Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Dinner tonight: Baked Salmon with Ginger Bok Choy and Pineapple Almond Quinoa


Once again, throwing dinner together last minute and loving it!  This took about 30 minutes to prep and cook... doesn't look it, does it?  I baked the salmon with a little sea salt and dried thyme leaves with halved cherry tomatoes on top (baked at 350 for 20 min and broil for 3).  

My sides were Pineapple Almond Quinoa and Ginger Bok Choy (made the bok a million times this way- my favorite).  I cooked the quinoa in water, brought it to a boil and reduced it to a simmer for about 8 minutes and then turned the heat off and left the cover on.  In the meantime, I sauteed a diced onion in olive oil and then added the bok choy, sliced.  When the veggies were sauteed and tender, I added freshly grated ginger and sea salt.  Last minute, I FINELY diced a few pieces of pineapple and dry toasted almonds with a dash of ground cloves; I added them both to the cooked quinoa with a tablespoon of pineapple juice.  

Honestly, fridge to table, this took only 30 minutes!  It's all about thinking ahead, start prepping what takes the longest to cook (salmon in this case) and finish what cooks the quickest.  Easy as pie.

Alright, a mess in the sink awaits.  :)

Mango Almond Muffins



                                    

I am queen of making something out of nothing.  I really think my best concoctions come when I am forced to use what I have in the house!  I had a mango that looked a little funky and some pineapple that needed to be used today- it had also been about 3 weeks since I made muffins so, ta-da Mango Almond Muffins!!  

I used brown rice and tapioca flours, baking powder, soda, salt, a little ginger and lemon zest, only 3 tbs of ghee, about 1/3 cup of chopped mango and pineapple, 1/2 cup (filling 1/3 each of honey, maple syrup and pineapple juice), 1/2 cup almond flour (make it yourself in the food processor... just don't whir it into almond butter!), Hmmmm what else??  Oh, 3 eggs.  Yup, that was about it.  Baked them for about 15 minutes and they came out amber brown, moist and mouth watering.  Tasted deliciously tropical!  

I will write up the recipe for NourishThis.com and pop it on there later this week. :)

Monday, May 17, 2010

Beach Picnic



I used to hate eating on the beach, even as a little kid, all I wanted was water or an ice pop.  There is something about a sandwich and a bikini that just don't match up! ha ha  My brother calls it a "hamburger belly," but no matter what, it's not attractive and in my case just feels too darn heavy.

I was in Malibu last week with one of my best friends.  Her bro lives in Point Dume and he was in NYC for a month so we took over his place for a week and loved every second of it!  It had to be the least expensive vacation of all time- free place to stay and we cooked almost every meal.  My friend Annie (seen above) is also gluten-free, so that made life easier!  We made spinach salads on this day with basically any veggie we had in the fridge so mine consisted of leftover roasted fennel and red onion with fresh tomato, chopped walnuts and a few pieces of sliced turkey.  Dressing was olive oil and lemon, my fav. :)  It was a perfect, and refreshing beach picnic.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Happy Accident Cake



I set out to make gluten-free, dairy-free, raw sugar-free milan cookies.  I wanted them to be crispy on the outside, THIN and deliciously chocolaty on the inside.  I beat the egg whites into stiff peaks and folded them into a batter of brown rice flour, tapioca flour, ghee, honey, maple syrup, lemon zest and about 1/4 of a mashed banana.  I folded in the 5 beaten egg whites and pipped them out onto 3 different baking sheets using 3 methods.  ...only one worked!  The stainless steal baking sheet sprayed with my misto worked the best (seen above) the others got too thick or stuck to the pan.  I still had half the batter left (I know, it went SUCH a long way!), so I poured the rest of the batter into a 8x8 greased glass baking dish.  Baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 18 minutes.  
In the meantime, I melted dark chocolate (70%) over a double boiler and slathered it between the one sheet of cookies that turned out well- SOOOO good!  
After the cake cooled, I turned it out onto a plate and poured melted chocolate on top.  It just seemed like it needed something more... so I scraped up the scraps from the cookies that got stuck to the pan and broke them up into bits.  They went back into the oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes to toast and get crispy.  I crumpled them up some more and sprinkled them all over the top of the cake and drizzled that with whatever remaining chocolate I could scrape up from the pan.  Oh my god that cake was heavenly. Seriously, so good.  
I am going to test it one more time before giving you the specific recipe because this really was a happy accident cake and I want to make sure I can get it right a second time!  

