Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Quinoa Salad ON THE GO
Get inspired by your local restaurants and save some money. This was my idea recently when I popped into a particular new hummus restaurant by my office in Murray Hill. On the menu was a dish called "Quinoa Salad." I thought, I can make this...don't spend $8.99 on the one dish. So, instead, I bought the ingredients for about $10 and had lunch for a week. A delicious (and healthy) lunch that is :)
Quinoa Salad
1 Cup cooked quinoa
Chopped red onion
Chopped red pepper
Cranberries
Raisins
Chopped Walnuts
Splash of olive oil (abt 2 TBSP)
Splash of olive oil (abt 2 TBSP)
** Use about 1/2 to 3/4 of the red onion and the entire red pepper. Use as many cranberries, raisins and walnuts as you please.
Eat your quinoa salad however you wish. I ate it on a bed of mixed greens and experimented with honey mustard dressing (still looking for a tasty dressing to go with -- might be good with a raspberry vinegrette). The salad is delicious on its own but would also make a really nice side dish for say, a light fish. ENJOY!
A Lovely Millet Mash
Life is busy -- work, class, clients, love, the ups and downs and the ins and outs of everyday life. Does it ever slow down? I guess it depends, but when you really think about it, life is busy AND life is good! One struggle I deal with daily in this hectic and busy life is finding time to cook the healthy meals I love and enjoy. When it comes to finding the time, it usually boils down to Sunday evening. Sunday, with a little bit of planning, can be the best day to fit in cooking for a week's worth of eating.
This weekend I bought Andrea Beaman's The Whole Truth, a healthy eating and recipe guide. I bought her book after completing her in person cooking class: Eating for Sexual Vitality & Fertility. Yup, that's right. It was such a fun class! But that is a story for another time. Anyway, I was thumbing through her book and found a recipe that made its way onto my table last night, with enough leftovers to last 2-3 more meals...now that is time and money well saved! The dish (or side, depending on how you want to eat it) is called MILLET MASH, which was perfect because millet has been on my "to try" list for some time. Millet is considered the 6th most important grain, so being a health coach, it's simply something I must know about! And it is pretty good by the way...
Andrea Beaman's MILLET MASH
(with some additions)
1 Cup Millet
3 Cups Water
1/2 - 3/4 Head of Cauliflower
1 Onion
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp Butter
Sea Salt to taste
Add-ons: Chopped Parsley & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
The recipe is simple...Cook the millet in water for 25-35 minutes. Saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent. Add the cauliflower florets w/ 3 Tbsp of water and cover for 10 minutes, until they are soft. Once the millet and the cauliflower are done, combine in a large bowl, sprinkle with some salt, add 1 Tbsp of butter and mash away! Add on the parsley (2-3 Tbsp) and sun-dried tomatoes (about 3 Tbsp) and mash a little more. Voila. Delicious and healthy.
Just a little more on millet, wonderful millet. As I mentioned it is considered the 6th most important grain in the world. It has been around forever, and it is even referenced in the Bible. Millet, along with rice is a traditional grain of Asia. It is gluten-free, high in fiber and protein, and has a plethora of important minerals like manganese, phosphorus and magnesium. It even has tryptophan, an essential amino acid that is needed to synthesize protein. Besides synthesizing protein, we all recognize tryptophan as a Turkey Day special. Tryptophan helps us to sleep better, it regulates our eating, and it enhances our moods (www.whfoods.com). Ahhh, isn't millet wonderful?
These are some great links to check out if you would like to learn more about millet:
Recipes
Nothing like a Wednesday night and a little recipe reorganization...
Breakfast Foods
Vegetable Dishes
Snacking Foods (Sweet & Savory)
Desserts
Smoothies
Banana Smoothie (like a daiquiri only healthier)
Green Smoothie
Peanut Butter Love and Special PB & Co. Give Away
Yummmm, nothing conjures up memories of comfort and childhood contentment more than peanut butter...and jelly on Wonder Bread...but we don't do the refined white carbs anymore. Peanut butter is a comfort food like none other and because of its high fat content it has been dubbed by many - a food to be avoided. I'd like to argue for peanut butter, as I am sure many of my nut butter loving blogger friends would as well. So despite peanut butter's heavenly taste and obnoxious fat content, what is there to love about this vegetable based food?
