Warm Black Beans on a Cold Winter's Night!

These cold winter nights are the perfect time to enjoy cooking anything to warm up our chilly bodies! Enjoy the time indoors whipping up something good to eat - and good for you! Healthy eating costs less and tastes better! Try this easy beans and sweet potatoes recipe for a nutritious addition to your next meal.

Easy to make - this healthy side offers almost one third of your daily requirement of fiber and Vitamin C and a full day's supply of Vitamin A!

Here's all you'll need:

2 or 3 sweet potatoes
2 Tablespoons extra virgin Olive oil
1 small chopped onion
1 Tablespoon minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 16 ounce cans black beans ( rinsed well and drained )
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Easy to make:

Rinse and scrub the sweet potaotes.

Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/4 or 1/2 inch cubes. ( Or 1/4 inch slices )

Peel and chop the onion.

Heat the oil in a large pan.

Add the onion, garlic powder, and sweet potatoes.

Cook for 6 minutes on medium heat.

Add vinegar and water. Cook on low-medium heat until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the black beans and oregano. Cook until the beans are heated through.

Enjoy this tasty and nutritious dish with your next meal. It's sure to warm you up on cold Winter's night! Make a double batch and store the leftovers in the freezer for later! Stay warm and keep eating healthy!

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Warm your tummy with this Heart Healthy side

Winter is the perfect time of year to enjoy warm and healthy foods! You can eat healthy without breaking your bank! Enjoy a variety of vegetables and fruits this winter and enjoy the many benefits of healthy eating!

Get about a third of your daily protein and fiber needs with this heart-healthy side of black beans! Try it with some wild or brown rice!

Here is all you'll need:

2 cans (15 ounce) black beans
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried oregano

Lets get Cooking:

Carefully drain the juice from one can of black beans. Pour the drained black beans into a bowl. Use a potato masher to mash the beans until they are no longer whole. Set the mashed beans aside.

Chop the onion in to small ( 1/2-inch or smaller ) pieces.
Set it aside.

Peel the garlic cloves and mince them finely.
Set the garlic aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.

Add the onions and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook for 30 seconds more.

Stir in the mashed black beans and the second can of black beans, including the juice.

When the beans begin to boil, reduce the heat to low, stir in the salt and oregano and simmer for about 10 minutes, uncovered.

Eating healthy is so easy on your pocketbook and good for you! You don't have to be a gourmet chef to enjoy great tasting meals. Get out some of your favorite gourmet cookware and start saving your money enjoying the many benefits of preparing healthy foods at home!

Best of the Kitchen: Wusthof knives

You ever notice how all those famous chefs and cooks on the cooking channel always seem to have the perfect kitchen? All Clad Copper core cookware. Wusthof knives for every cutting job you might imagine. Always the perfect knife for the chore at hand. Always shiny clean and spotless.

Whatever tool they happen to need is readily available. They never have to go rumaging through the silverware drawer to find that perfectly sharpened Wusthof Chef's knife? Or a little glass bowl to put the chopped onions in until just the right time in the cooking process?

Do you ever wish your kitchen could look like that? I'd settle for finding a clean bowl to put some chopped carrots and green peppers in. Washing dishes has never been my favorite pasttime. Not even in the top 10.

However, there is one thing I always try to keep as clean as possible - my Wusthof knives. If I take good care of them they will serve me for decades to come! I may not look as good as ( pick your favorite cook on the cooking channel ) or have all the flair and natural appeal as some of our more famous TV chefs.

But that doesn't keep me from enjoying cooking with the same quality gourmet cookware they use every day.

Easy, nutritious lentils

Lentils have been described as "the perfect food". There is no arguing - they offer a nutritional boost to any meal. Try this easy, lowfat recipe for an easy and nutritious sidedish.


Honey Baked Lentils:

What you'll need:

1 pound (2 1/3 cups) uncooked lentils

1 small bay leaf (optional)

5 cups water

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 cup water

1/3 cup honey

Lets get cookin:

Combine rinsed lentils, bay leaf, and 5 cups water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover tightly and reduce heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Do not drain. After cooking, discard bay leaf.

Chop onion. Combine onions, and 1 cup water. Add to lentils and mix.

Pour honey over lentil mixture. Cover tightly and bake it for one hour at 350 degrees.

