Napa Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing and Cod Nuggets

Tonight I made a totally delicious dinner. I was inspired by an online class I took a few weeks ago called Child Nutrition and Cooking. The class is offered for free on Coursera, a pretty amazing site that offers free online courses on a wide array of topics. One of the recipes the instructor demonstrates is homemade chicken nuggets. I don't eat chicken, but I was interested in this recipe because I will be teaching a class at Headstart in October, and I'm looking for healthier recipes that will appeal to young children. Many years ago when I worked at Headstart as a teaching assistant, chicken nuggets and fish sticks were pretty universally loved by the kids there. I decided to try out this recipe to see if it is really as good as the instructor made it look. I made it with cod, and yup, it's pretty awesome.  The instructor points out that commercially prepared chicken nuggets often have nearly 40 ingredients in them, one an anti-foaming agent that is also used to make Silly Putty-yuck! The recipe taught in this class has just 6 ingredients: chicken (or in my case, fish), flour, egg, bread crumbs, olive oil,and salt. I served my fish nuggets on top of a Napa cabbage salad with a spicy peanut dressing that I adapted from here. If you are vegan, the salad itself is delicious as is, or you could top it with a vegetable protein source like tofu or tempeh.

Napa Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing and Cod Nuggets
makes 4 servings

Salad
1 small head of napa cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, julienned
3 green onions, finely chopped
large handful of basil chopped  (save a little for garnishing if desired)
large handful cilantro, chopped (save a little for garnishing if desired)

Mix all salad ingredients in a large bowl

Dressing
2 Tbs peanut butter
2 tbs rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp tamari
squirt sriracha
1 colve garlic, finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbs water

Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl, thinning with more water if desired

Nuggets
4 small portions of boneless, skinless fish or chicken, cut into small pieces
whole wheat flour
2 eggs, beaten
breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat panko-style)

Dredge fish or chicken pieces in this order: flour,  eggs,  breadcrumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Lay coated pieces of meat in the pan and sprinkle with salt. Cook until nuggets are cooked at least halfway through, then flip over and repeat on the second side (I cooked mine 10 minutes per side).

Other Toppings (optional, but good)

2 avocados, sliced or cubed

roasted peanuts, chopped

black sesame seeds

To assemble salad: Coat cabbage mixture with dressing, using your hands to make sure it is well mixed. Plate the salad and top with nuggets and optional toppings. Serve!

With An Open Heart

Image of Wheel pose from Universal Yoga Center

Last week work was very challenging both physically and mentally, and I expect this week may be more of the same. I was so glad that I took the time to go to yoga on Sunday morning and to go to the gym today. Being physical makes such a difference in how I feel about myself and about the world around me. Each time I have a really great workout, I feel like I have contributed positively to my own being and also to the person I am capable of being in the world. 
Two memorable things happened this week in yoga- I did my first backbend (also called wheel pose), and my yoga teacher read part of the quote below, which I've been thinking about a lot. Sometimes, it is really challenging to have an open heart and to be our best selves. When we can, however, those feelings of love, generosity, kindness, and compassion that we express to those around us build on themselves. When we express our love and gratitude, it helps those feelings grow not just in ourselves, but also in our communities.

"This scarce human body is acquired after many lifetimes; don't waste this opportunity. Every moment of life is precious. Do not think of yourself as weak and fallen. That which was done up to now, understand that this was unintentional. But now, apply yourself to action fit for a human. If having become a human being you do not obtain knowledge of your Divine nature, it is as if you have sold a diamond for the price of spinach.

The world is in need of love. With an open heart, you radiate the light of love to all those around you. Remember, no impulse of love is wasted. As a lover, rejoice in your state of lovingness, and know that every being who reflects a ray of your love is enlightened by the experience. This is your essential state. It always was and always will be.

