Doing What I Love Most

Today I spent much of the day cooking and prepping food for the week, and my oh my, it was fun! I felt productive and happy, and I got to listen to lots of great music too. One of the  things I love best about winter is staying inside and making lots of delicious and healthy food for the coming week. It feels great to open the refrigerator and have so many healthy options to choose from.


Today I made:
Cinnamon Breakfast Quinoa (I substituted apples for the berries)
Quinoa Banana Pecan Bread with Cranberries (I added zest of one lemon and a half cup of dried cranberries)
Rice with Lemon, Parsley, and Walnuts (I substituted a rice-quinoa blend and adjusted the amount of liquid and cooking time)
Washed lettuce for the week
Prepped carrots, celery, beets, daikon radish, cucumbers, and red peppers for salads and snacks
Baked a delicata squash that we'll have for dinner
And there's still time to go for a second walk of the day- yay!!- winter is a cook's best friend!

Eating Tomatoes

I'm adding a new goal this week- Goal#39- which is to add  tomatoes to my diet at least 3 times a week. I love tomatoes and I'm always happy to eat them, but I often forget to have them on hand for adding to salads, sandwiches, and other dishes. Tomatoes are known for being rich in antioxidants, especially lycopene. Lycopene from tomatoes has been studied as a preventative for breast cancer and has also been positively associated with cardiovascular and bone health. Some studies have indicated that humans absorb lycopene more readily from cooked or dried tomatoes than from fresh tomatoes, but I'm not going to limit myself either way on that front.  I'll eat fresh tomatoes when they're good and switched to canned or dried tomatoes when they're not.  I do wish that I'd made this goal earlier in the year, as tomato season has just about ended, at least in the area where I live. I will be snapping up the last of the local cherry and sungold tomatoes and looking forward to nest year's crop.

An Apple A Day

Alright, as cheesy as it is, I'm making Goal #34 to eat an apple every day at least through the end of this year (in Washington, due to amazing storage technology, apple season can go almost into the spring, but I will probably stop eating one every day once they start getting mealy and old-tasting). Research has shown apples to be beneficial for lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, improving overall cardiovascular health, regulating blood sugar, and providing anti-cancer benefits. Some links about apple nutrition and health benefits, here, here, and here. They are also tasty, filling, easy to transport, and inexpensive (at least where I live). I feel really fortunate to live in the apple capital of the world, as we have so many varieties to choose from. This morning I had a Honeycrisp apple with some quinoa, walnuts, cinnamon, and a little agave syrup. It also looks as though you get pretty much the same benefits from eating apples raw or cooked, as long as you keep the peel on, as that is where many of the nutritional benefits are found.

Quinoa Cakes

As you may recall, one of my goals is to eat quinoa twice a week. That's been pretty easy, as I love quinoa, and I have a few standard dishes that I make with it regularly. Of course, I am always looking for new ways to enjoy it, and I recently found a terrific recipe for Quinoa Cakes in a magazine that I was reading in an office somewhere. I took a picture of the recipe so I could make it at home, but unfortunately, I didn't get the name of the magazine in my picture so I can't give proper credit. The magazine was the type that pretends to be about health but is mostly ads and reviews of products (Shape, Health, Self, Organic Style, etc.). If anyone knows which magazine this recipe is from, let me know and I'll add a link to it here. Anyhow, they are really delicious, and if you have a pot of cooked quinoa on hand you can make them up pretty quickly. They do need a little time to set-up in the refrigerator, and even still they are a little crumbly. If I make them again, I might add a little flour to hold them together better.

Savory Quinoa Cakes
1 cup quinoa
1 2/3 cups cauliflower florets
1 large handful of kale, stems removed, leaves washed and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
3/4 cup rolled oats
salt and pepper
oil for frying

Cook the quinoa. Combine 2 cups of water and the quinoa in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and gently simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Set aside to cool.
Place the cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse until it is a rice-like texture. Transfer to a bowl and add the cooked quinoa, chopped kale, garlic, eggs, oats, feta, and a little salt and pepper. Stir until well combined and then place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes. Form the mixture into patties with your hands and fry in a well-oiled pan with the heat on medium-high for about six minutes on each side.

