Cooking with the Moms

For Valentine's Day, surprise your special someone with our fabulous Banana Brownie Waffles. They're perfect for breakfast in bed or for breakfast at your kitchen table. Made with our new Belgian waffle maker, these hearty and healthy waffles feature bananas, cocoa powder, eggs, whole wheat and all-purpose flour, and wheat germ. During the show, we share our new recipe along with our favorite frozen waffle brands. For complete recipe, visit the Moms' blog at http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com.

On today's show, we take you on an amazing food and fitness adventure to Rancho La Puerta, a destination spa in Tecate, Mexico. The reason we're excited to talk about "The Ranch" is because we recently returned from a one-week visit where we gave a lecture on the Secret to Healthy Meal Makeovers and led a hands-on cooking class at the Ranch's beautiful La Cocina Que Canta (The Kitchen that Sings). We enjoyed meals of locally-grown, organic produce, fitness classes, early-morning hikes and so much more. One of the recipes we created for our cooking class was Grilled Salmon with Avocado Cilantro Sauce. Enjoy!

On today's show, we take you on an amazing food and fitness adventure to Rancho La Puerta, a destination spa in Tecate, Mexico. The reason we're excited to talk about "The Ranch" is because we recently returned from a one-week visit where we gave a lecture on the Secret to Healthy Meal Makeovers and led a hands-on cooking class at the Ranch's beautiful La Cocina Que Canta (The Kitchen that Sings). We enjoyed meals of locally-grown, organic produce, fitness classes, early-morning hikes and so much more. One of the recipes we created for our cooking class was Grilled Salmon with Avocado Cilantro Sauce. Enjoy!

Gooey and gloppy are just two of the words that come to mind when we think about classic casseroles. Typically made with creamed soups and lots of butter and full-fat cheese, casseroles get a bad nutrition rap because they have a tendency to stick to the ribs... and to the waistline. For this week's show, we decided to add a contemporary twist to casseroles by skimming away some of the bad fat and the excess calories and by incorporating some good-for-you ingredients (things like light soups, vegetables, whole wheat pasta blends)... and we do it without sacrificing the time-honored flavors. Our featured recipe is Silly Salmon Noodle Bake.

Gooey and gloppy are just two of the words that come to mind when we think about classic casseroles. Typically made with creamed soups and lots of butter and full-fat cheese, casseroles get a bad nutrition rap because they have a tendency to stick to the ribs... and to the waistline. For this week's show, we decided to add a contemporary twist to casseroles by skimming away some of the bad fat and the excess calories and by incorporating some good-for-you ingredients (things like light soups, vegetables, whole wheat pasta blends)... and we do it without sacrificing the time-honored flavors. Our featured recipe is Silly Salmon Noodle Bake.

For today's show, we hop to one of the hottest food trends for 2010: meat-less meals. Vegetarian diets are growing in popularity. In fact, 3.2 percent of U.S. adults, or 7.3 million people, follow a vegetarian-based diet. To join the bandwagon, we created two new vegetarian recipes: Very Veggie Chili and Silky Chocolate Caramel Pie. The chili features Galaxy's really delicious soy-based Veggie cheese (completely cholesterol and saturated-fat free) and the pie is made with a surprise ingredient: tofu!!

For today's show, we hop to one of the hottest food trends for 2010: meat-less meals. Vegetarian diets are growing in popularity. In fact, 3.2 percent of U.S. adults, or 7.3 million people, follow a vegetarian-based diet. To join the bandwagon, we created two new vegetarian recipes: Very Veggie Chili and Silky Chocolate Caramel Pie. The chili features Galaxy's really delicious soy-based Veggie cheese (completely cholesterol and saturated-fat free) and the pie is made with a surprise ingredient: tofu!!

What are your goals and resolutions for 2010? In this week's Cooking with the Moms podcast, we divulge our top resolutions for the year. Perhaps our biggest goal is to write our second cookbook! As for Janice, she's still dreaming of a new kitchen. Also on the show, we dish about some of the hottest food trends for the new decade: sustainability, simplicity, knowing where your food comes from, word-of-mouth food/restaurant recommendations (from social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs), low sodium, low carbon, and more.

