Search
Make wishtv.com your home page

Michelle Dudash, RDN, registered dietitian, chef and author of Clean Eating for Busy Families says it’s all about balance during Thanksgiving week, so she joined us today with easy low-carb appetizers from her new and upcoming book The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook: Quick and Easy High-Protein, Low-Sugar, Healthy-Fat Recipes for Lifelong Health.

The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook was inspired by my readers, viewers, colleagues, friends, and family who are always looking for low-carb recipes. As a dietitian, though, I wanted to pair it with one of the healthiest diets in the world—the Mediterranean diet. The recipe inspiration came from my travels to the Mediterranean and the foods I like to eat that are easily found in U.S. grocery stores. I also gathered my grandmother’s and great grandmother’s recipes, who emigrated from Lebanon, another Mediterranean country, to the U.S. when my grandmother was a baby.

Ground meat stuffed into food vesicles is a very Lebanese thing, so I came up with these Mini Bell Peppers with Turkey and Pistachios. They are a finger food that’s ready in 30 minutes from start to finish and have a pretty presentation. You can prep these the day before Thanksgiving and just pop them into the oven on the day of.

Mini bell peppers stuffed with turkey and pistachios

I love those raw sweet mini bell peppers for snacking. Just wash and eat! They also look adorable stuffed with ground turkey and roasted as little appetizers. You can prep these a day in advance and pop them into the oven right before party time.

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cut off the tops of the peppers right between the straight sides and the rounded shoulders. Pull out the seeds and membranes using your fingers or dislodge with a paring knife. Poke a hole into the pointy tips of the peppers, making an air gap to allow for easier stuffing.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, pistachios (reserving 2 tablespoons for later), vinegar, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, coriander, cinnamon, and pepper. Using a small spoon or butter knife, stuff the peppers with the turkey, leaving a nice rounded top protruding out a bit at the top of the peppers. Gently roll the meat ends of the peppers into the reserved pistachios. Place the peppers on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
  4. Bake until the largest peppers are blistered and tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
  5. Suggestions and Variations
  6. For a pepper-free version, you can shape the turkey into small patties and sauté in a bit of olive oil over medium heat.

Note: My preferred way to buy coriander is as whole seeds and then grinding only the amount I need in a mortar and pestle. It adds texture to the dish, where a fine powder can’t. And the aroma is dreamy. It’s one of my favorite spices, and I use it in Asian-style stir-fries, chili, and meat rubs.

TOTAL PREP AND COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES • YIELD: 16 SERVINGS, 1 PEPPER EACH

PER SERVING: 57 CALORIES, 2 G CARBOHYDRATE (1 G FIBER, 0 G ADDED SUGARS, 1 G NET CARBS), 5 G PROTEIN, 4 G FAT, 85 MG SODIUM.

Shrimp-stuffed mushrooms with lemon and rosemary

I find that baked stuffed mushrooms at parties always get devoured. And I love them, too. While the standard recipes are delicious, I wish they weren’t mostly filled with cream cheese. In these stuffed mushrooms, I reverse the formula, using mostly shrimp and just a smidgen of good, real mayonnaise (or use cream cheese if you prefer).

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Rinse the mushrooms briefly under running water, rubbing off any debris, and place on a towel. Pluck off the stems and slice off the bottom 1⁄8 inch, just enough to remove any shriveled edges, reserving the plump parts of the stems. Place the mushroom caps on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle the insides with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.
  2. Place the mushroom scraps, white and green scallion pieces (reserving the sliced scallions), garlic, and rosemary in a large food processor. Process until minced. Add the shrimp, lemon zest and juice, mayonnaise, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Pulse about 10 times, until the shrimp is mostly finely chopped, with some small pieces remaining. Generously spoon the shrimp into the mushrooms, pressing lightly to fill the crevices. Smooth with the back of a spoon.
  3. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and sizzling around the edges, about 15 minutes. Allow to rest a few minutes before serving. Sprinkle with the sliced scallions and serve with the lemon wedges.

Note: If you are feeding someone who doesn’t eat mushrooms, you can form the shrimp mixture into patties and brown on both sides in a bit of oil over medium heat. Scrumptious.  

TOTAL PREP AND COOK TIME: 45 MINUTES • YIELD: 22 SERVINGS, 1 MUSHROOM EACH

PER SERVING: 28 CALORIES, 1 G CARBOHYDRATE (0 G FIBER, 0 G ADDED SUGARS, 1 G NET CARBS), 3 G PROTEIN, 2 G FAT, 90 MG SODIUM.