Well, maybe it is just that. Peanut butter is vegetable based! It comes from the legume or bean family, which means it is a great source of vegetable protein. Peanut butter also has vitamin E, folate, potassium, magnesium and an array of other vitamins and minerals. Yes, peanut butter is high in fat, but the majority of it is the unsaturated heart healthy fat, while a small portion of it is saturated fat. The ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat in peanut butter is similar to that of olive oil, and olive oil is the main component of the healthiest diet in the world (the Mediterranean Diet). In addition to ALL the vitamins, minerals, protein and healthy fat, peanut butter is SOO filling. Incorporating peanut butter into any healthy meal suddenly gives the food staying power equal to that of two meals. Enough said. Onto the PB snack...
A tasty, easy and healthy peanut butter treat... Nutty Chocolate Dream Balls. All you need is a jar of PB & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams and some oats!
Pour some oats and a spoonful of the Dark Chocolate Dreams in a bowl.
Mix together well and then roll into small balls.
Set to chill in the refrigerator.
Eat them as early as 30 minutes later!!
These treats are so easy to make that it's hard to believe that they taste as delicious as they do. The taste is something close to that of chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough. I guarantee that you and your family will love them, and even better, if you have kids, they will LOVE to make them :) The addition of the oats not only adds to the texture, but it incorporates whole grains and additional fiber. Peanut Butter & Co peanut butter is all natural, gluten-free, vegan, free of refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup and trans fat.
The only issue with this peanut butter is that it is soooo good that you really have to open the jar with some serious self control. Also, I recommend setting aside a small number of Chocolate Dream Balls so that you do not overeat. I like to pack 3 for my lunch time dessert.
Peanut Butter & Co. has graciously offered to give away three jars of their delicious peanut butter - Dark Chocolate Dreams, Cinnamon Raisin Swirl (A-mazing!) and White Chocolate Wonderful! Enter to win by leaving a comment with your favorite peanut butter creation, also if you are on Twitter follow the Peanut Butter & Co @PeanutButterCo.
I will contact the winner next Saturday to get your shipping info and phone number so that the Peanut Butter & Co. can send out your gifts! Please note that the gifts can only be sent to a US non PO Box address. If you do not have a blog to link back to, please leave your email address in the comment box.
Check out more flavors by the Peanut Butter & Co. here.
** Peanut Butter has a high calorie density, meaning there are a high number of calories per pound. Make sure you consume peanut butter in moderation for healthy weight maintenance.
Green Eggs & Bacon Toppers
This week I have been playing in the Green Grapes Blog Super Breakfast Bowl Challenge and it has been a lot of fun! Monday's challenge was to incorporate avocado into a breakfast, so I came up with something called Green Eggs & Bacon Toppers. This dish is pretty tasty and it would also be good for lunch or dinner, paired with a soup or salad.
To make this little creation:
1/2 avocado (mashed)
2 hard-boiled eggs (remove the yokes)
2-3 pieces of turkey bacon
Basically, you just dice the 2 hard-boiled egg whites and the turkey bacon, mix them with the avocado, add some salt and pepper to taste and voila! Serve them atop a whole wheat English muffin. Make sure you use freshly mashed avocado for this dish. I referenced Incredibleegg.org on how to boil eggs. Yes, yes I know how to boil eggs!! But I wanted them to come out perfectly and by following these directions the eggs were just that. It hurt to throw out the yokes, but in the name of health...I did. Now, if you are vegetarian, you can still make this dish by substituting some veggie bacon strips in place of the turkey.
So that was Monday's breakfast. Yesterday's (Tuesday) breakfast challenge was to incorporate flaxseed into a dish. I will my post my creation at a later date because what I really want to talk about is ALL the snow we are getting in New York!! For the first time in my career life I was dismissed early from work. It truly was a snow day, which is something unheard of in the world of corporate Manhattan! When I got out of work, I took some lovely pictures of snow-covered trees. It was so relaxing...
I was thinking the one above would make a nice computer wallpaper...
After the picture taking, I enjoyed the early dismissal with a glass of wine and some cheese & crackers, which were topped with prunes! Nothing like a little sweetness and fiber. It was a guilty pleasure (as was my afternoon) followed by a whole wheat English muffin pizza sprinkled with garlic powder.
Maybe I should have titled this post "The Power of English Muffins" with two mentions in one post. You can put so many different foods and flavors on them and they swing more toward the healthy side since they are not huge. Do you have a favorite way to enjoy English muffins?
Ahhh, with that I must say goodnight...
Folic Acid Tastes Better In A Wine Glass
My sister introduced me to an easy and delicious green drink this summer and oddly enough this week, in the dead of winter, we both were craving the same green smoothie. I hit the grocery store, stocked up on the supplies and we went to town with the blender. If your kitchen is well stocked with healthy staples you probably can whip this up without a trip to the g-store. This drink is as easy to make as 1-2-3...
1) Hand full of Spinach
2) 1 Banana
3) Almond Milk
It's good to go, plus anything else you want to add...