Changes

Lately I've been noticing that my body is starting to look different than it did back in January when I started this blog. My clothes sit in different places on my body, and I can see muscles and definition where I didn't see them as much before (especially in my shoulders and legs). After a few questions from family members about how much weight I've lost, I decided to weigh myself on a proper scale. I don't have a scale in my house because I don't want to obsess about my weight, and so I hadn't weighed myself in a few months. On my last visit to the Y, I got on the scale and I was surprised to find that I have actually lost a fair amount of weight. I want to point out that I have not been trying to reduce my caloric intake or forbidding any particular foods (with the exception of beer, which I decided to take a month long break from last week). I've just been eating tons of healthy food and exercising more than I used to. After noticing that I had lost some weight, I decided to check my measurements. I recorded them 2 months ago when I ordered a dress, so I have a recent record to compare to. Since the beginning of June, I've lost an inch from my waist and hips, two inches from my bust, and (thankfully), no inches from my biceps. I hope I can keep getting strong and fit as the year continues, developing muscles where I didn't have them before, and increasing my endurance and flexibility. I'm also excited for the next time I visit the doctor for my annual blood work, etc. to see how my dietary and fitness changes have impacted my blood sugar, cholesterol, etc.

Easy Baked Tempeh

 Tonight I made a dinner that was a little weird but good, and it was inspired by some really fresh looking produce that I saw at the Co-op today- green beans and corn. I took the easy route with those (just steamed the green beans and boiled the corn) since they were so fresh and didn't need any help. When I was trying to decide what to serve with them I remembered that we had some tempeh in the refrigerator and I decided to cook that up. For those of you who are unfamiliar with tempeh, it is a food made from fermented soybeans. The fermentation process used for turning soybeans into tempeh (it's magic!) makes the nutrients in soybeans more available to us and also reduces the gas that is sometimes associated with eating beans. Truth be told, I mostly eat tempeh because I think it tastes delicious, but I also have a few friends who find it totally unpalatable, so I will admit that it's not for everyone. Besides the taste, what I like about tempeh is that it is very quick and easy to season and cook, it's relatively inexpensive, and it's nutritious and filling.

Erin's Easy 
Baked Tempeh
1 8oz package tempeh
1 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbs tamari
1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs toasted sesame oil

Heat oven to 400F. Slice the tempeh into long 1/2 inch thick strips. Mix all other ingredients in a shallow, oven-safe dish large enough to accommodate the tempeh in a single layer. After marinade is mixed, lay the tempeh in the dish. Cook in the heated oven for 10 minutes. Turn tempeh over. Cook on the other side for 10 minutes. Remove tempeh from oven. Serve topped with the garlic and ginger left in your baking dish, along with a sprinkling of fresh basil.

Spiced Lentils and Poached Eggs

Some friends of ours have chickens that are producing more eggs than they can eat, so they have started selling the extra. We signed up to buy a dozen every other week (more than we usually eat), so I was looking for new recipes that use eggs and I found this one. It's a spicy lentil recipe that has poached eggs on top. It's a little labor intensive (the original calls for using three pans!), but it's really tasty and super healthy. I made a few modifications based on what I had on hand, pared it down to two pans, and doubled the quantity of the lentils portion so I'd have leftovers for lunch. I served it with a salad and warmed pita- a very satisfying supper.

Spiced Lentils and Poached Eggs

adapted from Cooking Light, 
October 2012

2 cups dried lentils

6 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

1 can diced tomatoes with chilies (or 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or a combination of the two)

1 teaspoon muchi (spicy) curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch ground red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon white vinegar

2 large eggs per person (this dish could serve up to 6)

freshly ground black pepper

feta (optional)

chopped fresh cilantro

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain any excess water; discard bay leaf.

2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and tomato; sauté 8 minutes or until onion is tender. Add curry, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, red pepper flakes, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add mixture to the lentils; stir and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat.

3. Wipe out skillet

4. Add water to skillet, filling two-thirds full; bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly; simmer. Add vinegar to pan. Break eggs into small shallow dishes, such as custard cups. Gently pour eggs into pan; cook 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Carefully remove eggs from pan using a slotted spoon. Place about 1 cup lentil mixture on each plate; top each serving with 2 poached eggs. Garnish with cilantro, feta, and fresh pepper.

