Author: Melanie

Recipe/

The Vegan (Carrot) Hot Dog Your Kids Will Love!

Vegan Hot Dog

Does it feel like your kids are just eating hot dogs and chicken nuggets? This is my life right now! As a dietitian I know it’s totally normal for kids to get stuck in a rut with food, but as a dietitian mom, I cringe a little bit inside every time we feed our children hot dogs, even if we do switch it up with turkey dogs every now and then. But this is life. Kids like what they like, and it’s okay to include traditional “kid food” as part of the meal rotation because this is how they learn balance and moderation. Plus, they’re more likely to try new foods, when familiar foods that they like are on the plate. So is there a healthy hot dog out there? YES! Check out this carrot dog!!

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That said.  The all American favorite hotdog happens to be a source of saturated fats and sodium, which usually isn’t a problem for children- but having them on a more frequent basis doesn’t exactly lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating.  This is why I was thrilled to develop this healthy hot dog recipe with Dole Food Company. Ingredients were provided for me, but all of the opinions are my own.

These Southwest Carrot Dogs, a healthy hot dog alternative, and a kid food favorite, are an ideal substitute for hot dogs!  Bonus – my children both approved!  You could even just make the marinated hotdogs without the side salad for an easy plant-forward vegan bbq option. 

It’s recommended that children, just like adults make half of their plate fruits and vegetable at mealtimes.  Orange and red vegetables should make the plate several times a week because in general they’re an excellent source of vitamin A.2 They support eye and skin health and help keep our immune system at peak performance.

Carrot Nutrition

One large carrot has about 48 calories, 1g protein, 10g carbohydrate and 3g fiber!4

They’re an excellent source of vitamin K and Fiber.

They’re a good source of vitamins B6, C and E, folate, niacin, potassium and manganese.

One 2011 study published in the Nutrition Journal found that carrot juice increased antioxidant levels in participants. Authors concluded it may offer protection to the cardiovascular system.3

Why Vitamin A is important: 

  • Like vitamins C and E it appears to scavenge free radicals, offering antioxidant protection.
  • Adequate levels of vitamin A are associated with a lower risk of cancer and heart disease1.
  • It’s essential to eyesight!  Vitamin A helps us to react to changes in brightness and it also helps us see different colors. 
  • On a cellular level, it helps cells become highly specialized – which is a really good thing. 

Vitamin C and potassium are often also found in red/orange fruits and vegetables.  Vitamin C supports healthy teeth and gums, helps with iron absorption and is important to be sure scrapes and cuts heal properly and quickly.  Potassium is a nutrient of concern for most people and helps counter the effects of sodium.  It also helps us maintain healthy blood pressure. 

Which are better?  Raw or cooked carrots?

Raw baby carrots are a go-to snack for me with hummus or other dip, but I remind myself that cooked carrots provide greater amounts of vitamin A because cooking them (as we do with this carrot dog) helps break down cell walls to make it more easily absorbed in the body! Pureeing, chopping into soups and carrot juice are particularly good options.

If carrots aren’t up your alley, other vitamin A-rich foods to try include: 

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  • Acorn squash
  • Butternut squash
  • Pumpkin
  • Red bell peppers
  • Sweet potato
  • Tomatoes

What did I learn from making this recipe? 

It’s super easy.  Marinade and grill.  That’s it. 

The only change I made with the carrot dog was to use Mrs. Dash No Salt Added Steak Seasoning.  Regular steak seasoning has a lot of salt.  This swap keeps the added salt to a minimum. 

You can totally make the marinade in advance to keep things easy the day of entertaining, but it’ll also work if you marinade that morning for an afternoon grill out. 

Keep these ingredients in your pantry to whip these vegan healthy hot dogs together anytime! 

  • Pineapple juice
  • Lower sodium soy sauce
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Avocado oil
  • No salt added steak seasoning
  • Liquid smoke

Liquid smoke wasn’t as difficult to find as I thought it would be. My local Food Lion grocery store had it right next to the BBQ sauce section.

