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Favorite July 4th Potato Salad for your Summer Side

June 17, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Sweet Potato Salad

When you are looking for a potato salad recipe for this 4th of July, here’s a recipe you must try!  From my new easy, arthritis cookbook,Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad is not only one of everyone’s favorites but this recipe is in the Anti-Inflammatory Chapter making it packed full of great ingredients that help fight inflammation.  Diabetic -Friendly and Gluten-free, no barbecue wouldn’t be complete without potato salad so  this summer try a trendy twist to some of your traditional favorites. Potato Salad is a must for the menu-but forget the mayo and try this healthier and tastier version, Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad with rich roasted Louisiana yams, combining Louisiana and southwestern into a colorful explosion of flavors. Roasting brings out an intense flavor. Always line the pan with foil for easy clean up!

This recipe will be a favorite that will go with whatever barbecue you throw on the pit. Start cooking trim & terrific with me this summer with all my sensational easy recipes!!!

Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad from Eating Well to Fight Arthritis

Makes 12 (1/2-cup) servings

6 cups peeled sweet potato (Louisiana yams) chunks (about 2 1/2 pounds)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2/3 cup frozen corn, thawed
2/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon jarred jalapeno slices

1. Preheat oven 425°F. Coat foil lined baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. On prepared pan, toss together sweet potatoes, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast about 30 minutes or until potatoes are crisp. Cool.
3. In large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, red onion, corn, black beans and cilantro.
4. In blender, puree lime juice, garlic, jalapeno and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss with potato mixture and serve.

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories 113 Calories from fat 28% Fat 4g Saturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 99mg Carbohydrate 19g Dietary Fiber 3g Sugars 4g Protein 2g Dietary Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1/2 fat

Check out more of Holly’s healthy summer recipes

Filed Under: Arthritis, Diabetes, Holidays · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Perfect for Mother’s Day!

April 29, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

hol_frontcoverLotions and potions can only get you so far in your beauty regime. If you really want radiant beauty, guess where you can find it? Your kitchen! The best skincare secrets come from what you eat so you can improve from the inside out, and Holly Clegg’s newest cookbook, trim&TERRIFIC Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle at Any Age is not only chocked full of delicious and easy, nutritious recipes but also contains chapters such as Foods to Improve –highlighting super foods – and Diva Dermatology – with at-home food facials and masks. Good for you and fun to do!

 

Did you know buttery green avocados are considered a fruit–rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated (good) fat and one of the most nutrient-dense foods. Fat is key to a soft complexion, helping skin to recover and regenerate new skin cells; and if you have persistent dry skin you may not be eating enough healthy fats. Avocados contain Vitamin E which is an ingredient in anti-wrinkle creams, having anti-aging properties.

Avocado Carrot Cream Mask from Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle at Any Age

A really ‘good-for-you’ mask with vitamin E rich avocados (moisturizer), carrots (high in beta-carotene and antioxidants-reduces dry, flaky skin) and vitamin packed egg — these ingredients will rebuild skin collagen, improve tone and texture, and fade age spots. Leaves you glowing! Makes a lot.

 

1 avocado, mashed

1 egg, beaten

1 carrot, cooked and mashed

3 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup heavy cream

 

1. In bowl, mix all ingredients until smooth. Spread gently over face and neck 10-15 minutes. Rinse with cool water and follow with toner.

 

Filed Under: Holidays ·

The Perfect Pampering Homemade Mother’s Day Gift

April 29, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Body Scrub Gift Set

Body Scrub Gift Set

Want a quick and easy Mother’s Day gift you can make at home? Then, all you have to do is go to my chapter, DIVA DERMATOLOGY, in Too Hot in the Kitchen for my homemade skin treatments.   I love to make and give these inexpensive yet fun and luxurious facial scrubs to my friends and family.  Anyone who loves to be pampered will enjoy the festive Margarita Salt Body Buffer – detoxifying the skin and making it feel so soft! From hands to feet the Brown Sugar Scrub is the perfect treat to get smooth skin. With just two ingredients anyone can make it, and the olive oil contains Vitamin E and antioxidants which are so good for nails. To make these delicious scrubs for a gift, simply mix in a glass container with a lid and tie with a bow.