Do not allow the pervasive worldly demands of life to constrict your heart. The sun does not use the excuse of clouds to stop shining its light, for it knows that clouds will always come and go. It is your birthright to live a life abundant in love. Make the commitment today to open your heart and let your love flow. No matter what has happened in your past, you have an infinite capacity for love. Please use it, for your own sake and the sake of this precious world."-Swāmī Brahmānanda Saraswatī

Blackberry Collard Green Overnight Oats

I've been really into making overnight oats lately, and this is my latest recipe. This version is a deep purple color and has a great tart berry flavor. Something I didn't mention in my last post about overnight oats is that I have been adding Chia seeds to them. Chia seeds function as a thickener in the smoothie base, and nutritionally them are pretty stellar too: "Chia seeds have recently gained attention as an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acid. They are also an excellent source of fiber at 10 grams per ounce (about 2 tablespoons), and contain protein and minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc. Emerging research suggests that including chia seeds as part of a healthy diet may help improve cardiovascular risk factors such as lowering cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure."(from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic website). I hope you enjoy this new recipe as much as I do. You could probably substitute any green for the collards, I just used them instead of my usual spinach because there were a couple of bunches in the reduced bin at the Co-op.
Blackberry Collard Green Overnight Oats
makes 4 jars
2 bananas
Juice and zest of 1 orange
3 cups almond milk
6 tbs chia seeds
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups frozen blackberries (blueberries work too, but smoothie turns out gray instead of  dark purple, and has less of a  "berry" flavor)
1 bunch collard greens, rinsed and torn from stems
2 cups rolled oats
Combine first 5 ingredients in a blender. Blend until well combined. Pour 1/2 of mixture into a bowl or large measuring cup and set aside (unless you have a huge blender, the finished smoothie won't all fit into the blender at once, so this way you can make it in 2 batches). Add 1 cup blackberries and 1/2 of the collard greens to mixture in blender. Blend until well-combined. Place a 1/2 cup of oats in each jar. Top 2 jars of oats with the blackberry-collard smoothie mixture, stirring as you go. Repeat process with the set aside mixture and remaining blackberries and collard greens. Cover jars and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, top with nuts and unsweetened shredded coconut if desired.

Note: These keep well for several days, so feel free to make the whole 4 jar batch at once, even if you will be the only one eating them. They also make a nice portable breakfast to share with friends and co-workers. Also, this recipe is not especially sweet, so if you like your breakfast sweeter, you might add a little maple syrup to the smoothie mixture.

Cooking Class- Better Nutrition For the New Year

Yesterday I taught a cooking class focused on incorporating healthier, fiber-rich foods into recipes and making New Year's food resolutions stick. I've been reading about the important role fiber plays in the body, and I was excited to present some easy ways to add more fiber to everyday meals. A high-fiber diet reduces your risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and diverticulitis (disease of the intestines).  In the class, we made dishes that were full of vegetables, beans, whole grains, and seeds- all great sources of fiber. The class was well attended (20 people!), and I had fun and felt proud of myself. Most of the recipes I used were from my blog, and it was so cool to be able to use pictures I had taken in the class handout.
I still get nervous when I'm teaching, but it makes me feel great to share some of the knowledge I've gained over the past year with people who are interested in improving their eating habits. I'm also really grateful to GRuB for the use of their fabulous kitchen. If you don't know about GRub, they are an awesome community non-profit that works to: "inspire positive personal and community change by bringing people together around food and agriculture, partner with youth and people with low-incomes to create empowering individual & community food solutions, and to offer tools & trainings to help build a just & sustainable food system". They are an amazing organization, and they generously share their wonderful kitchen with the Co-op's classes program. By the way, I'm teaching a class on cooking with greens in March, and there's still room if you want to sign up!