While back to school season may look a bit different this year, one thing we still need plenty of is easy, healthy snacks. Michelle Dudash, registered dietitian and author of Clean Eating for Busy Families, joined us today to share snacks that will be a hit with everyone in your family.

1. With all of the physical activity kids get, their growing bodies need a few snacks throughout the day. Michelle always keeps some go-to snacks on hand for when hunger strikes.

Muffin tins make great snack trays, and kids love how they look! You can give each child or family their own snack tray, too.

Fill them with fruits, veggies with dip, cheese, and nuts for an easy, healthy nosh. Add some exciting new flavors by tossing together a homemade snack mix.

2. Michelle is obsessed with this craveworthy Chili Lime Pecan Snack Mix, a recipe from American Pecan, who she partners with. The pecans get extra crunchy when you bake them, with a buttery, naturally sweet taste.

It’s super easy to make, with whole-grain cereal, pretzels, spices, and American Pecans. Pecans can superfy your snacks by making them more nutritious and delicious. Each 1-ounce serving of pecans provides 3 g of plant-based protein and 3 g fiber, minerals, and 12 g of ‘good’ monounsaturated fats, and only 2 g saturated fat.

To make this, we whisk together egg white, lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt until well blended. Then we fold in the pecan halves and cereal to coat. Spread it out on a sheet pan and bake at 275 degrees until toasted, about 45 minutes. Let it cool and then stir in the pretzels.

American Pecans are also known as the “Original Supernut”—original since they are one of the only tree nuts native to America.

3. Get kids involved with “snacktivities.”

Michelle’s kids love freezer pops, including these Chocolate-Dipped Bananas with Pecans. These are so easy to make. You just melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave. Dip the banana halves into the chocolate. Dip into the pecans.

You can see how versatile pecans are. You can chop them up and sprinkle them on all sorts of different snacks, like in granola bars and muffins, to top yogurt, or just eat them straight from the bag.

Place the bananas on a lined tray or container, and freeze. 

Also, keep an easy access assortment of in-season whole fruit.

Late-summer apples are here! Pair them with your kid’s favorite nut butter. For something new and just in time for fall, whip up some homemade Pecan Butter in your food processor. It’s simple with just pecans, salt, and a touch of cinnamon.

You can find all of these recipes, plus more info about the nutritional benefits of pecans, at AmericanPecan.com.

Busy weeknights are back, so chef Michelle Dudash, RD brought her easy 30-minute recipes.

1. 3-Ingredient Spaghetti Meat Sauce

All you need is Dash Dinners Marinara Spice Kit, canned crushed tomatoes, and a protein of your choice, like ground beef. Serve over spaghetti or zoodles.

The spice kit contains all gluten-free ingredients and no added sugar: basil, oregano, minced garlic, onion, rosemary, thyme, and more.

Kids love this marinara sauce!

2. Shrimp and Green Bean Stir-Fry

Skip the takeout and make your own authentic and healthy dinner in just 30 minutes.

Fresh green beans are in peak season right now—tender and bright vegetable to add to your menus. Black bean sauce makes for a satisfying and authentic-tasting sauce.

3.  Try soba noodles in place of rice

Soba noodles are Japanese whole-grain noodles that cook in under 5 minutes. They are really satisfying with stir-fry dishes.

Sizzling Sichuan Shrimp & String Bean Stir-Fry

This recipe offers a way to use green beans in a main course, another option for peak season when beans are so abundant. Black bean sauce lasts awhile in the refrigerator, so you’ll be able to use it over time in stir-fries.

FOR THE SAUCE:

FOR THE STIR-FRY:

TO MAKE THE SAUCE: Blend all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons (28 ml) of water.

TO MAKE THE STIR-FRY: Heat a wok or a large pot over medium heat and add oil. When oil is shimmering, add beans and cook until slightly wrinkled, stir-frying every 60 seconds, about 5 minutes. Place beans on a plate. Put the wok back on the heat, add shrimp, chiles, scallions, garlic, ginger and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) soy sauce, and cook just until shrimp are opaque in the center, about 3 minutes. Remove chiles and swirl in the sauce. Add beans to reheat, mixing well. Serve over rice.

Total prep and cook time: 30 minutes • yield: 4 servings, 1 cup (232 g) stir-fry each (with 1 cup [195 g] rice)

Per serving: 394 calories; 8 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 23 g protein; 59 g carbohydrate; 7 g dietary fiber; 137 mg cholesterol.

Recipe by Michelle Dudash, RDN, author of Clean Eating for Busy Families, revised & expanded (Fair Winds Press, 2019).

For more from Michelle visit her blog and Dash Dinners website. You can also follow her on Instagram and Facebook.