My sister, Jenny, likes to add a squirt of flaxseed oil (which you can't taste - thankfully). This morning, I made the smoothie with a little OJ (vitamin C helps you to absorb the iron in the spinach). I know a lot of people out there like to add ground chia seeds, which I have never tried. Chia seeds would totally elevate this drink to SUPERFOOD status. But the taste, I wonder, is it goooood?
And then of course, the glass you choose can totally enhance the experience of drinking a green drink -- or any beverage for that matter :)
Check out this Women's Health link for some great info on Folic Acid and how to get it.
What do you add to your smoothies? I notice a lot of bloggers have fun names for their smoothies, do you have one?
Jumbo Banana Muffins - Vegan & Delicious!
I am a muffin lover that is constantly on the hunt for a good muffin, and as always, the healthier the better. I thought how perfect would it be to find a recipe that is soo delicious and soo healthy that I wouldn't mind eating it everyday for breakfast? Well friends, last night I made Veg Webs Best Banana Muffins Ever, and so far, at least in my mind, they are the best VEGAN banana muffins ever! And they only take about 10 minutes to prepare.
I made these muffins with my new jumbo muffin tin and when the batter was done, there ended up being just enough for 3 muffins. The recipe is supposed to be good for 24 mini or 10 regular size muffins. I calculated the nutritional info and for one jumbo muffin, it boiled down to this:
Fat: 8g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Calories: 372
Protein: 6g
Fiber: 6g
I tweaked the recipe only slightly by using spelt flour instead of white flour-for the added fiber and protein, and passed on the carob and walnut additions. The muffins came out moist and chunky and I imagine next time I will try them with the walnuts for even more of a chunk-factor.
* These muffins blow past attempts at healthy muffins (Mineral Packed Molasses Muffins & Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins) OUT OF THE WATER. In fact, I would not recommend either of those muffins, but these Bananas, you've got to try!
Roast Me An Apple
Wow, I have really been spending more time in the kitchen since I ended the cleanse. It is time well spent though!!! I need to be experimenting and whipping stuff up -- not only is it fun, but cooking, and especially baking relaxes me. And relaxation is much needed after a not so enjoyable day at work.
So last night after I finished the leftover Steamed Veggies & Tahini Sauce , I sought out something sweet. I still haven't hit the grocery store, so again, I worked with what I had to get some dessert into my stomach. Source of inspiration: A lonely apple!
Roasting is my favorite ways to prepare veggies and apparently, now fruit! This apple, which I roasted with some canola oil, agave nectar, cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar really hit the spot!! It is a great treat for anyone, especially someone on a dairy and gluten-free diet. Healthy and delicious... it's the way I like to roll!
Ingredients:
1 TBSP Canola Oil
1 1/2" TBSP Agave Nectar
Cinnamon (amount your heart desires)
A small dash of vanilla (it is just one apple!)
Brown Sugar (a sprinkling if you will)
Roast at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Check and stir. Roast for 5 more minutes!
Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with more brown sugar baby!!
Oh, and I believe I used a Gala apple, but use whatever you have in the kitchen. It will work :)
Roasted & Ready
What are some of your quick go-to dishes when there is little left in the kitch?
What are some of your quick go-to dishes when there is little left in the kitch?
36 Hours Later, A Delicious Dish Is Born
Delicious Dish: Steamed Veggies w/ Sweet Tahini Sauce
Thirty-six hours -- the amount of time I lasted on The Master Cleanse. It was supposed to be 240 hours or 10 days, but a mere day-and-a-half after I started, I stopped. I am a little disappointed but very happy to be eating solid food again. As much as I would like to beat myself up over not lasting very long, we all know that self-rejection is not the way to go. I am very proud of myself for committing to this "exercise" and trying it out. And because I took it seriously and prepared myself properly, I ended up achieving some of my other health goals.
1) I no longer crave caffiene or need coffee in the morning.
2) I went solid vegitarian for a week and I honestly felt "clean" on the inside. Now, I plan to eat more vegetarian down the road.
3) I learned a lot about the Master Cleanse and I can forsee recommending it to clients one day -- if it is something they can truly benefit from.
So after 2 days and lack of a decent meal, I had an overwhelming desire to cook. But with a limited amount of food in the kitchen and without a solid idea in my mind, I was left to choose from what could be found. My source of inspiration: Tahini! A little internet research (like less than 3 minutes) on what could possibly work with tahini and not congeal and I was on my way. The result was rather tasty and sister approved! I am calling it Steamed Veggies w/ Sweet Tahini Sauce. It really is the easiest thing in the world, perhaps the trickiest part might be having the ingredients in your house.