Pressure Cooker Black Beans

It's been a cold, cold week, and I've been making a lot of soup.
Earlier this week I made this recipe, but instead of using canned black beans, I made them in my pressure cooker. I made a double recipe of the soup so I would have enough to take dinner to my friends who've just had a baby. The black bean recipe I used called for 1 pound of dried beans, which cost about $1.40 and made about 7 cups of cooked beans. 7 cups of beans is a little less than 5 standard cans. The canned beans I normally use are about $2.00 each, which would have equaled about $10.00 just for the beans, so using a pressure cooker really is quite a savings. The other awesome thing about cooking beans at home is that you can season the beans any way you like, the texture of the beans is much better, and homemade beans usually have a lot less sodium than canned beans. The recipe I used calls for a ham hock(1 lb. if you are going to use this), which I don't eat. To give this vegetarian version a little more flavor, I added 2 tsp of smoked paprika, a few extra cloves of garlic, and a tsp of porcini mushroom powder (a great gift from my mom).
Easy Pressure Cooker Black Beans
adapted from foodnetwork.com

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp porcini powder

1 bay leaf

2 cups (about 1 pound) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed

6 cups water

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a 6-quart pressure cooker over medium-high heat, pour in 3 tablespoons oil. Add the onions and cook until they are golden, about 5 minutes. Throw in the garlic, smoked paprika, porcini powder, and bay leaf and cook for 1 minute more. Add the beans and give a good stir. Pour in the water; add the remaining tablespoon of oil, 1 tablespoon of salt, and a couple of grindings of pepper. Following the manufacturer's instructions, cover, lock the lid, and bring to high pressure. Lower heat to maintain pressure and start timing. Cook at high pressure for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes. Release the steam, again following the manufacturer's directions.Taste and adjust seasoning. Eat beans as they are or add to any recipe that calls for canned black beans.

Super Summer Supper

 Last night Zach and I had my parents over for dinner on the deck. The food turned out really well, and we had a lot of fun too.  Cooking for loved ones and friends is something I enjoy immensely. I have a great time picking out the recipes, getting all the ingredients I need, and putting it all together. I think I will make it a goal to have someone(s) over for dinner at least every other month, since it is something that makes me feel really happy and proud. In terms of last night's menu, we had roasted cod with crimini mushrooms and green beans, brown rice, cilantro pesto, and a gingery cabbage salad. I'm breaking the recipes into three separate blog posts, since all of them could stand alone or be incorporated into other meals. The cod with green beans and crimini mushrooms is an adaptation of a recipe I found on epicurious. The original calls for halibut and shitake mushrooms. After reading the reviews, I made some changes which led to the recipe below.  The original also includes an awesome cilatro pesto recipe which I'll post tomorrow.

Roasted Cod with Crimini Mushrooms and Green Beans

apapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit, March 2006

4 tablespoons olive or other vegetable oil

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1/2 lbs cod or other white fish, skin removed

4 cups green beans, tailed and halved

4 cups sliced crimini mushrooms

salt and pepper

preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and boil until just crisp-tender, about five minutes. Drain well. Next, place fish on one rimmed baking sheet, and green beans and mushrooms in single layer on another rimmed baking sheet. Whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 2 teaspoons soy sauce in bowl to blend. Pour over fish. Repeat previous step to make another bowl of marinade and pour over beans and mushrooms; toss beans and mushrooms to coat. Sprinkle both fish and vegetables with salt and pepper. Roast until fish is opaque in center and beans are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Divide fish and vegetable mixture between plates. Serve with brown rice or quinoa.

Happy Anniversary!

Today Zach and I celebrated 17 years together! It's pretty weird to think that we were both in our early 20s when we got together (so long ago!), and it definitely doesn't feel like 17 years have gone by already. About 10 years ago, my mom told me to appreciate every day because as you age, time will start going by really fast, and boy, she wasn't kidding! For our anniversary, we had a  fun day hanging out and enjoying time together. The best part of the day was sitting in a park in the shade, watching bunnies hopping around, listening to the rustle of the leaves in the trees, and eating ripe blackberries from the Fremont Sunday Market.  It's awesome to be with someone who I can still have so much fun with after all this time, and I feel incredibly lucky to have such a great partner.