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Do I need the liquid smoke to make the carrot dog marinade?

I say yes. You’re going for a hot dog flavor then this is going to deliver it. It’s a unique product that I don’t use frequently in my cooking, but I would use it again. It’s not too overpowering and does create a HUGE impact with flavor!

Are the healthy hot dogs Vegan or Gluten Free (GF)?

This carrot dog (aka healthy hotdog) is vegan. Marinade ingredients are all naturally vegan, but read labels when purchasing products to confirm.

This vegan bbq superstar could also easily be made gluten free, you would just need to use a GF soy sauce like tamari instead. There are also GF brands of liquid smoke – like Stubbs, so be sure to read labels if this is a new ingredient for you! And of course, use a GF bun.

Note the Dole Salad kit does not state on package that it is gluten free or vegan.

Vegan Hot Dog

Southwest Carrot Dog

Dole Food Company
This plant forward option for the classic hotdog from Dole Food Company can't be beat!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 8 people
Calories 279 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8 large DOLE®Carrots peeled, ends trimmed to length of hot dog buns
  • 1/2 cup DOLE®Pineapple Juice
  • 1/2 cup less-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 plus 3T cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp steak seasoning I like Mrs. Dash no salt added
  • 3/4 tsp liquid smoke
  • 8 each 100% whole wheat hot dog buns
  • 1 bag DOLE®Southwest Salad Kit
  • 1/4 cup reduced sodium black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup frozen corn thawed
  • 1 each DOLE®Avocado peeled,pitted and chopped

Instructions
 

  • Heat carrots and enough water to cover by 2 inches to a boil in a medium saucepot over high heat; boil 8 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and rinse carrots under cold running water until cool; pat dry and place in a large zip-top plastic bag.
  • Whisk juice, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, seasoning and liquid smoke in a medium bowl; pour over carrots. Seal bag, pressing out excess air; massage carrots in bag to coat and refrigerate at least 4 or up to 24 hours.
  • Prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Remove carrots from marinade; reserve ¼ cup marinade. Spray carrots with cooking spray and place on hot grill rack; cover and cook 10 minutes or until heated through and grill marks appear, brushing with reserved marinade and turning ¼ turn every 2½ minutes. During last minute of cooking, place buns, cut side down, on hot grill rack; cover and cook 1 minute or until lightly toasted.
  • Prepare Salad Kit as package directs in a large bowl; stir in beans and corn. Makes about 4 cups.
  • Serve carrots in buns topped with salad mixture and avocado.

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcal
Keyword kid friendly, plant forward, vegetarian
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Let me know if you try this recipe. I bet it’ll make your family take a second look to realize their eating a carrot dog and not a hot dog!!

Kid approved carrot dog!!

Did your kids like carrots?

They’re great tasting on their own but can be combined with other flavors well too! Try adding them to a vegetable stir fry, another kid food favorite, for additional nutrients. If you try this healthy hot dog please let me know!

  1.  Janice Thompson and Melinda Manore, Nutrition An Applied Approach.  (New York: Pearson Education Inc, 2009). 
  2. https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/kids
  3. Tonia Reinhard, Super Foods. (Firefly Books, 2014).
  4. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/2258586/nutrients
Knife Skills/

How to Cut a Mango the Right Way – The First Time!

cut mango

Mangoes come in all different shapes and colors including yellow, orange, red, and green – but one thing is for certain- they ALL have a large oblong central pit that can be quite an obstacle when trying to cut it.

  • Nutritionally they’re an excellent source of Vitamin A and C.
  • Good source of fiber and B6.
  • They also deliver Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Potassium and Copper (~6-9% DV).
  • Also contain the antioxidant polyphenols and beta-carotene and one unique to mango known as mangaferin (axanthone).

How to choose a mango

Tip #1 – don’t go by the color!  Instead, smell the fruit at the stem end, where it was picked from the tree.  They should also give slightly when pressed firmly with your fingers.  (Careful not to bruise the fruit!).   If it has a faint tropical aroma, it’s ready!  If yours seem firm, let them ripen in your fruit bowl next to the bananas. 

