I’m not usually a sucker for “As Seen On TV” products, but if there’s a tool that will save me time in the kitchen, I want to try it out. The Vidalia Chop Wizard boasts that it’s the “fastest/safest/easiest way to chop or dice fruits, vegetables & more! With one swift motion.” Sounds pretty great to me, especially since I love adding onion to pretty much every recipe, but not so much the watery eyes and dripping nose that usually come along with the task.

The Vidalia Chop Wizard comes with a clear base with measurement lines, a chopper blade, a dicer blade and a cleaning tool, all of which are top-shelf dishwasher safe. While primarily designed to chop onions (hence the name), the instructions note that it can be used to chop other fruits and vegetables, including peppers, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, apples and pears, as well as hard-boiled eggs.

I tried the chopper with a few different vegetables, including onions, carrots and sweet potatoes, and overall had good results with evenly chopped and diced vegetables and no teary eyes. I especially liked that the base has measurement lines from ½ cup to 2 cups, which made it easier to know when I had enough of the particular ingredient and saved me from having to wash measuring cups.

I wasn’t sold on the “one swift motion” advertised on the box. I found it hard to push the lid down completely to get the veggies through the grates, which sometimes meant multiple attempts at getting my veggies chopped. Harder vegetables such as sweet potatoes had to be cut into smaller pieces to be able to work, and on occasion part of the vegetable (like the top layer of an onion) would get stuck in the blade.

Overall the chopper is handy to have in the kitchen, especially if you are using it with softer vegetables and fruits.  It certainly made meal prep faster and easier and, for people who may otherwise skip adding vegetables to their dishes, this is a great tool to encourage increased vegetable consumption.

For this sweet and savory farro salad, I roast grapes and shallots with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup and toss them with cooked farro and rosemary.   The depth of flavors is perfect for a fall or winter night, but it’s also delicious at room temperature during the warmer months. The recipe below is vegan and dairy-free, but you can add some feta cheese for added flavor if you want.

Rosemary Farro with Maple-Balsamic Roasted Grapes and Shallots

Serves 10; serving size: ½ cup

Ingredients

• 1 cup pearled farro
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 ½ teaspoons chopped rosemary, divided, plus more for garnish
• ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups red grapes, halved lengthwise if large
• 1 ½ cups thinly sliced shallots

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Place farro in a medium saucepan and add just enough water to cover the grain, about 1 ½ cups. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 10 minutes until water is mostly absorbed and the farro is tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and keep covered for five minutes. Then drain any excess liquid and transfer farro to a bowl.
3. While farro is cooking, whisk together oil, vinegar, maple syrup, ½ teaspoon rosemary, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper in a measuring cup or small mixing bowl.
4. Toss grapes and shallots with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dressing and spread in the prepared baking dish. Roast grapes and shallots for about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the grapes are shriveled, but still juicy, and the shallots are caramelized.
5. In a serving bowl, combine the farro, roasted grapes and shallots, remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary and remaining dressing. Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Serve garnished with rosemary.

Do you like pancakes? If your answer is yes, that means you’ll like crepes, too! The thinner, more delicate pancake is a staple on French breakfast tables and, while the batter is easy to whip up, the execution often is where crepe-making gets tough.

That’s why I was super excited to test out the electronic Lagrange crepe maker! This stand-alone crepe maker plugs into an outlet and heats up in just eight minutes. The nonstick aluminum plate makes for easy cleanup and reduces the need for excess butter or oil when cooking.

The crepe maker comes with three interchangeable silicone molds — one to make four mini-crepes, one to make one large crepe, and one to make mini-crepes in star and heart shapes, which is especially fun for kids. It also comes with a ladle for mini-crepes, a spatula and a batter spreader. You can also use the crepe maker’s heated plate as a griddle for frying eggs, making pancakes and cooking bacon (since I keep kosher, I couldn’t test that part out!).

I loved the quickness and ease of using the Lagrange crepe maker and the perfectly shaped crepes I made, but I did find them hard to flip while in the mold. I found it easier to remove the molds once the crepes set, but since you can’t adjust the heat setting and crepes cook very quickly, you need to move fast. I also found the silicone molds difficult to clean. They are dishwasher safe, but there are grooves on the underside and if batter gets in those, it’s tough to get out. The griddle itself is a cinch to clean and stores easily if you have a spare shelf or deep drawer.

