finally taking the plunge and getting tested for Celiac Disease. I've been teaching clients for the past year or so that it's important to get tested if you have family members who have been diagnosed with Celiac, yet I haven't practiced what I preach. I have a cousin who was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease, and an aunt who is "gluten intolerant", and as you all know I have had GI issues my entire life, plus I was iron deficient at one time in my life (and haven't really been tested since then) both of which are signs of Celiac. Many people believe that GI upset or weight loss are the two main symptoms of Celiac Disease, but in reality weight gain, iron-deficiency, depression, dermatitis, and osteoporosis or osteopenia are more common symptoms.

The New York Times wrote a fantastic article about the testing that is done for Celiac Disease. The following passage, taken from the article, describes two of the proteins that are looked for when tested;

One protein is an enzyme called tissue transglutaminase, or TTG, that is found in many cells of our body. TTG is released from the damaged intestine during active celiac disease, and antibodies to TTG are found to be elevated in the blood of most patients with untreated celiac disease.

The other protein to which the body’s immune system responds to abnormally in someone with active celiac disease (and occasionally in some other disorders) is a group of proteins found in gluten called gliadins.

I've been following the low FODMAPs diet for over two years now, and since wheat contains FODMAPs, I try to stay away from it. The other two grains that contain gluten are rye and barley, which I really don't consume. So I know my intake of gluten has been pretty low, but I've certainly not been "gluten free". I drink beer, eat gluten-containing samples at work, sometimes eat desserts at parties, plus I take bites of Nick's pastas and breads on occasion, but I want this test to be as accurate as can be, so after reading the following passage from the New York Times article I decided to increase my gluten intake before getting tested.

Going on a gluten-free diet for many months, and particularly for a year or more, can lead to the most commonly used diagnostic tests for celiac disease to no longer being helpful. Even intestinal biopsies can go back to a normal or near-normal appearance if you have been gluten-free for a long time. Without an intestinal biopsy that shows the abnormalities of celiac disease, you cannot be diagnosed with celiac disease. The only way to make a diagnosis of celiac disease after starting a gluten-free diet is to go back on gluten. This is referred to as a “gluten challenge” and is the subject of another discussion.

Here is what I've been eating/drinking:

BEER; Barley contains gluten

Wheat cakes; made from wheat and other gluten-containing ingredients

Panko Bread Crumbs (made from wheat bread)

Tuna: Yes, this does contain wheat, check out the ingredients!

Toasted Oats: While oats aren't a natural source of gluten, many are contaminated. Also, this particular cereal has wheat clearly listed in the ingredient list.

And, of course, Thanksgiving leftovers (turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread).

QUESTION: Do you have any tips for me before I get tested for Celiac? The big day is Wednesday!

If you know someone who has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease within the past 12 months (or if you have been diagnosed yourself), I encourage you to check out what the University of Chicago is doing this season to help those who have been diagnosed. Check out how you can help, or receive a generous gift of your own, here.

The Best Thing I Ate, And Some Simpe House Updates

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving! Mine was very relaxing and.....filling.


We follow the proper food-safety procedures in the Casagrande household.



And we start each Thanksgiving meal with some fiber (pumpkin spice hummus).



And even the men in the household eat the gluten free stuffing (and I am getting married to a man who doesn't like gravey, as is noted by Nick's plate below.)


This was my plate. Half vegetables (brussel sprouts smothered in oil and vinegar, topped with pancetta), sweet potato mash (with bananas and honey!) and random pieces of raw squash from the relish tray, one-fourth turkey (covered in gravy), and one-fourth grain (butter-loaded, and completely full of the stuff that I normally don't eat, gluten free stuffing).


I did go back for seconds (and got more turkey) and I also had two desserts. the pecan pie had chocolate chips inside, and it was by far the best pecan pie I've ever had, and my favorite part of yesterday's meal. Sorry, I'm an awful blogger because I didn't even take a picture. I didn't think I would like it as much as I did, and it was gone before I knew it. Here is a picture form last year (it's the best I could do!).





Let's depart from food and nutrition for a second, because I think we've all had enough of that in the past day or so (or at least the food part). I'm thankful that Nick and I have finally made the time to start on some much needed house updates!