Tip #2 – choose mangoes that are heavy for their size with firm skin, free from bruises. 

Tip #3 – if the fruit has a sour or alcohol smell, pass.  This means it has started to ferment. 

Storing mangoes

If the fruit is unripe/ firm when purchased, ripen at room temperature until the flesh softens a bit.  You don’t want it to be mushy though.  Once it’s ripe, store in the refrigerator to help preserve freshness. 

Tip :  Store mango in a paper bag on the counter to speed up ripening process. 

How to cut a mango in three easy steps

  1. Identify the large oblong pit in it’s center.
  2. With stem side up, cut down one side of the pit(slightly off center) from top to bottom, curving slightly with the shape of the pit. Do the same on the other side.
  3. Take each half of the mango and score the flesh in a grid like pattern (but not through the skin). Turn the mango out so the cube pop out. Cut them away with a paring knife.

Eat right away or store in the fridge for several days.  Cut mango may be frozen for several months. 

Watch for the full walkthrough on how to cut a mango.

How to enjoy mango

  • Eat it as a snack all on it’s own
  • Bake it into a crisp with apricots
  • Blend it into a smoothie with banana, cauliflower, almond milk and vanilla
  • Dice it into a salsa with jalapenos, onion, tomatoes and cilantro
  • Pair mango with apricot, avocado, chicken chiles, cilantro, cucumber, fish, jicama, lime or orange juice, pineapple, starfruit or tangerines. 

Nutrition benefits

  • Mangoes vitamin C content increases collagen formation. 
  • One UC Davis study found that women who ate ½ cup mango four times per week saw a 23% decrease in wrinkles after 2 months!
  • Polyphenols in mangoes have anti-inflammatory benefits that are responsible for lower blood pressure and improved A1C measurements in participants who ate about 400g mango daily for 6 weeks.  Another study found the same amount of mango had improved metabolism. 
  • Children who regularly included mango in their diet had higher intakes of immune supporting vitamins including A, C, B6, fiber and potassium. 
  • Both children and adults eating mangoes have higher intakes of fiber and potassium, than those who don’t eat mango. 
  • Mango consumption may improve glucose control and reduce inflammation when compared to other sweet snacks. 
  • One serving of mango contains 7% of your daily fiber intake. 
  • Mangoes contain over 20 different vitamins and minerals making them a nutrient dense choice! 

Learn how to cut a mango so you can gain all of these nutrition benefits!

  1.  https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169910/nutrients
  2. https://www.producebluebook.com/2022/02/25/two-health-studies-support-mango-consumption/#
  3. https://www.mango.org/mango-nutrition/
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4963872/
  5. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/11/3381
Recipe/

A Secret Family Recipe for Creamy Balsamic Salad Dressing

Creamy Balsamic Salad Dressing

Looking for a quick and versatile salad dressing recipe to add a pop of flavor to your favorite salad?  This recipe is a family favorite, in fact, it was the house salad dressing recipe for my uncle Kaz’s restaurant – The White House in Goshen, NY.  It comes together in just 5 minutes with basic pantry ingredients.  Gluten and nut free! 

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Creamy Balsamic Dressing Ingredients

To make this dressing, you need a total of under 10 basic ingredients! 

  • red wine vinegar
  • balsamic vinegar
  • dijon mustard
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • fresh garlic
  • dried oregano
  • olive oil
  • egg yolk

Watch how I make it in this video

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Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette Storage & Tips

This dressing is so satisfying because of it’s silky texture and gratifying mouthfeel.

  • Keep dressing refrigerated when not being used. I like to meal prep it on the weekends and use it throughout the week. 
  • Don’t have olive oil? Use any neutral oil that you have on hand instead.
  • Concerned about using a raw egg? Those with a potentially compromised immune system such as children, the elderly, pregnant women and those suffering from cancer, are particularly susceptible to infection and should not consume raw eggs.  Instead, you can substitute a squeeze of store-bought mayonnaise instead!  When using raw eggs, the USDA recommends using pasteurized raw eggs only1.
  • Too much zing? If you taste your dressing after adding 2 cups of oil and feel it’s a bit too strong, you can add an additional ½ cup of oil. 
  • Instead of pouring onto your salad – Drizzle around the bowl and toss salad ingredients until coated. This will avoid overdressing and encourage consumption!  There’s nothing worse than a glob of dressing followed by dry greens. 