What are your goals and resolutions for 2010? In this week's Cooking with the Moms podcast, we divulge our top resolutions for the year. Perhaps our biggest goal is to write our second cookbook! As for Janice, she's still dreaming of a new kitchen. Also on the show, we dish about some of the hottest food trends for the new decade: sustainability, simplicity, knowing where your food comes from, word-of-mouth food/restaurant recommendations (from social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs), low sodium, low carbon, and more.

In season October through February, bright orange persimmons are often found adorning holiday tables... but have you ever tried them before? Much to our embarrassment, neither of us had feasted on persimmons until Catarina, a Facebook fan from San Ramone, CA sent us a box filled with Hachiya (hi-CHEE-ah) persimmons picked straight from her father-in-law's backyard persimmon tree. When Catarina posted a note on our Facebook fan page asking if we could give her mother-in-law's persimmon cookies a healthy makeover, we accepted the challenge. Made with a cup of shortening, we knew we could lighten things up while removing all the unhealthy trans fats. Be sure to tune into this week's show to learn all about persimmons and to hear how we "rescued" Catarina’s wonderful Sweet Spiced Persimmon Cookies.

In season October through February, bright orange persimmons are often found adorning holiday tables... but have you ever tried them before? Much to our embarrassment, neither of us had feasted on persimmons until Catarina, a Facebook fan from San Ramone, CA sent us a box filled with Hachiya (hi-CHEE-ah) persimmons picked straight from her father-in-law's backyard persimmon tree. When Catarina posted a note on our Facebook fan page asking if we could give her mother-in-law's persimmon cookies a healthy makeover, we accepted the challenge. Made with a cup of shortening, we knew we could lighten things up while removing all the unhealthy trans fats. Be sure to tune into this week's show to learn all about persimmons and to hear how we "rescued" Catarina’s wonderful Sweet Spiced Persimmon Cookies.

A recently discovered ancient "grain" native to South America, quinoa was once called "the gold of the Incas." The Incas recognized the value of quinoa in increasing the stamina of their warriors. Quinoa is a complete protein – it includes all nine essential amino acids and is a good source of magnesium, manganese, iron and copper. It is similar in size to couscous and is technically considered the seed of a plant related to beets, chard and spinach. When cooked, the seeds "sprout" and become fluffy yet slightly crunchy. The three delicious, family-friendly recipes featured in today's show include: Crunchy Quinoa with Almonds & Apricots, Lemony Red Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Roasted Quinoa with Potatoes and Cheese.

A recently discovered ancient "grain" native to South America, quinoa was once called "the gold of the Incas." The Incas recognized the value of quinoa in increasing the stamina of their warriors. Quinoa is a complete protein – it includes all nine essential amino acids and is a good source of magnesium, manganese, iron and copper. It is similar in size to couscous and is technically considered the seed of a plant related to beets, chard and spinach. When cooked, the seeds "sprout" and become fluffy yet slightly crunchy. The three delicious, family-friendly recipes featured in today's show include: Crunchy Quinoa with Almonds & Apricots, Lemony Red Quinoa with Butternut Squash and Roasted Quinoa with Potatoes and Cheese.

It's hard to believe that Gourmet, The Magazine of Good Living, has closed its doors after nearly 70 years. First published in 1941, Gourmet was the first magazine devoted to food and wine. To pay tribute to this illustrious foodie publication, Liz's Gourmet Cooking Group recently enjoyed a holiday-inspired feast with recipes exclusively from Gourmet. We hope you savor this week's show as we dish about Gourmet and Liz's favorite recipes from the meal -- Porcini Mushroom Soup and Gingered Carrot Latkes.

It's hard to believe that Gourmet, The Magazine of Good Living, has closed its doors after nearly 70 years. First published in 1941, Gourmet was the first magazine devoted to food and wine. To pay tribute to this illustrious foodie publication, Liz's Gourmet Cooking Group recently enjoyed a holiday-inspired feast with recipes exclusively from Gourmet. We hope you savor this week's show as we dish about Gourmet and Liz's favorite recipes from the meal -- Porcini Mushroom Soup and Gingered Carrot Latkes.