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Vegetarian Night



I didn't feel like cooking tonight and I definitely didn't feel like eating meat, don't know why, just didn't.  Anyway, I made quinoa, sauteed some beet greens, onions, spinach and a touch of tomato paste and tossed it all together in about 10 minutes.  It was sooooo satisfying and tasted amazing.  I love when something so simple turns out so good.  Btw- it also happens to be a perfectly balanced meal- quinoa is super high in protein and fiber so that along with green veggies and a touch of olive oil makes it a pretty perfect meal.  The best part was that it was a slightly unseasonably cold and very windy day so this warm, creamy bowl of quinoa and veggies was a true comfort food.
You should seriously give it a try. :)

Creamy Quinoa and Veggies
Ingredients
2/3 cup quinoa
1 1/3 cup water
1 bunch of beet greens, washed and chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons organic tomato paste
1/4 cup water
dash of large grain sea salt
2 teaspoons fresh thyme (about 4 large sprigs)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano


How to prepare:
Start quinoa according to instructions on package (but it usually takes 10-12 minutes to cook after it comes to a boil).
In a large skillet, saute onions and tomatoes for 4-5 minutes or until they are tender and slightly browned.  Add spinach, beet greens, salt, thyme and oregano and saute until greens have wilted (2-3 minutes).  Add tomato paste and 1/4 cup of water, stir to combine.
Add cooked quinoa to veggies with an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Makes 2 large servings or 4 small sides.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

"Type O" Pumpkin Cookies


I started on Dr. D'Adamo's Eat Right for your Blood Type diet recently.  I went to see him after he basically cured my mom of ulcerative colitis... it was amazing to see how fast her health turned around.  I have insane knee problems and some other minor health issues I wanted to address.  Anyway it has been a month and I am feeling great.  He has foods categorized into "super foods," "neutrals" and "best avoided" today I made these pumpkin cookies and all ingredients were on my super food list!  I was pretty psyched.  Anyway, I'm type O, so if you are too, this might cookie be just as perfect for you!

Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup organic brown rice flour
1 cup organic tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder (low sodium, aluminum free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (could also use 1/8 tsp. clove and 1/4 tsp. ground ginger for a spicier cookie)
3 tablespoons ghee (if not type o- coconut oil or organic butter)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 whole egg
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

How to:  
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Whisk dry ingredients together, brown rice flour through cinnamon.  Stir in chocolate chips.
3.  Combine pumpkin puree, egg, molasses and honey.  Pour into dry mixture and stir just until combined.  
4.  Melt ghee (or coconut oil/butter) over LOW heat, let cool then add to your batter until well incorporated.
5.  Spoon batter onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Yields 24 cookies.
6.  Let cool on a drying wrack and enjoy!  Best served warm, but last 2 days in a sealed container in a cool, dry place or up to a month in the freezer.

They may not be the prettiest cookies in all the land, but they certainly are delicious!  My mom used to make pumpkin cookies for halloween with little M&M smiley faces on them, I LOVED them so much- despite that they resembled... well never mind.  :)  Point is, halloween or middle of spring, these are great cookies any time you make them!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Chocolate Dipped Pecan Bites


I was at my friends wedding this weekend and of course it is a challenge for me to eat at weddings.  People must think I'm anorexic the way I skip entire courses or pick off the few bites I can eat without sauce or whatever else I am most likely allergic to.  Although, one look at me and you will realize I do eat! ha ha


Anyway, my friend who got married is Greek and they served these cookies traditionally eaten at holidays and special occasions called Kourambiedes Cookies.  They are basically little crunchy almond shortbread cookies coated in powdered sugar.  They looked so irresistible and unfortunately I had to resist them so I made my own gluten-free version... with a twist.

These have ground pecans instead of almonds (but you could really use either), and they are dipped in melted dark chocolate after they are cooked.  Of course I used gluten-free flours to make these, replaced butter with coconut oil and sweetened them with molasses and honey.  I love them, they are crunchy and buttery and delicious!!!