If you love making weekend brunch and you have the room to store it, the Lagrange crepe maker is a fun kitchen tool to have on hand! 

Product Reviewed
Lagostina Pastaiola

Like a lot of kids, I loved pasta night when I was younger. Today, it’s certainly a favorite night of the week for my 3½-year-old twin girls. As a child, I remember my mother making spaghetti in a large pot with an integrated strainer basket, perfect for keeping the spaghetti hot when we couldn’t all eat dinner at the same time. Fast-forward 25 years or so, and my pasta-making days are a little different from those of my childhood. Pasta is still usually on the menu once a week — but, with little kids around, I stick with shorter pastas such as penne and fusili, which are a lot less messy than spaghetti.

But, I know a day will come when my girls will be more excited about twirling spaghetti on their forks than poking noodles, and when that time comes I have the perfect tool: the Lagostina Pastaiola pasta set. This set includes a six-liter pot with an integrated strainer basket, a double-handled lid, a wooden spaghetti measure and a wood-toothed serving spoon. The pot is made of stainless steel with an aluminum layer along the base that extends up the sides of the pot, which is meant to improve heat distribution. It’s heavy enough to know it’s good quality, but not so heavy and big that you don’t want to take it out for use.

The integrated strainer basket is specially designed with holes that vary in size. There are smaller holes at the base and larger holes at the top, which is supposed to prevent water from spilling out of the pot when the basket is taken out and to promote efficient circulation of water while the pasta is cooking. The first time I used it, I filled the pot with water before putting in the insert, a mistake led to water flowing over the pot! Be sure to keep the insert in the pot when filling it up.

When it was time to serve the pasta, the small holes on the bottom of the pot meant it took a while for the water to drain. Personally I don’t like excess water in my bowl, so this bothered me somewhat, but I did like that I could reheat the pasta easily if we weren’t all eating at the same time — exactly the way my mother did it.

In a thoughtful touch, Lagostina made the double-handle lid do double-duty as a holder for the wooden spoon. I love this feature — no mess on the counter or extra spoon rest to clean! Just be sure to wear oven mitts when handling the pot as it gets very hot.

What I liked best about the Pastaiola set is the ability to reheat pasta easily and the ease of cleaning the integrated strainer basket. But, unless you need to reheat pasta multiple times in one cooking, it’s probably just as easy to use a pot with a stand-alone strainer. But, maybe I’ll change my tune when my kids fall in love with spaghetti night!

* This recipe originally appeared on Jessica Fishman Levinson's Nutritioulicious blog in August 2015.

One of the biggest nutrition myths is that eating eggs raises serum cholesterol levels. Another is that egg yolks are a waste of calories and don’t provide any nutritional benefit. Here’s the truth: Eggs are nutritional powerhouses.

Nutrition in an Egg

One large egg has 13 essential vitamins and minerals, six grams of protein and all nine essential amino acids in the appropriate ratio for humans (the building blocks of protein) — all for only 70 calories! Here are some of the stand-out nutrients found in eggs — especially the yolks — and what they can do for you:

• Choline: Plays an essential role in fetal and infant brain development. Adequate choline during pregnancy also may prevent neural tube defects.
• Lutein and Zeaxanthin: These phytochemicals play a role in eye health, particularly in the prevention of cataracts and macular degeneration.
• Vitamin D: Is essential for bone health by aiding the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because the most natural way to get vitamin D is through your skin from the sun. There aren’t many foods that naturally contain vitamin D, but those little egg yolks do.
• Protein: Eggs are a good source of high-quality protein (one large egg has 6 grams), with 60 percent coming from the whites and 40 percent from the yolks. Protein is satiating, which helps with appetite and blood sugar control, both of which are important for weight maintenance and diabetes prevention.
• Leucine: An essential amino acid that plays a unique role in muscle protein synthesis.

Eggs and Cholesterol

Now, let’s talk a little about cholesterol. Believe it or not, cholesterol is essential to the body and plays a special role in the formation of brain cells and certain hormones. What you may not realize is that there is a difference between dietary cholesterol found in food, and cholesterol in the blood, most of which is made in the liver.

Consumption of dietary cholesterol, such as that in eggs, has little impact on your blood cholesterol levels, and research has shown this repeatedly. Data from a January 2015 American Heart Journal study indicated that daily consumption of eggs or egg substitute had no adverse effects on any cardiac risk factors. Even more so, the authors of this study said that excluding eggs could potentially lead to alternate choices high in starch and sugar, potentially associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk.