Steam your favorite veggies. I steamed broccoli, carrots and spinach. Make sure you have at least one color contrast with your veggies and there must be some greens amongst them.
Cook up a favorite whole grain. I suggest brown rice with this dish.
Make the Sweet Tahini Sauce.
-1/2 C Tahini
- 2 TBSP Tamari Sauce
- 2 TBSP Olive Oil (Extra-Virgin, always)
-2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
-1/4-1/2 C leftover water used from the steamed veggies- pour enough to get the consistency you like
**(contains extra flavor & vitamins/minerals from veggies)
- 2 TSP Agave Nectar (more if you like it a little sweeter)
- Salt to taste (sea salt, if you have it)
My advice is to stir each ingredient in as you go along. This way you can taste it and adjust as you like.
Put your veggies on a bed of the brown rice and drizzle with the desired amount of Sweet Tahini Sauce. Enjoy :)
Oh and by the way, Jimmy is still on the cleanse. Yes, he lasted longer than me. He is awesome, and he is trying to make it until Friday!!
*Contemplating switching to a smaller font...thoughts/concerns/comments? :)
Reduce Cravings w/ A Sweet & Savory Roasted Delight
Did you know that eating sweet vegetables can ward off cravings for sugary sweets? It's true! These foods give you a sweet fix without spiking your blood sugar level. The sugar contained in veggies/fruits is au naturale. It is not processed or refined, and it doesn't contain any form of high fructose corn syrup. Plus, vegetables/fruits have lots of fiber, which slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. When sugar is slowly absorbed by the body, the blood sugar levels stay nice and even preventing the high spikes and lows dips.
Here is a tasty recipe for a sweet and savory dish that is sure to prevent any post dinner cravings for dessert. It is great on its own or as a side kick to protein.
Ingredients (4 servings)
2 Bosc Pears
2 Medium size Yams or Sweet Potatoes
1-2 Shallots
3 TBSP Olive Oil (Extra-Virgin of course)
2 TBSP Agave Nectar
1/4 TSP Vanilla
Cinnamon
Salt & Pepper to taste
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Slice the pears, sweet potatoes & shallots. Toss with olive oil, agave, vanilla, the desired amount of cinnamon, and salt & pepper in a bowl.
Spread out on a pan w/ built up sides. Put in the oven for 35 minutes, checking and tossing every 12 minutes. Finito!
Here is a tasty recipe for a sweet and savory dish that is sure to prevent any post dinner cravings for dessert. It is great on its own or as a side kick to protein.
Roasted Pears & Sweet Potatoes w/ Agave & Cinnamon
Ingredients (4 servings)
2 Bosc Pears
2 Medium size Yams or Sweet Potatoes
1-2 Shallots
3 TBSP Olive Oil (Extra-Virgin of course)
2 TBSP Agave Nectar
1/4 TSP Vanilla
Cinnamon
Salt & Pepper to taste
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Slice the pears, sweet potatoes & shallots. Toss with olive oil, agave, vanilla, the desired amount of cinnamon, and salt & pepper in a bowl.
Spread out on a pan w/ built up sides. Put in the oven for 35 minutes, checking and tossing every 12 minutes. Finito!
I promise you, you will not be craving dessert after a meal with this dish. It is sweet and salty and packed with fiber.
** Agave Nectar is a natural sweetener that rates very low on the glycemic index. It will not cause your blood sugar to spike since it is absorbed slowly into your bloodstream.
HELLO CHESTNUTS & Homemade Chicken Broth
Every winter it seems my family finds a new soup recipe to enjoy for the season. And this past week my sister found an amazing one in Chesnut Soup, right out of the Fine Cooking magazine. OH MY GOD, was this delicious and worth the hours or soaking, scoring, roasting, peeling and crushing the chestnuts! It was like we were living in the olden days (which is actually the way it should be when it comes to food)! We all believe that the soup was so delicious because my mom made a homemade chicken broth for the soup base, a recipe straight from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook. We in the Huwer household are not strangers to homemade broth, but Ina Garten's recipe tops them all. We took her recipe, "organified" it, and it was the most amazing, richest broth that we all have ever tasted.
In my family, we always try to use homemade organic chicken broth to avoid the MSG, preservatives and the salt that you get with canned broth. It is hard to find a brand that actually makes MSG-free broth besides Swanson, but we still love to make our own because the homemade flavor is BA-zillion times better.
Check out the recipe for chicken broth that we made here. Note, the recipe calls for 3, 5-pound chickens. We used one 5-pound chicken and left all of the other ingredients as is.