For more about the best oven-safe stainless steel cookware please see
Best Stainless Steel Cookware Quality Gourmet Cookware

Easy and healthy Pizza

New Years Eve is a perfect night for healthy and delicious snacks like this easy to make pizza.


Happy New Year!


Here's what you'll need:

12 whole wheat tortillas

olive oil or butter ( unsalted if you have some

1 16 ounce can of refried beans

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 ounces diced chili peppers

1 cup tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce works great too!

3 cups chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, and red bell pepper

1/2 cup cheese, shredded part-skim mozzarella

1/2 cup chopped, fresh cilantro

Now, let get out our favorite gourmet cookware and get cookin!

Brush one side of each of two tortillas with water. Press the wet sides of the tortillas together to form a thick crust for the pizza.

2. Lightly brush the outside of the tortillas with a small amount of olive oil or butter. Evenly brown both sides in a heated 12 inch frying pan. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Set aside.

3. Heat refried beans, onion, and half of the chili peppers together in a medium saucepan from your best stainless steel cookware, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

4. Spread about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture on each tortilla pizza. Spread tomato sauce, then top with 1/2 cup of the chopped vegetables, 1 teaspoon chili peppers, and 1 Tablespoon cheese for each pizza.

5. Return to frying pan and heat until cheese melts. Top with cilantro, if desired.

Enjoy with family, friends, and loved ones anytime.

May all your New Years be Healthy and Happy!

Easy and tasty New Years Eve Treats

Easy New Years Eve treat:

As we start preparing for the last day of 2007, I wish you all a safe and Happy New Year filled with opportunity and good health.

Try this easy to make, delicious snack on New Years Eve or anytime:

what you'll need -

8 ounces cream cheese, fat-free
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 small flour tortillas ( try whole wheat if you can find them )
1 cups chopped sweet red pepper
1 cup shredded low-fat cheese
2 cup fresh spinach leaves or 9 oz. frozen, thawed and squeezed dry

get out your best stainless steel cookware and get ready to cook -

In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese and garlic powder.

Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each tortilla.

Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons bell pepper and 2 tablespoons cheese on one half of each tortilla.

Add spinach: 1/4 cup if using fresh leaves OR 2 Tablespoons if using frozen. Fold tortillas in half.

Heat 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a fry pan from your best stainless steel gourmet cookware over medium heat until hot.

Put 2 folded tortillas in your fry pan and heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Remove quesadillas from skillet, place on platter and cover with foil to keep warm while cooking the remainder.

Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve warm.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Heartwarming soup on a cold winter day.

A healthy and nutritious soup can add a little warmth to even the most frigid winter day. Many low fat soup recipes make it easy to get a head start on our goals for eating healthy during the coming year.
Try this tasty broccoli and potato soup and get a whole day's supply of vitamin C and 30% or your daily calcium.
What you'll need:
4 1/2 cups chopped broccoli
1 small chopped onion
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, low sodium
1 cup evaporated milk, nonfat
1 cup mashed potatoes, instant prepared in water
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
time to cook:
Combine the 4 1/2 cups of chopped broccoli, the chopped onion, and the 4 cups of broth in a large sauce pan from your best stainless steel cookware .
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
Add milk to soup. Slowly stir in potatoes.
Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly and thickened.
Season with salt and pepper
Stir in a little more milk or water if soup starts to become too thick.
8. Ladle into serving bowls.
Sprinkle some shredded cheese over each serving if you like.
So enjoy these frigid winter temperatures with a nice warm bowl of this delicious soup. Put your gourmet cookware to good use this winter and enjoy some of your favorite soups.

Eat Healthy on Christmas

Eating healthy on Christmas? Have I gone mad? Or lost all sense of reality? Before you decide I'm a total quack - or dork ( I am ) maybe it IS possible to sneak in at least one healthy mini meal or make a quick and healthy smoothie to include with all the goodies everyone will most certainly be enjoying over the next couple days.

So watch this video - from Natalie, the nutrition expert - and then get out your best stainless steel cookware and cook up some Quinoa ( Keen-Wa ) and mix in some broccoli and peas. Then enjoy all the candies, and baked goods being shared during this wonderful time of the year. Merry Christmas!

Here is Natalie's excellent video: