Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog: Food Network's Healthy Eats: Healthy Recipes, Weight Loss Tips & Nutrition Information

You could win this cake!

Rich and moist, this Decadent Chocolate Cake from Sweet Sally’s is the perfect treat to bring to a Valentine’s Day party or to share with your honey at home. Made with only five ingredients, you’d never guess this luscious cake was gluten-free.

The 8-inch cake serves 12, and has 179 calories per slice so you can indulge without overdoing it. Shipped in a keepsake tin, the cake stays fresh and is easily stored. Once the cake is devoured, use the white tin to store cookies or kitchen knickknacks.

You can buy your own Decadent Chocolate Cake or enter in the comments for a chance to win one. Just let us know, in the comments, how you plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The contest starts at 10:00 a.m. EST today, and ends on Friday, February 10 at 5 p.m. EST.

We’re giving away one decadent chocolate cake to lucky, randomly selected commenters. You must include your email address in the “Email” field when submitting your comment so we can communicate with you if you’re a winner.

You may only comment once to be considered and you don’t have to purchase anything to win; a purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Odds depend on total number of entries. Void where prohibited. Only open to legal residents of 50 U.S. states, D.C. or Puerto Rico, and you must be at least 18 to win. For the first day of the giveaway, all entries (answers) must be entered between 10:00 a.m. EST on February 8 and 5 p.m. EST on February 10, 2012. Subject to full official rules. By leaving a comment on the blog, you acknowledge your acceptance to the Official Rules. ARV of each prize: $29. Sponsor: Scripps Networks, LLC, d/b/a Food Network, 9721 Sherrill Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37932.

So tell us, how do you plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Pistachios are wonderful on their own, but they make a great appetizer when drizzled with honey and served with apples and cheese.

No other nut boasts an emerald hue like the pistachio does. Find out what you’re getting when you crack open a pistachio.

Pistachio Basics
Commonly grown in Turkey and Iran, 98 perecent of the American crop of pistachios is grown in California. You can spot these distinctive nuts by their tan outer shell and the small green nut peaking out (the shell splits open when the nuts are ripe). Pistachios are available shelled or unshelled, salted or unsalted. Some research suggests that shelled nuts are a better choice for portion control– having to pop open the shell slows you down when munching.

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Skip the packaged cupcakes in the supermarket and make your own instead.

We had so much fun making homemade Girl Scout Cookies, we just had to try and recreate another childhood classic.

Why Make your own?
Using real ingredients like butter, sugar and chocolate in this recipe means our version won’t be low in calories. BUT, what you will be getting is a super fun and delicious cupcake made without preservatives, fillers, thickeners and hydrogenated oils found in the store-bought version.

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Our February spice of the month: Peppercorns.

This under-appreciated spice is anything but ordinary. Grab your pepper mills – we’re serving up fresh facts and 10 recipes that make pepper the star.

Peppercorn Basics
A prized commodity dating back to ancient Egypt, pepper is more than just a black powder to mindlessly sprinkle. Grown from the Piper nigrum (a.k.a. pepper plant), peppercorns are available in a rainbow of colors.

The most common variety, black peppercorns, are slightly immature berries that have been dried. Malabar and Indian Tellicherry are two popular varieties, bursting with aromatic warmth.

White peppercorns are fully mature berries whose skins have been removed. They have less heat than the black variety and are ground into a white powder typically used to avoid black specks in food.

Green peppercorns are unripened berries, most commonly found preserved in brine and used to liven up sauces with a punch of salty vinegar and spice.

Some peppercorn blends will also feature pink peppercorns. While these pricey berries look and taste similar, they aren’t true peppercorns. Grown from a special variety of rose plant native to Madagascar and imported from France, pink peppercorns are spicy with a hint of extra sweetness.

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Warm right up with caramelized onion soup, topped with cheesy bread.

I realize it’s doesn’t get really cold in the desert (where I live), but I’m an east coast native, so I know how bone-chilling February can get. Only two things warm me up when I’m chilled to the core: a hot bath and hot soup. This week, I’m sharing three of my favorite hot soups for cold days. The onion soup is my all-time favorite (it has been, since I was like 7). When you make it, take the time to really caramelize the onions until they’re deep golden brown, like they’ve been dipped in caramel. And, use oven-proof soup bowls so you can melt the cheese under the broiler.  For the butternut squash soup, the key is roasting the squash because it caramelizes the flesh and makes it tender and sweet. I also add cumin and ginger before roasting to bring out the warm smokiness of the spices.  The Tuscan soup is a hearty blend of ham, beans, kale and sage. I used white beans, but any bean variety will work. Serve with a wedge of toasted Italian bread with olive oil and you’ll be transported to Italy in under 30 minutes.

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29 ways to treat your sweetheart.

Keep the month of February sweet, hot and spicy with these romantic foods.

1.    Start the month of right with 28 days of chocolate.

2.    Read up on Katie Cavuto Boyle’s sensual Valentine’s dishes.

3.    Check out Valentine’s recipes for kids and grown ups.

4.    Keep red foods on your mind.

5.    Make Ina Garten’s caviar dip.

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When it comes to apps for my iPhone and iPad, I can barely wrap my head around the number of available options. I will admit I only go for the freebies, but that has not limited the amazing amount of information and entertainment available. Here are my top mobile apps . . . and yes, they are all FREE!

• Calorie Counter (About, Inc)

This app tracks your calories/food intake as well as weight and exercise. It offers voice recorded logging, bar code scanning to search for foods, articles, community support forums and more.

• Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker (MyFitness Pal)

Track food and fitness goals with a huge food database and bar code scanner. MyFitness Pal allows you to add and follow friends for diet motivation and support. You can also set and track customizable goals and get daily nutrition reports.

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Broccoli is loaded with cancer-fighting plant chemicals.

In honor of World Cancer Day, we’re focusing on cruciferous veggies—those from the cabbage family. Studies show that these vegetables have a special plant chemical that protects against cancer. Here are some ideas on how to incorporate them into your everyday eating plan.

The Power
Cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, kale, and Brussels sprouts. These superstar veggies are packed with so many nutrients it’s tough to keep count. They contain fiber, vitamins A and C, riboflavin, B6, folic acid, magnesium, potassium and omega-3 fats. What’s more, they also have plant chemicals known as glucosinolates that have been shown to help reduce the risk of various types of cancer.

A 2011 study in the International Journal of Urology found that the more veggies that were eaten from the cabbage family, the lower the risk was from prostate cancer. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, studies also link the various components in cruciferous veggies to helping reduce the risk of colorectal, esophageal, stomach, mouth and pancreatic cancer.

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Wraps are a fun alternative to sandwiches. Curious to which are the healthiest and tastiest? Find out how 5 popular flour tortillas (a.k.a. wraps) fared in our taste test.

Seek and You’ll Find
After asking our Facebook fans their favorite brands, we sought out to add them to our taste test. However, finding popular brands was not as easy as we originally thought—and we learned that wraps are found in MANY locations throughout the market. When looking for wraps, check the deli counter, commercial bread aisle and the Mexican food aisle. If that doesn’t work, ask the store manager. At one supermarket, they stored some wraps next to the raw meat (that just screams food safety issue to me).

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Giants versus Patriots . . . or pizza versus lobster rolls?

As if the big game wasn’t enough excitement, we’re placing the teams’ hometowns head-to-head in a culinary battle. Put the football aside for one moment and decide – who’s got the better food?

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