So where does that leave you and your eggs? The American Heart Association and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (scheduled to be updated this year) recommend no more than 300 milligrams a day of dietary cholesterol. While they don’t specify a limit on eggs, one large egg has about 185 milligrams of cholesterol, leaving the recommendation for consumption at one egg per day. Keep in mind that if you’re not eating eggs daily, you could have more than one per day.

My personal preference is to use a combination of whole eggs and egg whites. Here’s an easy trick when it comes to cooking and baking with eggs: “1 whole egg = 2 egg whites.”

I’m still not a fan of the texture and consistency of hard-cooked egg yolks, but I do enjoy a soft cooked or poached egg with a runny yolk — and I don’t feel the least bit guilty enjoying them, especially with some good whole-wheat sourdough bread for dipping.

*This recipe originally appeared on Jessica Fishman Levinson's Nutritioulicious blog in November 2012. Recipe updated by author to reduce sugar (November 2016).

For me, the key to having pasta for dinner is making sure it is filling and satisfying enough — which I do by using whole-wheat pasta and adding lots of vegetables and a source of protein – beans, cheese and ground beef or turkey are my go-tos.

For this recipe, I've added roasted cubes of butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, sage, lemon and a hint of maple syrup — making this dish the perfect complement of sweet and savory.

* This recipe originally appeared on Jessica Fishman Levinson's Nutritioulicious blog in October 2014.

I know some people are turned off by raw fish, but the great thing about ceviche is that the fish is basically cooked by the time you’re eating it. It’s actually pretty cool to see how the citrus marinade "cooks" the raw fish by breaking down its protein fibers and firming the flesh. Make it yourself and you'll really be amazed!

Before you start thinking ceviche is too gourmet for a home cook, let me set the record straight. Ceviche is probably one of the easiest, quickest dishes you will ever prepare and serve. The most involved part of the whole dish is chopping the ingredients, juicing the citrus (or you can skip this part and buy bottled lemon or lime juice) and cutting the fish. Other than that, you mix it all together and let it marinate in the refrigerator. Toss it a few times to make sure all the fish is coated and "cooked" evenly and you're done.

Serve ceviche with chips at a gathering, as an appetizer for a sit-down meal, or over a bed of arugula for lunch or dinner. It's especially refreshing on a hot day, which is how I served this salmon ceviche mixed with crunchy radishes and cucumbers earlier this summer.

* This recipe originally appeared on Jessica Fishman Levinson's Nutritioulicious blog in July 2015.

* This recipe originally appeared on Jessica Fishman Levinson's Nutritioulicious blog in September 2013.

One of the trendiest spicy flavors around these days is sriracha, a type of hot sauce made from chili peppers that have been commonly used in Thailand since the 1930s. It's taken a while for it to gain popularity in the U.S., but you've probably seen it popping up just about everywhere these days. It was only a matter of time before home cooks started using it too, and what better way than to give your burger a kick?

These protein and fiber-rich Sriracha Black Bean Burgers are full of flavor from green onions, sweet bell peppers, crunchy water chestnuts, and a mix of spices. Top them with some mashed avocado, a fried egg, and an extra drizzle of sriracha, and you have yourself one hot meal! 

Sriracha Black Bean Burgers

Developed by Jessica Levinson, MS, RDN, CDN

Ingredients
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large egg
2½ tablespoons canola oil, divided
½ cup finely chopped green onions
½ cup finely diced red peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons ground cumin, divided
⅓ cup finely diced water chestnuts
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, or more to taste
½ cup whole wheat panko

Directions

1. In a food processor, pulse beans, egg and 2 tablespoons canola oil until mixture is a coarsely chopped paste.
2. Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon canola oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions 1½ minutes. Add garlic and red peppers; saute another 2 minutes until crisp-tender. Add ½ teaspoon cumin and saute another 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bean paste, cooked vegetables, water chestnuts, remaining 1 teaspoon cumin, salt, pepper, cilantro, sriracha and panko. Fold together with a spatula until well combined.
4. Using ⅓ cup measuring cups, form patties and set aside on a plate (use wax paper between layers so burgers don't stick). If you have the time, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Coat a non-stick griddle with cooking spray. When hot, place burgers on top. Cook 3 minutes on each side. Remove from griddle and set aside on a foil-lined baking sheet to keep warm in oven or warming drawer.
6. Serve topped with guacamole and a fried egg.