When we bought our house a year ago last May, it was a blank canvas. There were a few small updates that had been done to the kitchen and upstairs bathroom, but other than that it had not been updated in a very long time, and all the walls were white. The area we moved to is known for it's old houses, with lots of charm, but I failed to find the charm in our house for quite a long time. Thankfully that charm is slowly showing itself. We really wanted a house that we could make our own, and that we could work on for the next several years. Our goal was (and still is) to do small updates throughout the first couple years, then after our wedding do some of the larger updates (like new windows). Here are some of the small things we have done in the last couple months.

We took down these curtains...



I actually liked how much light we got once the curtains were down.


The problem was the curtains just sort of hung there, with no purpose whatsoever.

So we replaced them with these!
Ok, they are the same curtains, but my aunt sewed some fabric onto the top so we could move the rods up towards the ceiling. Joyce, our decorator, said this would add the illusion of more space in our living room, and open it up. She was right.



And then we added a simple decoration between the two rods. We stuck with our bronze color scheme.

Next we took down this ugly dining room light.

And replaced it with this one. I love it.

Our next project is going to be tough, but in the end it's going to be worth all the hard work. See these AWFUL cabinets?!

They are not only ugly, but they don't close properly. We are going to paint them and plane them (that's what Nick says...I'm kind of scared). This is going to be a three weekend project, but by the end they will be a nicer color and I'll be able to shut them with ease (I'm crossing my fingers).

We also plan on painting this workout room and adding a television to the wall that the elliptical faces (the current television that is in our living room). I need my TODAY show when I'm working out! I also want to be able to use Exercise TV upstairs, rather than in the basement where I currently do those workouts.


QUESTIONS: Do you enjoy decorating your house? What was the last update you made in your house, or your condo/apartment, or even your bedroom or dorm room?

Did you have a nice Thanksgiving? Have you ever had chocolate chips in your pecan pie?!

Healthy (or not) Holidays to You!

Are you sick and tired of listening to dietitians like me preach about "watching your portions" and "eating more fruits and veggies" over the holidays? If so, don't read any further, and just check out this article that I (somewhat secretly) really enjoyed. And if you want to read some tips for maintaining your weight and sticking to your health and wellness goals over the holidays, please read on!

I told myself that the moment I heard holiday music playing at work I would post my tips on dodging holiday weight gain. Well, I'm a bit late ( I heard holiday music over two weeks ago ) but I couldn't bring myself to post this the first week of November! I love the holidays, I just don't like celebrating them prematurely.

So, during the next couple months we will be surrounded by heavy carb-loaded dishes and desserts.......

As if our everyday food environment wasn't bad enough, this next month (or two) is about a million times worse! How in the world does one prevent that average 1-2 pound weight gain each year? I'm not going to re-write a post I already wrote, so if you'd like to read some great blogger tips on dodging holiday weight gain, check out my post from last year at this time.

If you have food-pushers in your family (and you know who they are!), you will love this post from another blogger on how to deal with them. The one tip I will add this year is that you should be thankful for, and take advantage of the new, very simple ChooseMyPlate logo, which can help you put together a pretty delicious and filling plate on Thanksgiving and at any other dinner/lunch party you attend during the holidays.

Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables, one-fourth lean protein, and one-fourth a grain (preferably a whole grain). I realize the plate above uses a sweet cranberry salad as a fruit, and the starchy sweet potato as the grain, but on Thanksgiving you may need to make a few modifications :)

If you plan on going back for seconds, I always suggest getting more lean protein (such as white turkey) and non-starchy vegetables (such as the asparagus above, or green beans).

As a registered dietitian my goal is not to take the fun out of the holidays and prevent people from enjoying good food and being merry. But really, the holidays are a time for family, friends, fun, giving, and being thankful for all that we have, and we should try to take the focus off of food. I hope this holiday season you get to spend lots of time with your friends and family, and most importantly you have fun and live in the moment. The holidays are long, but they go by fast! Enjoy them.

And if enjoying the holidays means a little indulgence..... (Below is Nick's first plate from last year's Christmas dinner). I suppose I can be ok with that!



After all, I can't deny that I may have had more than one of these.....




QUESTIONS: Let's depart from the idea of "healthy holidays" for a second. What's the one dessert you look forward to most during this time? For me it's chocolate dipped waffle cones, rocky road fudge, Christmas ale, and pecan pie!