Stopping to Smell the Roses or Read the Books

For the past year or so, I have walked by this cool little free library that someone set up just a few blocks from my house. Every time I've walked by, I've thought "Wow, that's so cool! I should take a book and bring one back". So this week, I finally did it. The first book I read from the little free library was Bold Spirit; it's about a woman who walked all the way across the United States in the 1890s. The book was completely fascinating and may have even inspired me to make walking across the United States one of my long term goals! There are so many things in life, like the little free library, that I think about doing and intend to do, but never seem to get around to. I think this is exactly what the phrase "remember to stop and smell the roses" is about- not living and working at such a frantic pace that you don't even take a moment to stop and appreciate all the cool things around you. Incidentally, stopping and smelling the roses is something my friend Justin actually did once when we were on a walk, and at that time I had the embarrassing realization that I had walked by that particular rose bush many times and never even noticed it was there. Thanks in part to Justin's inspiration, I've gotten better at taking the time to notice the beauty around me, but clearly, I'm still having trouble slowing down sometimes. The little free library is going to be my rose bush of the year, and I'm making it one of my goals to read at least three more books from it before the end of the year.

Dancing is Fun and Great Exercise Too

Tonight my niece asked me if I'd like to join her exercise class. She was listening to music and doing jumping jacks on the coffee table when we arrived at her house. Of course I said yes, and after dinner my nephew and I joined her for some fun in the living room. She taught us a couple of cool exercises, but was a very forgiving fitness instructor, allowing pretty much whatever moves we wanted to do. When I asked her if it was ok to just dance she said "Of course, dancing is really good exercise!". She's right, dancing is really good exercise, and it's a lot of fun too. Even if you can't make it to the gym or to a yoga class, you probably do have time to put on music you like and boogie down with your favorite kids (or pets) in the living room.  I'm glad I said yes-this will probably be my favorite exercise of the week!

Before and After: Smoothies and Popsicles

 I've had a nasty cold this week, and I haven't felt much like cooking. One thing I have enjoyed making, however, is smoothies. A cold smoothie feels great when you have a sore throat, and they are a quick and easy way to eat something reasonably healthy. As I was enjoying one the smoothies I made this week, I realized that they would also make excellent popsicles. I love ice cream, so I am always looking for healthier frozen treat alternatives. What I like about using popsicle molds like these is that you can put whatever you want in them. I am lucky to work in an amazingly well-stocked co-op where we have many types of bulk frozen fruits to choose from, so I took advantage of that and used lots of different types of fruit in my smoothies. Below are 3

smoothie recipes that I tried making popsicles with today. A few notes: Normally, I would probably use regular milk, but since I've been congested, and thought dairy products would make it worse, I used soy milk in these. I'm sure you could substitute whatever type of milk (almond, rice, coconut, goat, etc.) you like. Also, as I mention above, I can buy small quantities of lots of different fruit for variety. If you don't have access to bulk frozen fruit, just try one or two types at a time. And of course, when fruit is in season, feel free to substitute fresh fruit! Smoothies and popsicles are a great way to use up fruit that is bruised or becoming overripe in the warmer months. Each of the recipes below makes 2 popsicles + one 8oz smoothie.

Strawberry Melon

1/2 melon

1/4 avocado

1/2 banana

large handful frozen strawberries

small handful of frozen peaches

1/2 cup OJ

1/4 cup soy milk

Pineapple Mango

1/2 banana

1/4 avocodo

large handful frozen mango

large handful frozen pineapple

1/2 cup OJ

1/4 cup soy milk

Raspberry Lime

1 banana

2 large handfuls frozen raspberries

juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup OJ

1/2 cup soy milk

Epic Paddle

Today I went for a really long (and physically exerting) stand- up paddle with my friend John. We left from Boston Harbor Marina at about 10:00 am, and paddled toward the Evergreen Beach via Eld Inlet. We made it almost all the way there, but finally turned around when we started feeling tired and sunburned. Overall, we probably did about 3 1/2 solid hours of paddling- since we were fighting the tide and also dealing with some pretty intense wind and boat wake, it was pretty slow going crossing over to Cooper Point. There were a few moments as the waves lapped over my board that I actually felt scared, and I had to use all of my core and leg strength to keep from falling off my board. At one point, I commented to John: "Maybe we should go back!", but I was glad we pushed through. Once we got to Eld Inlet, it was a nice, relaxing paddle, and we took a few breaks for snacks, re-sunblocking, and enjoying the beautiful sound. We saw a few seals, lots of jellyfish, and a couple of flocks of seagulls (ha!). Coming back in was also really hard work, and at the end I felt glad to be done. This was by far the longest paddle I've done, and while I enjoyed it very much, it was a hard, intense workout. It's now 9pm, and I still feel a little like I have wobbly sea legs. But I also feel very proud to have accomplished a physical feat that a year ago would have seemed impossible.