Get the recipe on www.nourishthis.com :)

Monday, April 5, 2010

Sauteed Mango and Ginger Bok Choy.

I was walking along the produce section of my grocery store and paused in front of the bok choy wondering why I never cook with it.  So, I picked out a beautiful bunch and made a simple recipe for sauteed bok choy.

I washed the leaves well and let them air dry on a cotton dish towel while I prepared the remaining (2) ingredients.  All that was involved here was mango, fresh grated ginger and sliced bok choy.  Oh, and a drizzle of olive oil too!

I heated a skillet over medium, drizzled the bottom with olive oil and tossed in my cleaned/dry bok choy that I cut into about 1" slices.

While that started to wilt and cook down, I grated about 1/2" of fresh ginger and tossed that into the hot pan.  Finally, I cut about 1/4" segments of fresh mango... using about half the mango for one bunch of bok choy.  I tossed the mango in as I turned off the heat and gave it a little sprinkling of large grain kosher salt.  Great, easy side for broiled salmon.  Yum.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Crunchy Popcorn Bites





I was experimenting with healthy snacks and came up with this one... only problem was I couldn't stop munching on this sweet treat!  This recipe comes together so fast and makes a huge batch, perfect for a party.  Here's the recipe:

1/4 cup white popcorn kernels
1 ½  tablespoons vegetable oil or coconut oil 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon ghee
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup dried cranberries, rehydrated

Pour ½ cup hot water over cranberries and let rehydrate for 8-10 minutes.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium high heat and drizzle oil over the bottom of the pan.  Top with popcorn kernels, cover and let sit 1-2 minutes.  Once you hear the first kernel pop, start vigorously shaking the pot until the popcorn starts pushing up the top of the lid and you hear the popping slow or stop.  Pour into a large bowl and set aside.   (If you own an air popper, you can use that as well).

In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir molasses, honey, cinnamon and ghee together.  Let the mixture come to a boil over medium high heat.  Use a candy thermometer and turn off the heat when it reads 260 degrees.    

Strain cranberries from hot water and pat dry with a cloth.  Toss cranberries, popcorn and nuts together and spread out onto a baking sheet.  Pour honey and molasses mixture evenly over the popcorn, toss together to coat and serve like homemade cracker jacks, or grease your hands slightly and work quickly to form into bite-sized balls.  

They are so good no one will be able to resist!  As always, start with organic ingredients, unsweetened cranberries and raw nuts (meaning without added salt or oil).  Molasses and honey are great sugars to use because they metabolize more slowly in the body and therefore reduce the "sugar rush" effect that happens so often with raw sugar and processed foods. 

Twitter Party

Tonight at 9:00 EST, I am helping to host a twitter party with Healthy Child Healthy World.  Here is the information from Healthy Child:


Let’s tweet about how to #EatHealthy!
We’ll learn about…
• Cracking product labels. What do terms like “natural,” “organic,” and “free-range” really mean? Are they regulated at all?
• What preservatives are the most important to avoid.
• Which foods are most important to buy organic.
Ask our experts your most pressing questions and walk away with a new understanding of what to look for when you hit the supermarket.
Get up to speed on choosing, eating and storing healthier food by reading Chapter 3 – A Clean Plate – of the Healthy Child Book!
Join us to share your stories and tips, and to learn from everyone else’s.
How to Attend the Twitter Party

1. Join our discussion by using the #healthychild hash tag in each of your tweets so we can all follow the conversation.
2. Follow @healthy_child@KristinOC and @getanna so you can respond to the discussion and ask us questions.
3. Use our custom Tweet Grid to make following the conversation easier.
4. Follow @healthy_child and RSVP below for your chance to win fantastic prizes!