How to Use

  • Combine romaine, tomato, red onion, radishes and carrots
  • Try it on your favorite pasta salad
  • Pour it over chicken pieces and let marinate over night before grilling
  • Use as a dip for crusty whole grain bread
  • Drizzle over your preferred grain bowl combination

Benefits of homemade salad dressing

  • You get to control the ingredients and limit added sugars, salt and saturated fats
  • Those who eat salad dressings were found to have considerably higher levels of key nutrients including vitamin C, E, and folic acid2
  • Salad dressing improves the absorption of fat soluble nutrients
  • Dressings with monounsaturated fats such as olive oil are a good option for those looking for a lower fat salad dressing option that is effective in absorbing nutrients such as carotenoids3. Polyunsaturated and saturated fats were effective, but absorption increased as quantities of dressing increased!
  • Family favorites like my Creamy Balsamic Salad Dressing make salads crave-able and something we look forward to!

Common nutrients to gain from your salad!

  • Beta Carotene – a form of pre-vitamin A that is converted into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is needed to help maintain a healthy immune system and eyesight
  • Lutein – form of pre-vitamin A that also prevents damage to the eye from UV light
  • Lycopene – high intakes of which are linked to a reduction in prostate cancer risk in men
  • Vitamin E – antioxidant vitamin which also protects the body from the damage caused by free radicals
  • Vitamin K – essential for normal blood clotting
  • Vitamin A – important for healthy vision and maintaining healthy immune function

References

  1. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/eggs/shell-eggs-farm-table
  2. https://dressings-sauces.org/why-salads-are-good-for-you/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20study%3A,alpha%2D%20and%20beta%2Dcarotene.
  3. https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2012/120619FerruzziSalad.html
creamy balsamic

Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

This recipe brings me back to the days of working at my Uncle Kaz's restaurant. It was a signature recipe for the restaurant and I loved it. Flavorful and satisfying, I could eat it with a spoon.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 15
Calories 180 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 immersion blender or whisk!

Ingredients
  

  • 2/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1.5 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 6 cloves garlic or 1 Tbsp chopped
  • 1 tbsp oregano dried
  • 2 cups olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 whole egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup olive oil optional

Instructions
 

  • Combine vinegars, dijon, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano.
  • Blend egg yolk and 1/2 cup olive oil.
  • With immersion blender, combine egg mixture with vinegar mixture.
  • Blend in remaining olive oil until desired flavor reached.

Notes

1 serving is 2T.  

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal
Keyword dressing, sauce
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Nutrition facts for 30g Creamy Balsamic Salad Dressing

Salad dressings by nature are categorized as a fat. In this recipe you can see most of the fat is unsaturated, in fact it’s monounsaturated because the source is olive oil. This is a heart healthy fat and even has a heart health claim from the FDA.

From Instagram
Recipe/

Three Cheese Baked Ziti with Meat and Hidden Mushrooms

Baked ziti.  It is such a classic and easy crowd pleasing dish (plus kids love it!) so it’s hard to make major changes.  Today I’m making it a bit healthier by using 90% lean ground beef, lower fat cheeses and adding a vegetable that won’t feel out of place! Combining meat and mushrooms in this way is called “the blend” and truly, my kids and husband are none the wiser.

While this version doesn’t look wildly revised, making small changes can add up to big nutrition results.  With this recipe I focused on reducing fat and adding vegetables for added nutrition.

Sauce ingredients

The dietitian angle

Let’s talk about fat first.