Margarita Salt Body Buffer from Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle At Any Age

Lime and tequila are natural antiseptics so help detoxify skin and improve tone and texture. Good for hands — felt so soft afterwards.

Makes 1 1/2 cups (1/4 cup per body)

1 cup fine sea salt

Juice of one lime

2 ounces olive oil

3/4 ounces white tequila

1. In bowl, mix together sea salt, olive oil, lime, and white tequila. In the shower, rub mixture onto damp skin in gentle circular motion. If salt feels too gritty, add more olive oil.

Look for more easy recipes


Filed Under: Holidays ·

Fun Spring Easter Sweet Treats

March 28, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Blonde Brownies

Blonde Brownies

These fun recipes have made me the most popular mom throughout all three of my kids’ younger years of school. Now my teenage daughters make them themselves, and they are requested by all their friends. Every time I make them for the kids, the adults are the first to grab a piece. Cut into small squares to please a crowd. Using spring candy colors of the season, Double Chocolate Candy Pizza is a sweet version of the All-American favorite. Blonde Brownies also use colorful M&M’s in this yummy bar cookie.  Not just for Easter and Spring though, make year-round using the season’s holiday colored candies!

 

Blonde Brownies

This is my go-to holiday bar cookie for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day or Easter to use holiday themed chocolate coated candies.

 

Makes 48 squares

 

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 2/3 cups light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup skim milk

1 cup holiday colored chocolate coated candies

 

1. Preheat oven 350°F. Coat 13x9x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, combine butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add vanilla.

3. In bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually stir into sugar mixture alternately with milk. Stir in chocolate candies. Transfer to pan.

4. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Don’t overcook.

 

Nutritional information per serving:

Calories 91 Calories from Fat 30% Fat 3g Saturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 13mg Sodium 49mg Carbohydrates 15g Dietary Fiber 0g Total Sugars 10g Protein 1g, Dietary Exchanges: 1 other carbohydrate, 1/2 fat

 

Terrific Tidbit: You don’t need a mixer for this recipe as you can stir everything easily in a bowl.

You can use semisweet or butterscotch chips year round.

 

For more fun spring recipes visit hollyclegg.com

Filed Under: Holidays, Sweets · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Planning your Easter Meal – Glazed Ham with Pecan Crust

March 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Glazed Ham with Pecan Crust

Glazed Ham with Pecan Crust

Looking for the perfect menu to entertain guests this Easter? Holiday meals are known for their classic dishes and these have a delicious twist!  Just wait until you taste this classic Glazed Ham with Pecan Crust – you don’t have to make an extra trip to the ham store. And there is no need to stress about hosting a holiday meal when my new cookbook, Kitchen 101: Secrets to Cooking Confidence, takes the guess work out of meal planning with complete dinner and party menus, no crazy ingredients, just healthy, mouth watering food– no thinking required!

Glazed Ham with Pecan Crust

No need to buy a honey baked ham at the store with this stunning ham with incredible taste, yet, so simply prepared.

Makes 20 – 25 (5-ounce) servings

1 10-pound fully cooked bone in ham

2 cups apple cider

1 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.  Insert meat thermometer into center of ham without touching bone.  Place ham in baking dish, pour cider over.
  2. Roast in oven, basting with cider every 30 minutes for total cooking time of 12 – 15 minutes per pound or until thermometer registers 140°F.
  3. Meanwhile, in bowl, combine brown sugar, mustard and pecans.  Remove ham from oven last 40 minutes, firmly pat sugar pecan mixture all over ham.  Return to oven, continue roasting until crust is brown and ham is done.
  4. Slice and serve with sauce.  Some of topping falls into sauce making it the perfect accompaniment to ham.

