Balanced and Healthful Snacks

Mar 21

A few weeks ago, I tweeted a picture of a tasty and filling snack I'd whipped up on a whim. I was absolutely blown away by the response to my humble little post.

In fact, it has become one of my most popular tweets of all time.After some thought, I decided that this snack deserves more than 140 characters long description. Here it is.It all starts with an orange. A sumo orange, to be exact. I adore citrus season, and I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy some of my favorite foods. When I saw a pile of sumo oranges, a seedless, low-acid orange varietal from Japan, I knew I had to try some.I peeled off the orange's distinctive topknot and wound my way through the rest of the peel until I was left with a ball of tender fruit. Then I carefully tugged each segment away from the others until I was left with the flower shape you see above. The orange looked like it was positively blooming on the plate.Now, how to make this snack more filling? A single sumo orange wouldn't last through my afternoon of work. What else did I need?

My first thought was some nut. With heart-healthy fats and tons of vital nutrients, nuts have become my favorite way to round out a snack. Since I had a bag of salt-free roasted almonds handy, almonds rounded out my plate.I probably could have stopped there, but I wanted to add a third flavor. I had the sweet orange and the toasty nuts, but I wanted something mellow to take my snack over the top. I've been loving this goat's milk gouda cheese lately, and I knew its creamy richness would be a great counterpoint to the sweet and salty flavors I had on my plate. I grabbed my vegetable peeler and went to work, shaving a few slices onto my plate.

Nutrition Note: Peeling Cheese

Peeling cheese is a great way to get all the flavor of your favorite cheese without accidentally slicing off a hefty piece. Simply slide your vegetable peeler along one side of the cheese and put a few shavings on your plate. Ta-da! You have a healthful and filling snack that is perfectly balanced and easy to eat!

With that, a healthful and filling snack was born.

SnackfruitorangesnutritionrecipeJudy Dohertycooking 101

Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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