What are you thankful for this holiday season? I'm thankful for the fact that both Nick and I have a stable job and income. We're blessed to have the ability to go to a job that we love each and every day. And I really never forget that.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

Gluten Free Fig, Apple, and Sage Stuffing

Are you having guests at your house this year who are on a gluten free diet? Are you on a gluten free diet? Have no fear! I have a grocery store customers-approved recipe at your service! I made this stuffing yesterday at work, and it was so pretty that the graphic artists took a picture of it and sent it to me. I asked the customers to tell me (honestly) if they liked it, and a majority of them loved it. I'm so glad I got to test this recipe before making it for our Thanksgiving gathering.

For many people the stuffing is a very important part of the Thanksgiving feast, and my goal was to make a traditional stuffing recipe, but to make it gluten free for my aunt, uncle, and cousin, all following gluten free diets. Of course I love it too because I am on a wheat-free diet (sort of). The only problem is that it's loaded with figs, apples, and onions, all things I try to avoid on my low FODMAPs diet. Oh well, Thanksgiving will have to be a day of thanks, and a bit of suffering for me :)

This recipe was adapted from a recipe I found in Clean Eating Magazine. Enjoy!

Fig, Apple & Sage Stuffing

Prep time: 25 minutes • Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

· 2 loaves Gluten Free whole grain bread (brand of your choice), chopped into 1/2-inch cubes

· 1 T olive oil

· 2 to 3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

· 3 to 4 celery ribs, finely chopped

· 1 large white onion, finely chopped

· 1 t dried thyme

· 1 t chili powder

- 1 t rosemary

· 2 t sea salt

· Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

· 10 to 12 unsweetened dried figs, chopped

· 2 gala apples (or Macintosh), cored and chopped

· 3-4 cup low-sodium chicken broth, plus additional as needed

· 2 T chopped fresh sage

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide bread among 2 rimmed baking sheets and arrange in a single layer; transfer to oven and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once, until lightly toasted.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat oil on medium-high. Add carrots, celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir thyme, rosemary, chile powder, salt and pepper. Add figs and apples and stir well to combine. Remove from heat, add bread and stir to combine. Stir in broth. Stuffing should be uniformly moist but not wet. Stir in sage.

3. Coat a large baking dish with olive oil cooking spray and add stuffing. Drizzle with an additional 1 to 1 ½ cups broth (you want the consistency to be moist, but not wet). Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until the top is lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

QUESTION: What's your favorite part of the traditional Thanksgiving meal? For me it's stuffing, I won't lie. I also love turkey with cranberry sauce on top.

Quick Chicken, Pumpkin, Brocolli, Curry Soup, and What I'm Making For Thanksgiving

I'm a big fan of soup. It's too bad I live with someone who hates it.

"I HATE SOUP, GINA!!"

Because of that fact, I never make large batches of soup, I just make single servings. I keep low sodium chicken or vegetable broth in my house at all times during the cold fall and winter months.

Who says you have to take more than five minutes to make a delicious and hearty soup for dinner? I'm not one to spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen making dinner, especially on nights when I get home at 7:30pm, so I've been coming up with quick and healthy recipes over the past couple years (see my "Quick and Healthy Recipes" column on the right). This one is next to be added on that list!

5-Minute Chicken, Pumpkin, and Broccoli Curry Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup cooked broccoli
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 ounces grilled chicken
2 t garlic olive oil
1 tsp curry

DIRECTIONS
Add everything to a saucepan and heat until it's to your desired temperature.
Serve with a piece of whole grain bread or eat alone and enjoy (it's filling!).

You can add the Greek yogurt on top of the soup separately if you want, but I mixed the Greek yogurt into my soup, and since I accidentally brought it to a boil it "broke" and curdled a bit. It made for a not-so-pretty soup, but it certainly didn't lack flavor. This soup was so good that I made it two nights in a row.

When I first made this soup I figured I would need something else to eat with it, but this soup was the perfect amount of calories, protein, and fat to fill me up for dinner.

QUESTION: Do you have any easy soup, stew, or chili recipes you'd like to share? Here are some more of mine from previous posts:

Thick and Meaty Chili

Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup

Sweet Potato Soup

What are you making for Thanksgiving? My aunt, uncle, and cousin are on gluten free diets so this year I am making them some gluten free stuffing.

This recipe is from Clean Eating magazine, and I am basically following it exactly, but substituting gluten free whole grain bread for the regular bread. I am also going to make some of Nicole's pumpkin spice hummus, with pita (why not add a Greek twist to a traditional Thanksgiving meal?!). This will be Nick and my first Thanksgiving together (was that proper English?). Can you believe it?! After six years we're finally going to be together on Thanksgiving. I'm definitely thankful for that!

Flank Steak With Cilantro Almond Pesto

I never said it was pretty.