Nutritional information per serving:

Calories 306, Protein (g) 35, Carbohydrate (g) 12, Fat (g) 13, Calories from fat (%) 38, Saturated Fat (g) 3, Dietary Fiber (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 75, Sodium (mg) 1824, Diabetic Exchanges: 5 lean meat, 1 other carbohydrate

Terrific Tip:  Garnish ham with crab apples or pomegranates while in season.

 

For more healthy, holiday recipes visit hollyclegg.com.

Filed Under: Holidays, Main Dish · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fun and Easy Easter Breakfast Bunny Biscuits

March 20, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Want an easy and fun Easter morning breakfast? Whether you have kids or not – what is better on Easter morning than Bunny Biscuits. Get the kids involved and let them help you form the bunny’s ears and whiskers.

Check out my other easy, healthy recipes -and fun too.

Bunny Biscuits from The Holly Clegg trim&TERRIFIC Cookbooks
These biscuits are lots of fun to make and eat. Great for Easter – they turn breakfast into an exciting meal.

Makes 5 biscuits

1 (10-biscuit) can refrigerated biscuits
10 raisins
5 maraschino cherry halves
20 slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Place five biscuits on ungreased 15 x 10 x 1-inch nonstick baking sheet.
2. To assemble bunny biscuits: Cut remaining 5 biscuits in half, pull a little to form ears. Press 2 biscuit halves (ears) under top of each whole biscuit to form bunny head.
3. In each whole biscuit, press in two raisins for eyes, cherry half for nose, two slivered almonds on each side of cherry half for whiskers. Bake 10 minutes, or until biscuits are done. Serve immediately.

Terrific Tidbit:  Try using whole wheat biscuits.

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories 116, Protein (g) 3, Carbohydrate (g) 21, Fat (g) 2, Calories from Fat (%) 16, Saturated Fat (g) 0, Dietary Fiber (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 0, Sodium (mg) 360, Diabetic Exchanges: 1.5 carbohydrate

Filed Under: Holidays ·

Green! St Patrick’s Day Frozen Pistachio Pie

February 5, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

One thing comes to mind when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day – Green! I love to serve green foods on the March 17th holiday, and the Frozen Pistachio Pie is a fun and delicious way to eat green!

Decorating is a snap too – now that Mardi Gras has passed, just separate out all of those green beads and fill up various sizes of glass containers for a festive centerpiece.

Frozen Pistachio Pie from Holly Clegg trim&TERRIFIC Freezer Friendly Meals

This pie, laced with nuts in a chocolate crust and topped with hot fudge, is refreshingly indulgent.

Makes 8 servings

1 1/2 cup crushed chocolate graham crackers
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup chopped pistachios or cashews
1 quart fat free vanilla ice cream or yogurt, softened
1 (4-serving) instant pistachio flavored pudding and pie filling
1/2 cup chocolate fat free fudge topping, warmed

1. Preheat oven 375°F.
2. In 9-inch pie plate, stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter, press on bottom and up sides. Bake 8 – 10 minutes. Cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, quickly combine the pistachios, ice cream, and pudding until well mixed. Transfer mixture into cooled crust.

To Prepare and Eat Now:  Freeze, covered for at least 4 hours or until firm.  Serve with warmed chocolate fudge topping on each slice.

To Freeze: Freeze, covered for at least 4 hours or until firm.
To Prepare After Freezing: Serve from the freezer. Drizzle warmed chocolate topping on each piece when serving.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 339, Protein (g) 6, Carbohydrate (g) 63, Fat (g) 8, Calories from Fat (%) 21, Saturated Fat (g) 3, Dietary Fiber (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 11, Sodium (mg) 441, Diabetic Exchanges: 4 other carbohydrate, 2 fat

Filed Under: Everyday Cooking, Holidays, Holly's Kitchen, Sweets · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Easy Red Velvet Cake – Will you be my Valentine?