The small modification of 90% lean beef instead of 85% lean can go a long way.  Lets compare different types of ground beef per 3oz serving:

  • 80/20 beef has 280 calories, 22g fat – 9 saturated
  • 85/15 beef has 240 calories, 17g fat – 7 saturated
  • 90/10 lean beef has 200 calories 11g fat – 4.5 saturated. (actually has less calories and total fat than regular ground turkey!)

Using 90/10 beef saves us 80 calories, 11g fat and 5g saturated per serving! Saturated fats is one of those nutrients that you want to limit/avoid if possible.  So I love this swap. Your supermarket may carry 93% and 97% lean ground beef so those are options to look for as well.

Beef is an excellent source of high quality protein.  This means it has all of the essential amino acids that your body needs to build and repair muscle.  It’s also an excellent source of b12 which is important for energy and zinc which helps maintain immunity.  It’s also an excellent source of selenium which helps protect cells from damage.  It’s also a a good source of iron and choline which help the body use oxygen and support the nervous system.2

Important culinary note about cheese

For this recipe I went with part skim mozzarella and part skim ricotta instead of their full fat counterparts. Which shaves off additional calories and fat without eliminating ALL fat. From the flavor perspective, I would not recommend this recipe with fat free cheeses unless you have a specific dietary condition that would benefit from that.

Per 1oz serving

Regular Mozzarella – 80 cal, 6g fat, 6g pro

Part skim – 70 cal, 5g fat, 6g pro

Going with part skim ricotta also saves 20 calories, 3g fat per serving.

Nutrition by Addition – with the blend!

Ground meat with hidden mushrooms is the key to adding nutrition to this dish! Adding mushrooms adds volume to the meat sauce, provides texture and a lot of flavor with very few calories akd “The blend”.

Mushrooms are also a leading source of selenium which is an antioxidant that helps protect the body from diseases and fortifies the immune system. 1  It basically helps activate the body’s own antioxidant enzymes.

If you wanted to even take it up another notch, you could easily substitute a whole grain pasta noodle instead of regular wheat.  My family likes the regular version, so that’s what I used here.  I hope you try my version of this classic and easy crowd pleasing dish!!

  1. Duyff, R. American Dietetic Association’s Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. Third Addition. Wiley & Sons. NJ. 2006.
  2. https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/nutrition/beef-nutrients

 

Original Ziti NFP
Original Baked Ziti Nutrition with full fat meat and dairy
Nutrition Facts Panel for Baked Ziti
Complete Nutrition Facts for my 3 Cheese Baked Ziti

So here you’ll see the before and after. With the changes made in my recipe, you will get maximum flavor while slashing fat calories. It’s a big difference without sacrificing taste.

Enjoy!

Three Cheese Baked Ziti

Crowd pleasing pasta that's full of flavor and less fat than your standard version!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 16 people
Calories 360 kcal

Equipment

  • Standard Oven

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ziti

Sauce

  • 5 tbsp olive oil
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 16 ounces mushrooms chopped
  • 1 pound lean ground beef 90/10
  • 25 ounces marinara sauce
  • 28 ounces chopped tomatoes with juice
  • 2 tbsp italian seasoning
  • salt
  • pepper

For the Cheese Mixture

  • 1 pound low fat mozzarella cheese
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp parsley fresh
  • 2 whole eggs

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375F. 
  • In large pot cook ziti to package instructionsfor al dente.  Drain and set aside.
  • In large pot, heat olive oil, and garlic for30 seconds, until fragrant.  Addmushrooms and brown until water is released and have decreased in volume byabout half.  Do not salt them! 
  • Then add ground beef, about ½ tsp salt.  Cook until browned.
  • Add marinara and chopped tomatoes (and their juices) to the meat mixture.  Add seasonings, salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • In separate bowl combine ½ mozzarella cheese, all of the ricotta, parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and eggs. 
  • Then add cooled pasta to cheese mixture and coat well.  Next combine noodles with 3-4 cups meat sauce. 
  • Finally, layer your baking dish with ½ noodle mixture, ½ the sauce and half of remaining mozzarella.  Repeat one more time. 
  • Bake covered for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until heated through. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes to brown top.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Cheese and pasta image