Quinoa with Lemon, Walnuts, and Parsley

We are having friends over for dinner tonight, and I decided to try out a new quinoa recipe. This was a good gamble, as it is so delicious! If you haven't tried quinoa before, I highly recommend it. There are lots of great articles about quinoa's nutritional benefits and how to cook with it, including this one from Cooking Light, and this one from Eating Well. Quinoa is often touted as being high in protein for a grain, and one of the coolest things about quinoa is that unlike most other plant foods, it contains all of the amino acids, which makes it a gem for people like me who get most of their protein from plant sources.
Many recipes advise rinsing quinoa before using it, but I've never found this to be necessary. Quinoa does have naturally occurring coating that can give it a bitter flavor, but most of the quinoa available commercially has already been processed to remove this coating.  If you like to rinse it, go for it, I just find it to be an extra (and messy) step. At any rate, below is a modified version of a recipe I found on Cooking Light. I added lemon zest and juice since they are such natural flavor affinities for  parsley and nuts. I also substituted walnuts for the pine nuts in the original, but I'm sure it would be delicious either way. The recipe in Cooking Light also had a cook time for the quinoa that was way too short (it was still crunchy at the time the recommended). I usually cook mine for about 20 minutes,  so that's how long I cooked it for, and I added an extra 1/2 cup of broth to the original. This recipe makes plenty for four people with leftovers to boot. I hope you try it and enjoy it- it's easy to make and really good!

Quinoa with Lemon, Walnuts and Parsley

2 cups uncooked quinoa

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoon minced garlic

3 cups broth (if unsalted you will need to add the salt)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)

1/2 cup walnuts

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

zest of one lemon

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute or until tender. Add minced garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add quinoa; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add broth and optional salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender.

2. While quinoa cooks, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Combine quinoa mixture, nuts, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and pepper; toss.

"Bikini Body"

Today I saw an ad in a "health" magazine that made me feel completely enraged. In the ad was a beautiful woman, smiling and holding a glass of cloudy liquid. Next to her was a list with "My Bikini  Plan" written at the top. Would you like to know her plan? For the first week, she is going to replace all of her meals with a supplement powder that is stirred into water. She also gets to add one teaspoon of oil to each drink, and as a bonus, she can drink as much vegetable broth as she likes! Wow! For the "Second Week and Beyond", she will do a slightly modified version of this plan that allows her to add a little low-fat milk and some spices to her drinks and eat some vegetables and lean meat once a day. Can you imagine trying to be an active person if you were actually following this plan? I can't. I think this type of advertising plays a huge role in why many women are insecure about their bodies and turn to fad diets like this one to fit into a particular idea of what advertisers tell us a beautiful body looks like. The concept of eating a certain way (or not really eating at all in this case) so that you can look a certain way in a bikini is repulsive to me. Sadly, it is also a type of cultural conditioning that I have struggled with myself many times over the course of my life.  You know how I want my body to be? Strong, muscular, fit, and healthy. In order to achieve that end, I try to eat a balanced, whole foods diet (which includes actual food, and plenty of it!) so that I will have enough energy to work-out and be active. As something I saw recently said: "If you want a bikini body then put a bikini on your body". I say amen to that.

Green Tortillas

Today for lunch I enjoyed some yummy burritos, but instead of tortillas, I used raw collard greens. If you've never tried this before, I highly recommend it. Collard greens are easy to wrap and roll, they have a mild flavor and a nice texture, and they are super nutritious. I filled these collard greens with a brown rice and black bean salad topped with chunks of avocado. They would also be really tasty with hummus and veggies, but really anything you can put in a tortilla would be great in these. I think collard green wraps would also make really pretty and unique appetizers. There is a good tutorial here on how to wrap them. The long and short of it is to use them as you would a regular tortilla; just lay a whole collard leaf flat, remove the stem, place whatever filling you are using in the middle, fold the sides in, and roll. Easy, tasty, and so good for you!

Orange Ginger Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

Tonight for dinner I wanted to make a warming and spicy soup, which I often find helpful for colds and congestion. This recipe is pretty amazing! It has a complex and unusual mixture of flavors- both sweet and savory with a nice texture that is rich and satisfying. I used arugula as the green in my soup since I have a ton of it growing in my garden and wanted to use some up. I don't know if I mentioned this in a post before, but I really love using arugula as a green in soup; you can just stir it in at the end, as it only needs a couple of minutes to cook.
Sorry I didn't get a better picture of the soup, but as you can see, it is quite nice served with a crispy green salad and a little whole grain bread.