While I love making a variety of dishes, one of my favorites to cook during the winter is soup. Honestly, I can — and do — eat soup year-round, even on 90-degree days in the middle of the summer. But when it gets cold outside and the days are shorter, there’s nothing better and more comforting than a bowl of piping hot soup, especially one that is full of hearty vegetables. It’s no surprise then that January is Soup Month!

Besides being warm and comforting, soup has been found to have a host of health benefits, one of which is to help control calorie intake. Studies conducted by Dr. Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Penn State and the well-known author of The Volumetrics Weight Control Plan, have shown that a preload of soup can decrease the total calorie intake at a meal. The reason? Soup has a high water content and many contain particles of varying size, which enhance gastric distention and slow gastric emptying, thereby enhancing satiety. The fact that soup is generally hot also aids calorie control — it forces you to slow down when you eat, and eating more slowly has been linked to decreased BMI and potential decrease in diabetes risk. 

Surely you’ve heard that chicken soup is a must when you have a cold. If you’ve ever wondered why, think about what happens when you eat hot soup: Your nose starts to run (at least that’s what happens to me!). Chicken soup has been shown to speed up the movement of mucus, which helps relieve congestion. Vegetable-rich soups are a great way to consume a variety of vitamins and minerals, plus some antioxidants that may fight off colds and flu, too.

Make sure your soup is nutritious and delicious with these tips:

• Keep the sodium low by using low-sodium broth. Or better yet, make your own using fresh vegetables, herbs, spices and water.
• Skip the cream in pureed soups. Roast vegetables first before pureeing, and then puree alone, like in my Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup, or use low-fat plain or Greek yogurt or lite silken tofu for added protein and less fat.
• Use lean meats like skinless chicken breast, lean ground beef and ground turkey breast.
• Add beans for added protein and fiber. Look for no-salt-added canned beans (Eden brand makes them), and if you can’t find them, be sure to rinse other canned varieties. 

Given those numbers, one would think obesity wouldn’t be as vast a problem as it is — more than 154 million adults and 23 million children are currently overweight or obese. The problem, you see, is that most people who participate in weight-loss programs and follow these elimination-based diets regain about one-third of the weight lost during the following year and are typically back to baseline — or higher — weight within three to five years. That’s why I don’t believe obesity can be blamed on any one food or ingredient, be it burgers and fries, soda, ice cream sundaes or anything else people enjoy eating.
So if eliminating specific foods doesn’t solve obesity, what does? In my experience counseling individuals, couples and families, I have found three main tools that lead to lasting weight loss for most people.

Tool #1: Plan. Plan. Plan. As the saying goes, “He who fails to plan, plans to fail.” This is especially true when it comes to achieving weight loss goals. Whether you live on your own or have a family to care for, it’s extremely important to sit down at the start of every week and create a meal and exercise plan for the week to come. It’s ok if not everything goes according to plan during the week, but you are more likely to have healthy, balanced meals and get in some exercise if you think about it and schedule it ahead of time.

Tool #2: All Foods in Moderation. This is my number one rule. Some people don’t agree with this, but what I have found in practice is that people who eliminate specific foods eventually give in and overeat the forbidden foods when faced with them. Some people find certain foods to be especially triggering. For example, I have had clients tell me that once they start eating cereal or dried fruit, they have a hard time stopping. Rather than having people avoid these foods, people need to be taught how to make behavioral changes that will help them eat and enjoy these foods in a healthy, appropriate way. Some helpful tips: Portion food into single serving bags or only consume the trigger food out of the house at a restaurant or event.

Tool #3: Nutritious Food, Delicious Life. That’s my motto. When you think of diet food, what comes to mind? Steamed chicken, broccoli and brown rice is one popular image — and a boring, bland one in my opinion. It’s hard to stick to a diet when flavor is lacking and you don’t get much enjoyment out of your meals. These days, food has become much more than just what we eat. It is a source of entertainment — think about all the televised food competitions, numerous food blogs, and food pictures posted on Pinterest. These platforms for showcasing food bring a new definition to eating with your eyes. There’s an increasingly important need for food to be both nutritious (good for you and moderately portioned) and delicious (flavorful and satisfying), especially for people who want to reach weight loss goals and maintain them for the long run.

For food photography and recipe ideas, head over to Healthy Aperture, a food photo site started and hosted by registered dietitians.