Prize #1: Anna Getty’s Easy Green Organic Cookbook & Eat Cleaner Produce Spray, ClifKid Z-Bar products
Prize #2: Myra Goodman Cook book and newsletter/coupons and Eat Cleaner Produce Wipes, ClifKid Z-Bar products
Prize #3: Plum Organic Products and Dr. Alan Green Raising Baby Green, ClifKid Z-Bar products
Prize #4: Weil Baby Gift Set and Healthy Child book, ClifKid Z-Bar products
Prize #5: Healthy Child Book & ClifKid Z-Bar products

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes



Best thing, by far to wake up to is a fresh batch of pancakes.  Once in a while, I attempt to mess with perfection and create a new variety of my favorite breakfast... today was blueberry buckwheat.  Hearty buckwheat has a slightly nutty, sweet flavor that is perfectly complimented by juicy blueberries.  Drizzle with *real* maple syrup and I better make a small batch because there will definitely not be leftovers!  

To make these, whisk together:
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (low sodium)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a separate bowl, whisk (just until combined):
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 TBS ghee or butter (melted and cooled)
1 tablespoon applesauce
2/3 cup almond milk (rice, soy or cows can be used as well)

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir in fresh or frozen blueberries (I use about 1 cup).  Spoon about 1/4 cup of the batter onto a pre-heated skillet and cook about one minute, until air bubbles appear.  Flip and let cook another 30 seconds to a minute so the pancake is browned on both sides.  Serve warm!

Buckwheat is a high protein and high fiber grain that is a great way to add variety to your diet.  As always, I opt for organic ingredients!  Enjoy!


Monday, March 8, 2010

Juicy Turkey Burgers


Sorry for the poor picture quality above, I was using my macbook pro (photo booth) for this one!  I have actually been watching after a couple teenagers this week so I was not in my kitchen and did not feel like stocking up for just one week.  Therefore, some of the ingredients are a definite repeat tonight!

I sauteed some fresh organic kale and bright red onion rings in extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, nutmeg and a handful of cranberries (could have eaten a mountain of it it!).  I was in a hurry so I tossed the organic ground turkey meat with about 1/4 cup of marinara, thyme and ground chili powder, stove top grilled them and topped with fresh slices of mozzarella cheese.

I liked the balance of this meal because the sweetness of the cranberries with the savory turkey burger seemed to help a lot with feeling satisfied after a (mostly) carb-free dinner.  I am a big believer that you have to fully satisfy your taste buds in order to be completely cravings-free after a meal.  It aligns somewhat with the ayurvedic customs of eating varying foods in one sitting: hot, cold, raw, cooked, spicy, sweet, etc.  Realistically I don't achieve all of that in each meal, but definitely keep it in mind for whenever it is possible.

Experiment with this one, it was really yummy and (shockingly) the burgers were a huge hit with the 14 and 17yr olds who are pretty picky eaters!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Best Salad of All Time ...or at least best for now!


I wanted something quick and easy for dinner tonight because I have been exhausted this week... but of course I never want to compromise eating well so, here's what I made!
Spicy Turkey and Spinach Salad with Sauteed Kale, Cranberries and Mozzarella Cheese.  All I did to dress the salad was a quick squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil.  Totally hit the spot!  The best part though, is it is perfect for leftovers, no need for it to be hot, will taste just as yummy cold.  I am always looking for foods I can take to work easily the next day and have gotten in the habit of making a ton of veggies for dinner and saving them to top my salad for work the next day.

You will need:
1 lb organic turkey cutlets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt (divided use)
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 bunch of baby spinach
1 bunch of fresh kale
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced


I sauteed (organic) turkey cutlets [seasoned with sea salt, chili powder, ground ginger and thyme leaves] in olive oil for about 2 minutes per side.  Removed them from the pan and added the fresh (organic) Kale with a touch more olive oil and a dash of sea salt for about 3-4 minutes.  


Pulled it all together by plating a heaping handful of fresh baby spinach (yes, organic), a squeeze of lemon and a quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  Topped that with the sauteed kale, about a tablespoon of dried (no sugar added) cranberries, fresh mozzarella cheese and a few turkey cutlet strips on the side.

It was almost like a spring time Thanksgiving salad... if that could make any sense.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Save MONEY!

It has been a while since I have updated my blog... sorry!

I recently started at Concentric Entertainment as an Associate Producer for a Food Network show. Needless to say things have been a bit busy, but not to fear, new recipes are in the works. I will be uploading them to the website soon :)

For now, check out this article I wrote for Healthy Child, Healthy World: 10 Ways to Save Money in the Kitchen.
http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/10_ways_to_save_money_in_the_kitchen/