Orange Ginger Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

adapted from sproutedkitchen.com who adapted it from The Travelers Lunchbox who adapted it from Once Upon a Tart

1 Tbsp. oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 tsp. cardamom

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of red pepper flakes to taste

pinch of nutmeg

1 1/2 cup green lentils

6 cups vegetable broth (I used 3 boullion cubes disolved in 6 cups of water)

1 1/2 tsp. muchi curry powder

2 tsp. dried thyme

1 can coconut milk

a few large handfuls of arugula, swiss chard, or spinach, torn or chopped if leaves are large

3 Tbsp. orange juice

Start a kettle of water heating on the stove if you will be disolving boullion cubes for broth.

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened. Add the ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, pinch of red pepper flakes and pinch of nutmeg and saute another minute. If spices stick to pan, you can add a little water from your kettle to mix them back into the onions. Scrape onion mixture into bowl and set aside.

Add the lentils, broth, thyme and curry powder to the soup pot. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Add the onion mixture to the lentils and stir, keeping the heat on a low simmer.

Add the coconut milk and greens and simmer another few minutes, stirring occasionally until just wilted. Taste for salt and spice and add as you prefer. Finish with the orange juice and serve warm.

Do Walnuts Look Like Brains Because They Are Good For Brains?

I recently read an article about Alzheimer's disease that helped me decide to recommit to eating nuts. In the article from Vegetarian Times, the author examines dietary and environmental factors that contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease, and makes recommendations for foods that can help protect you from developing Alzheimer's disease and sharpen your memory in general. One of the recommendations the author makes is to add a small quantity of nuts to your daily diet, since nuts contain ample amounts of Vitamin E:
"...Vitamin E is your fire extinguisher. It is a powerful antioxidant—it neutralizes free radicals. You’ll find it in spinach, mangoes, and sweet potatoes, and in much larger amounts in nuts and seeds.

It makes a real difference. In the Chicago study, people who ate these vitamin E–rich foods had less than half the Alzheimer’s risk, compared with people who were missing vitamin E. The amount that made a difference was 8 milligrams per day—which you’ll find in just 11/2 ounces of almonds."

One of my favorite ways to enjoy nuts is in a snack I call The Scone Substitute. I started eating The Scone Substitute as a way to stop myself from eating pastries mid-morning at work (which I totally love, especially scones). Somehow, this combination usually scratches my itch for a bready sweet treat, and it combines three foods that are excellent for me- blueberries, yogurt, and nuts. 

The Scone Substitute

6oz goat yogurt (or other yogurt of your choice)

1/2 cup blueberries

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

Mix together and enjoy!

Toasting nuts really brings out their flavor, and I think it is worth the few extra minutes it takes. Toasted nuts are also a great addition to salads, particularly those with fresh, tender greens and fruit.

How to toast nuts

Skillet method: Heat a dry skillet on the stove. Add nuts and stir frequently until toasted.

Oven method: Heat oven to 300F. Put nuts on cookie sheet and toast in oven, shaking pan occasionally until nuts are toasted.

Springtime Nettle Soup

Yesterday I made a terrific pot of Nettle Soup. For me, this is a quintessential Spring dish, as I only make it during that short time when the nettles first begin to come up and are tender and fresh. For those of you who have never encountered nettles before, beware! They are covered in prickly little hairs that will sting the heck out of you if you if you don't handle them carefully. Still, they are worth the danger-nettles are very tasty, and they are rich in Vitamins A&C, iron, potassium, managanese, and calcium.
There are lots of places in and around Olympia to harvest nettles, but for those of you that are too lazy or too cowardly, you can buy bags of organic nettles (like the ones pictured here) from Calliope Farm at the Co-op.  If you do harvest your own nettles, be sure to gather them in an area that is free of herbicides or other soil contaminants.
This Nettle Soup is a reworking of this recipe. It is fairly easy to make, and yields a soup that is very flavorful and unique. It looks a little spooky when it's finished- kind of shimmery and bright green, a little like a potion...you'll have to make it yourself to enjoy the creepy (and delicious) end product!