February 4, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Easy Red Velvet Cake

Easy Red Velvet Cake or Trifle

Planning on making a special Valentine’s Day meal? Last year I had a few couple friends over for a red and pink themed dinner and it was so fun! Even if you have no plans for February 14th, make it fun for the whole family with this Easy Red Velvet Cake. Perfect this time of year, the dessert also holds one of my favorite “make-it-work” stories. When my Mother was making this cake for a family gathering, the layers fell apart. My motto is ‘if a chocolate soufflé falls, serve it as a chocolate pudding…never start over!’ She was upset, but I told her just to grab a trifle bowl, and the outcome was the most popular dessert of the night, Red Velvet Trifle. Add fresh fruit, such as red strawberries for a stunning presentation everyone will love. I can never decide which way to make it so the choice is yours!

Easy Red Velvet Cake from Holly Clegg’s trim&TERRIFIC Gulf Coast Favorites

Perfect for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or any special occasion, this southern classic never goes out of style. Take a short cut by using cake mix to effortlessly prepare a beautiful and deliciously rich luscious cake.

Makes 16–20 servings

1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix

2 tablespoons cocoa

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

3 egg whites

1 (1-ounce) bottle red food coloring

1 cup skim milk

1 tablespoon vinegar

Cream Cheese Icing (recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, cocoa, oil, egg, egg whites, and food coloring. In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar, and add to mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.

3. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 15–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool layers on a rack and ice with Cream Cheese Icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons butter

1 (16-ounce) box confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat until light. Add vanilla. 

Nutritional information per serving

Calories 272, Calories from fat 29%, Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 4g, Cholesterol 23mg, Sodium 246mg, Carbohydrate 45g, Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 35g, Protein 3g, Diabetic Exchanges: 3 carbohydrate, 2 fat

Terrific Tidbit: For another fantastic dessert option, turn this cake into a trifle by layering cake, cream cheese icing, and nonfat whipped topping in a trifle or glass bowl.

Check out all my easy healthy recipes!

 

Filed Under: Holidays, Sweets · Tagged: , , , , ,

Mood Food! Watch me on Good Morning Texas

February 4, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Caramel Pecan Candies

Caramel Pecan Candies

Want to turn up the heat in your kitchen this Valentine’s Day?! I turn to my book Too Hot in the Kitchen:  Secrets to Sizzle At Any Age and flip to the Food for the Mood Chapter.  Watch me make a few recipes that are sure to “spice” it up – some of my favorites with gourmet-appeal, but watch how easy they are to make on WFAA Good Morning Dallas. A sultry blend of flavors, Fig, Caramelized Onion, Prosciutto & Goat Cheese Pizza is is a perfect appetizer or light meal – and figs are thought to bring on fertility! Wasabi Crab Cakes with Ginger Sauce will add a spicy kick to heat things up and the Almost Better Than Sex Cake is sure to satisfy that sweet tooth. Let your loved one know you care by making your own chocolate candy gifts with Caramel Pecan Candies – so good and even made with healthy dark chocolate! Decoration is easy to whip up too, pick up a little themed candy and stack in a glass vase, you can even add a votive for a nice touch. Now this is the way to my heart – through my stomach!

For more fun and healthy food for the mood, visit hollyclegg.com.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Holidays, Holly's Kitchen, Main Dish, My Cooking Videos, Sweets · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My Valentine’s Day Dinner 2011

January 31, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

For Valentine’s Day this year, I had a dinner party on Saturday night for 10 people.  I don’t like forced holidays so on February 14th I will be home relaxing and not fighting crowds.  I keep the decor simple but theme based with red everywhere and each of my guests was told to wear red!  The menu-tried three new appetizers which all came out fantastic-love to have people to test my recipes.  And, we had tenderloin, salmon, Asparagus Wraps. Seafood Stuffed Potatoes, Salad, Salmon Bisque,  Dessert-Red Velvet Cake, Valentine shaped King Cake and homemade chocolate peanut candies to take home for favors.  What a fun night with lots of wine!!  Of course, I used recipes from Too Hot in the Kitchen!

Filed Under: Holidays, Holly's Kitchen, What's Happening · Tagged: , , , , ,
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