Free Workouts!

The other day I was wishing I had some new yoga DVDs to try out. Although I enjoy the few yoga DVDs I own, I have grown a little tired of them. As I think I mentioned in a previous post, I like to use yoga DVDs on days when yoga classes don't work with my schedule or when I am needing to be a little frugal. While watching a DVD at home is a totally different experience than attending a class, sometimes I really enjoy it, and it is definitely better than not doing yoga at all. I have been thinking about where I could look for some gently used yoga DVDs (Goodwill? Value Village? Garage sales?), and then thanks to some magnificent library staffer who put one of the DVDs pictured on the "Staff Picks" shelf, I realized that the library has tons of fitness DVDs that you can borrow for free! This evening I did the amusingly titled "Yoga For Surfers III" DVD, and it was a really challenging workout. I've had some friends tell me that they don't feel like they can afford to join a gym or attend fitness classes right now, so I wanted to give a shout-out to the library, where you can find lots of great yoga and other fitness workouts for free.

5 Word Thesaurus

Today at work I was talking to a co-worker, and we were lamenting using the same words over and over. The particular word that prompted the discussion was "awesome", as in "You went for a hike yesterday? That's awesome" or "That shirt looks so awesome on you".  I am definitely guilty of overusing "awesome" and a few other words as well ("incredible", "totally", and "hilarious", are ones that come to mind). At one time I had a pretty decent vocabulary, but in recent years I have become overly reliant on a pool of words that doesn't do the world around me justice. My co-worker and I joked that it would be fun to try to identify five words that we use more often than we'd like to and make a 5 word thesaurus to carry around. I'm going to do just this, so please don't judge me if I tell you "What a magnificent blue shirt you have on today" or "I'll bet the dawn hike you went on was breathtaking". Plus, I can dust off my old thesaurus... after all, it is the expanded edition for the 1990s!

Cooking Classes

This past Sunday I taught a cooking class through the Co-op's classes program. This one was an introduction to cooking with greens. The class was well attended, and it was a lively group with lots of questions and information sharing. I had a great time teaching and I felt really proud of myself. Speaking in public has always been challenging for me, but when it involves teaching people about something I really believe in-healthy eating- it is totally worth the discomfort. This time I felt less nervous than usual, and for once I was more excited than afraid to stand in front of a group of people for two hours. I made four greens-based dishes as well as two flavors of kale chips. The food was awesome and I felt like a total badass for helping people get excited about eating greens! Teaching classes is so good for me. It pushes me to confront my fears, it increases my self-esteem, and it is a great way for me to make a positive contribution to the health of my community. So this week I make Goal #13: to teach at least four cooking classes a year.

Workout Secret

Sometimes when friends workout with me at the gym, they are surprised by how much energy I have.  Something I have found that really does give me a little boost is having a bit of coffee before a workout. My favorite drink to have is a macchiato- espresso with just a tiny bit of milk. Coffee is one of the things I love that has questionable health benefits. Some studies have shown that drinking coffee is good for you while others have shown just the opposite. NPR has a short write-up about this, along with some interesting links. From personal experience, I know that drinking a little coffee makes me feel energetic and clear-headed, while drinking too much leads to anxiety, insomnia, and high blood pressure in my own body. I think the key is to enjoy coffee- in all its lovely forms- in moderation; preferably with a good workout buddy and followed by an intense and energetic workout at the gym!

Good Fortune

Last night my nephew got this fortune, and when I read it to him he gave me a hug! It's so well put and sweet that I wanted to share it. If you don't like to give (or get) actual hugs, that's ok. You can still give support or comfort to someone who needs it when you have it to spare.