Springtime Nettle Soup

1 pound stinging nettles

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup uncooked brown basmati rice

8 cups salted broth

2 cups hot water (if needed)

juice of one lemon

pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the stinging nettles, and cook 3 minutes until they soften. This will remove the sting. (This works best if you have tongs or a large wooden spoon to push the nettles down into the boiling water. I just dumped the bags of nettles into the pot and poked at them with tongs, but if you are going to be harvesting/handling them at all, be sure to wear gloves). When they have finished their trip into the pot of boiling water, drain in a colander, and rinse with cold water. Trim off any tough stems, then chop coarsely.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and stir in the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion and garlic until they have softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, broth, and chopped nettles. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 30 minutes. If the soup gets too thick before the rice is fully cooked, you can add more hot water as needed, up to two cups. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender, and season to taste with lemon juice and pepper. 

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.

Easy Frittata #1

I can't believe this is my first post about frittatas! Frittatas are a ridiculously easy way to throw together a meal with what you have on hand, are relatively foolproof, taste great, and are nutritious and filling.  I found a great post here about the basics of frittata making. The writer of the post gives a great summary of what ingredients work well, what order to cook them in, etc, and it's definitely worth a look.
 Today for lunch I made the frittata below. It was tasty, but I think it would have been even better with feta rather than the sharp cheddar I used:

Erin's Easy Frittata #1
olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow potato, chopped into small dice
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 bunch of green curly kale, chopped into ribbons
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp cumin powder
1tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cup grated or crumbled cheese
8 eggs, whisked

Heat oven to 400F. Saute onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil in a cast iron skillet (or other pan that is stove top and oven safe). When they have softened, add potatoes, spices, and salt. Stir well and cook until potatoes are almost soft, stirring occasionally. You will probably need to add a little water periodically to help the potatoes get soft and to keep them from sticking. Once the potatoes are nearly soft, add the red peppers. Stir and continue cooking, Once the red peppers are soft, add the kale. Stir and continue cooking until kale is wilted and soft. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the vegetable saute. Pour the whisked eggs over the top, and tilt the skillet as needed to make sure everything is covered. Allow to cook on the stovetop for a few minutes. Place frittata in heated oven and cook for 8-12 minutes. Remember that a cast iron pan gets really hot, so the frittata will continue cooking a little even after you remove it from the oven. You want the top of the frittata to be set but not over-cooked.  (If you want to brown the top a little, you can turn your broiler on for the last minute or two. This always sets off my smoke alarm, so I rarely do it). When the frittata is done, remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10minutes. Cut into slices and serve with salad. This particular frittata was really good accompanied by sliced tomatoes and avocados with pepper on top.

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, Lemon, and Parmesan

In the spirit of trying new recipes, I decided to look for a recipe that uses broccoli. Broccoli is one of those foods that I want to love, but almost never find myself looking forward to eating. The recipe below is adapted from this recipe, which one reviewer described as "the best" broccoli he had ever eaten. It truly is a delicious recipe, with fresh, simple flavors that meld together perfectly. I rarely have pine nuts on hand, which the original recipe calls for. When I made this, I omitted the nuts altogether, but when I make it again I will  use toasted walnuts or hazelnuts. The original also includes fresh basil, which I think that would be a great addition, but if you don't have it, it's still delicious. Lastly, I reduced the amount of salt, oil, and cheese to make this slightly healthier version:

Roasted Broccoli with Garlic, Lemon, and Parmesan
serves 4

4 to 5 pounds broccoli

4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

Good olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons nuts, toasted

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, sliced (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discard the rest of the stalks, or save for a different recipe. Cut the larger florets through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 4 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned. The garlic may also look a little burned, but don't worry, it will taste great.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

Brown Rice, Protein, and Vegetable Salad

This is a new recipe I tried out recently. It is adapted from this recipe, courtesy of Cooking Light , another great resource for quick, easy, healthy meals. The original recipe called for chicken and a few ingredients I didn't have on hand, so I adapted it below. I like this dish, because it is the type of recipe that would be easy to modify to use things you have around. For example, you could throw in any kind of cooked protein in place of the beans I used, and whatever combination of vegetables sounds good to you and works with what you have available. Next time I might try adding snap peas and some ribbons of arugula.