But it was delicious. I promise. I seriously need help taking appetizing pictures when it's dark outside. Any tips?

I got this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Cooking Light.

Flank Steak With Cilantro Almond Pesto

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 3 tablespoons plain fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
  
• Optional: Four whole grain tortillas
• Optional: 2 bell peppers, sauteed
  

Preparation

• Prepare grill, or grill pan.
  
• Combine first 6 ingredients in a blender; process until finely chopped (about 15 seconds). Add yogurt and juice; process until smooth.
• Grill steak 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Serve steak with pesto.
• If you want to turn these into tacos, add the steak and pesto to tortillas with sauteed bell peppers (we were going to do this, but at the last minute we decided not to).
  

I made my pesto without garlic (garlic contains FODMAPs), but Nick and our friend Janan enjoyed theirs with garlic (I had a taste with the garlic and it was fabulous). While this may not be the prettiest dish, it truly was delicious and very simple. As you saw in the first photo, we served the steak and pesto with baked butternut squash, spinach, and sauteed bell peppers (the bell peppers could have been used to turn this meal into steak tacos, but we decided not to do that).

QUESTION: What's your favorite pesto dish? Have you ever made pesto with almonds?

Before I forget to post it, I wanted to share this article from the Wall Street Journal, about the low FODMAPs diet. It sounds like it's really catching on here in the states. Probably because...it works!

I'm Addicted

Open up!

Do you have any idea what this is? It's a spoon full of heaven (aka: pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, granola, and unsweetened cocoa powder).

It's true, I'm addicted to unsweetened cocoa powder.


A full tablespoon provides only 10 calories, 0 sugar, and a whopping 2 grams of fiber (that almost makes it a good source!). And that's not to mention the loads of antioxidants found in cocoa powder (specifically cocoa powder is high in flavanoids). Seriously, what more could you ask for?!


And you might be thinking; "Gina, why wouldn't you choose the Special Dark Blend"? You know, because clearly anything that's "dark" must be better for you, right?


First of all, the Special Dark blend tastes really bitter. I mean, I love dark chocolate, but the powder just isn't for me. Also, for the longest time I tried to find out whether the Special Dark cocoa powder was really any better for you, since it was indeed dutch processed. Several weeks ago I realized the answer to my question was right in front of me (see below)!


So, it turns out the Special Dark cocoa powder is actually less nutritious, so I do not use the Special Dark blend unless I'm cooking. But of course, I rarely use cocoa powder to cook with, I just eat it! Here are some of my favorite ways to eat this delicious ... ingredient:

On top of my breakfast.

My breakfast typically consists of Greek yogurt (plain), some type of fruit, granola, natural sweetener, and cocoa powder.

I also add it to my oats, but I do not have a picture. Just imagine this bowl of oats (below) with cocoa sprinkled on top. Yes, that's a sweet potato in my oats!

Added to snacks.

And more snacks.....

This is a cup of Greek yogurt and vanilla almond milk, topped with unsweetened cocoa powder, natural sweetener, and some strawberries. So good.


And sometimes I will add cocoa powder to plain Greek yogurt and dip strawberries in that.


Vitamins, protein, calcium, great taste, so tasty.


Any idea what this is?? If you guessed a spoonful of peanut butter dipped in cocoa powder, you're right! It's like a Buckeye on a spoon.

And the obvious, desserts!

Plain Greek yogurt with cocoa powder and some Reece's PB cups. A "healthier" dessert, right?


And of course I add it to my homemade ice cream, because vanilla gets old after awhile.

LIGHT CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM RECIPE
(Makes ~10-1/2 cup servings)

1 cup vanilla almond milk, 2 cups chilled half and half, 3/4 cup sugar, mix well, add to ice cream maker, pour in about 2 T cocoa powder while the machine is running, let run for 18-20 minutes. Once it's finished, add whatever you want for "add-ins", such as chocolate chunks or frozen brownie bites.

QUESTION: What's your latest food obsession? Do you ever use unsweetened cocoa powder?

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. Nick and I did a lot of entertaining. We had Nicole (Prevention RD) and her husband over for dinner on Friday and made chicken marsala with roasted butternut squash and spinach salad (had a blast!). Then Saturday morning my parents and family friends came over for brunch, which consisted of oatmeal chocolate chip pancakes and spinach mushroom omelets. This was after a nice 25 minute run that Nick and I accomplished. We're turning into "serious" weekend runners ;)