I suggest you also check out the recipe for Chestnut Soup. YUM! It is such a hearty and sophisticated soup for a cold winter day. Actually it will be perfect for the Nor'easter that is heading our way for New Year's!!
Chestnut Soup
And thanks to Chestnuts On Line I discovered that chestnuts have a high water content which makes them unlike any other nut. They are considered very "unnutty" because they are low in calories and fat. Chestnuts On Line dubs them the nut for the "nutrition-conscious person." They are also low in cholesterol, high in Vitamin C and the mineral Magenese. Can I say YES?!
Chestnuts!
Healthy Homemade Hummus!
Hummus is just about my favorite snack food of all time. I have my favorite brands and my favorite flaves, but for the longest time I have been wanting to make my own at home that actually satisfies me the way some store bought brands do (minus the preservatives). This weekend I did just that, only I ended up exceeding my expectations. This hummus is the bomb and I plan on making it again this week since it is already gone!
Ingredients:
-1 can garbanzo beans (15oz) -- Organic if possible
-1/4 C tahini
-Juice of 1 lemon
-1 clove of garlic
-3-4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 C water
-Fresh parsley (finely chopped) about 1-2 Tablespoons
-Cumin -- shake to a flavor of your liking - I estimate I shook 10-12 times (added it as I went along to taste)
-Ground Red Pepper, 2-3 shakes
-Crushed Red Chili Peppers, 4-5 shakes
-Paprika, 1-2 shakes on finished hummus for added flavor and a pretty finish
-Salt & Pepper to taste
The Goods
Wash and drain the beans
** Note, because I have a mini food processor I had to mix everything in a separate bowl before adding the ingredients to be processed. If you have a normal size processor you can just throw everything into it without blending, mixing or chopping. Lucky you!
So here is what I did....
I put the beans in a large bowl, added the tahini, the clove of garlic (I had to chop it), the lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, cumin, crushed chili peppers, salt and pepper.
Mixed it all up. First batch is in the processor!
-Looks kinda gross in this phase-
In between mixing, I added 1/4 C water, chili peppers
and a dash more olive oil. I followed the same suit w/
the the 2nd batch in my little mini processor.
Mixed!
This is the amount of parsley I used.
Shredded it!
Added it to hummus and mixed it up.
Finished product- sprinkled paprika,
a drizzle of olive oil & parsley garnish
DONE!
**After I chopped the garlic, I used the discarded lemon shell to "clean" the cutting board. The acid in the lemon removes that awful garlic odor from the board. Lemon also helps get rid of food stains left behind.
There you have it! This homemade hummus is loaded with healthy fats, fiber, protein, folate (folic acid) and minerals like calcium and magnesium. Hummus is a delicious and healthy way to snack between meals. For a controlled portion, scoop 2 spoonfuls into a bowl and enjoy with whatever food your heart desires!
Sunday Baking: Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins w/ Coconut Flour
This past Sunday I did some baking and tested out coconut flour for the first time. Coconut flour is a gluten-free alternative to regular flour and it is full of fiber and protein, making it quite the healthy alternative to the regular white refined flour. Healthy it is, but its consistency makes baking with it a bit more complicated in the kitchen. I decided being the newbie that I am, I would adhere strictly to a recipe and not make any substitutions (okay, I made only one, wait...two).
I found a tasty looking recipe for Coconut Blueberry Muffins at Gluten-Free Bay. It is short and simple, making only 6 muffins, which is a good number for the first go-around.
Here is the recipe:
1/4 C plus 2 TBSP of coconut flour
3 eggs
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP canola oil (or melted butter) *i used canola - it is healthier!
2 TBSP unsweetend coconut milk
3 TBSP honey (here I substuted agave nectar)
1/4 TSP salt
1/4 TSP baking powder
1/2 C frozen blueberries (I went with fresh blueberries)
Mix together the wet ingredients first
(eggs, vanilla, canola oil, coconut milk, agave nectar)
Once nicely mixed add the flour, baking powder and salt.
Mix well, trying to get rid of the lumps
Then fold in the blueberries (frozen or fresh)
Voila
Fill the muffin....
Throw in the oven for 15-18 minutes at 400 degrees.
Enjoy!
These muffins are pretty good. Mild and not too sweet. Although, I suppose a little more sweetness never hurts in the taste category. In the future, I may end up supplementing a recipe with a little coconut flour to get the added fiber and protein, while saving the overall consistency of the muffin batter. Hopefully, this way I won't have to use so many eggs! Does anyone have any tips and or recipes on baking with coconut flour?? I would love to know!
** Note, if you decide to give this recipe a whirl and want to use agave nectar...agave nectar is 25% sweeter than honey, so you will need just under 3 TBSPs. :)
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