Brown Rice, Protein, and Vegetable Salad

1 cup long-grain brown rice
1 bouillon cube

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (or about 2 cups of any type of protein you like)

1/2 medium onion, chopped (or use 4 green onions thinly sliced)

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup red peppers, chopped

1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (or other toasted nuts)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

t4 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

Preparation

Boil 2 cups water, add bouillon cube and stir until dissolved. Add rice, stir, reduce heat, cover and cook until water is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Transfer rice to a large bowl; fluff with a fork. Add beans, carrot, peppers, onions, pumpkin seeds, and cilantro; toss to combine.

Combine juice and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle oil mixture over rice mixture; toss to combine.  Can be served warm or cold.

Trying New Recipes

It's time to make a new goal! This week, I've decided to add the goal of trying out one new recipe each week. I love to cook, but I can sometimes get into a rut (especially with breakfast) and just make the same things over and over. Generally, the stuff I cook on a regular basis is healthy and tasty, and while I think it's awesome to have some reliable standards, I also find that over time, I get bored with my own cooking. This makes it harder to stick to a plan of healthy eating, so I'm hoping to keep myself motivated and inspired by trying at least one new recipe a week.
 In addition to all of the awesome recipe sites online (a few of which I've mentioned in previous posts), I also have this lovely collection of cookbooks (many of which were gifts from dear friends) to look through for ideas. If any of you have online recipe sites that you really love, please feel free to share them here as comments, and I'll post any new ones that I find as well. Hooray for healthy, inspired cooking!

Easy Kale Salad

Today after yoga I REALLY wanted to go have a ridiculously unhealthy lunch. In fact I was fantasizing not only about eating something unhealthy for lunch, but also about having dessert afterwards!  Instead, because I am trying to stick to a plan of healthy eating and also trying to  save money by eating out less, I walked home and made myself a plate of healthy food- kale salad with fresh strawberries and pumpkin seeds, brown rice, and a salmon burger. This lunch didn't take long at all (thanks in part to Zach getting the rice started for me), and was relatively inexpensive and easy to make.
The salad pictured here is a staple for me- a basic kale salad that can be adapted to incorporate what you have on hand. The original recipe includes cheese, but I rarely use it because this salad tastes so good even without it. 100% of the people who rated this recipe said that they'd make it again- a pretty rare thing to see among the collection of recipes on epicurious. This dish is a winner, and my adapted version is below. Note that it makes a really huge salad- great to have on hand for lunches and also a nice dish for large dinner parties. It will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but you can always 1/2 it if you don't want a lot of leftovers. As a note, I have always used regular balsamic vinegar (not white as recommended in the original recipe) with excellent results.

Basic Kale Salad
2 Tbs dried fruit or about 1/2 cup of diced fresh fruit
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs rice vinegar
1 Tbs honey or agave syrup
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 bunches Italian kale, leaves torn from stems and torn or cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbs nuts or seeds, lightly toasted and chopped if pieces are large
shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
salt&pepper

Whisk balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, honey or agave, olive oil, and salt in a large bowl. Add kale, fruit, and nuts; toss to coat. Let marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature for best flavor, tossing occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle shredded parmesan on top (if desired) and give it a final stir before serving.

Valentine's Day Dinner

I'll confess that I'm a romantic. It's nice to have a special occasion to cook a meal for someone you love, and last night I took advantage of the holiday to make an extra special (and healthy) dinner for my sweetie. I made an adaptation of this recipe from epicurious, substituting kale for snap peas, since we didn't have any snap peas in stock at the Co-op. The pistachio pistou was delicious on the salmon, and I think it would be great as a topping on any steamed vegetables.  You can make a simple pistou out of a number of different herbs/oil/nuts by mixing together the following:

Basic Pistou
1/3 cup finely chopped herbs
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions, onions, shallots, or garlic
1/2 cup toasted nuts, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
 Pistous provide an easy way to add a lot of concentrated flavor and a small amount of healthy fat to dishes that need a little sparkle, and it can be really fun to experiment with different flavor combinations.

Overall, this Valentine's Day dinner turned out very nicely, and it felt great to make a meal that kept my goals for healthier eating in mind. I will add a P.S. that we did enjoy some tasty Chianti and mini cupcakes that Zach brought home after dinner, and they were delicious as well. Sometimes splurging is nice too!