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(I’m posting this as part of The Nourishing Gourmet’s Simple & Nourhsing Carival. No doubt there will be lots of delicious recipes submitted on her page, so head on over today and take a look.)
I’m a big fan of Mexican food. Unlike most other cuisines, it’s the one I am most often in the mood for. Of course, this doesn’t mean I’m chowing down on chimichangas and doing tequila shots every night. Rather, at least once a week, I like to reduce Mexican cuisine (or, rather, what I love so much about it) to its basics.
My Mexican Bowl is a healthy alternative to the traditional fare you’d find in a taqueria. It’s very fast and easy to make and very portable, so great for lunch at work.
The Basic Bowl:
Brown rice
Black beans (canned is fine if you’re in a rush; just make sure you rinse them)
Avocado* (either in chunks or mashed a la guacamole)
Add ons:
tomatoes
sauteed peppers and onions
your favorite brand of salsa
cheese (pick a high flavor cheese so you don’t have to pile it on to taste it)
plain greek yogurt (a great substitute for sour cream)
vegetable of your choice (I like kale or spinach)
Layer the bowl with brown rice, covered in beans, covered in avocado. Pile on the toppings — go heavy on the vegetables to make it even healthier!
If you have leftover brown rice on hand, this takes less than 5 minutes to prepare!
* I’ve noticed that a lot of people are afraid of avocados. Yes, they have fat. No, that shouldn’t scare you — it’s good for you and will keep you full and satisfied for a long time!
When it’s warm outside, I love making myself a juicy smoothie for breakfast. I just figured out that you can add raw greens into the mix for an added boost of nutrients — but without affecting the taste. Genius!
My current favorite combination:
1 1/2 c almond milk (you can also use soy, hemp, rice, etc milk)
4 tbsp hemp protein powder
1/2 banana
1/4 – 1/2 c frozen berries
handful of raw spinach OR 2 lacinto kale leaves
Put in blender and mix for 30 seconds.
My mission this weekend was to try cooking two vegetables that I eat frequently but have never made myself: parsnips and beets. Parsnips are sweet root vegetables, similar to a very large, pale carrot. I debated between making roasted or mashed parsnips, and settled on the former because roasting generally brings out the sweetness in root vegetables. This is great for people who have sweet cravings — often, I recommend to clients who have crazy cravings that they introduce sweet vegetables into their diet routinely. Magically, their sugar cravings disappear!
ROASTED PARSNIPS
serves 2-3
2 parsnips, washed well
1/4 c olive oil
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
garlic powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop parsnips into bite sized chunks. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and spices in a shallow baking pan. Cook for 15 minutes and shake pan vigourously (one side of each chunk should be golden brown). Cook another 15 minutes, then remove.
My lunch routine has gotten old, so I decided to spice it up! Beans are the perfect lunchtime fare, as they’re loaded with soluble fiber, which regulates blood sugar levels and can help lower cholesterol. Best of all, beans are an incredibly satisfying mix of protein and slow-burning carbohydrate — they definitely keep me full and on my game all afternoon!
I threw this chickpea salad together on the fly — and it’s delish. Takes under five minutes and you can make a big batch of it and snack on it all week. Today, I’m having mine over mixed greens with a lemon and olive oil dressing. I may add a few slices of grilled chicken for extra oomph.
EASY CHICKPEA SALAD
1 can chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans)
2 stalks celery, sliced finely
1/2 clove garlic, mined finely
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
pinch of smoked paprika
french feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all of the above and sprinkle feta on top. For extra flavor, prepare the night before and let sit in the refrigerator overnight to soak up the flavors.
Can be stored for up to 4 days.
A few weeks ago, I had a cup of delicious rice pudding at Sarabeth’s restaurant. It was just sweet enough and very creamy. Since then, I’ve had rice pudding on my mind. Traditionally, rice pudding is made with white rice, milk, and lots of sugar. I set about to create a healthier version with brown rice and natural sweetners. It takes a while to bake — 1 hour — but only takes about 5 minutes to make. Perfect or a dinner party, as it can cook while you eat! (and it’s good — oh, is it good!)
BAKED COCONUT BROWN RICE PUDDING
2 c cooked short grain brown rice
1 can coconut milk
1/2 c maple syrup
1/4 c raw sugar (you can reduce or omit if you prefer things on a less sweet side)
zest of 1 lemom
juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 tsp cardamon powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients into a large bowl; transfer to a casserole dish. Cover and bake for an hour; stir halfway through. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
I’ve always been intrigued by the raw cheeses (read: vegan and nothing cooked over 115 degrees) I’ve had a various raw restaurants. They look like cheese… and taste like cheese… but they’re made from nuts. Curious. I saw a recipe for a raw cheese spread and couldn’t resist trying.
It was surprisingly simple to make. Yes, it does take foresight, as you have to soak the cashews for 2 hours; however, it takes about 10 minutes once that process is complete. I liked the results. At first, I thought it was too sweet and buttery and garlicky… but after it had sat for 24 hours per the instructions, I liked it a lot more. It’s a great dish to take to a party with some delicious crackers. I tried it with some za’tar sprinkled on top and it was fab.
Raw Cashew Cheese
Chocolate&Zucchini
- 1 1/2 cups plain cashew nuts (not roasted or salted)
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup water
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or good vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Place the nuts in a salad bowl, cover with fresh water, and let stand for 2 hours.
Drain the nuts and place them in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add 1/4 cup water and the rest of the ingredients, and mix until thoroughly puréed, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl every once in a while. Add a little more water and blend again to adjust the consistency, if necessary; the cheese will get a little more solid as it sets.
Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let stand somewhere cool for 24 hours before placing in the fridge, where it will keep for another 5 days.
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I discovered the joys of butternut squash. Now, every winter I eat it all the time. It’s so versatile! You can have it sweet, savory, somewhere in between. It’s a sweet vegetable (vegetables that don’t necessary taste sweet but your body interprets as sweet), so it’s great for people who crave sugar often, as it’s a healthy “sweet” alternative to sugar itself.
I saw variations of this recipe on a few different blogs. I was very suspicious–butternut squash with cheese? Really? It didn’t make sense to me… but I was feeling brave, so I tried it. It’s DELICIOUS. Amazing. So simple, and yet so flavorful. I’m going to make this again and again all winter long. Of course, you can omit the cheese and make a delicious roasted squash that’s good on its own. But if you’re feeling brave, try it with the gorgonzola.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Gorgonzola
2 1/2 c butternut squash, cut in 1 in pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1-2 oz crumbled gorgonzola
1/8 c freshly grated parmesan or pecorino
Pre-heat oven to 400. In a large bowl, combine squash, oil, salt, and pepper. Lay flat on baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes. Tuen squash over and cook for another 20 minutes, until brown and crispy on one side. Remove from oven. Let cool slightly, for 5 minutes or so. Before serving, sprinkle cheese mixture on top. Be sparing! Gorgonzola is a strong cheese, so make sure that flavor doesn’t overpower the squash. Enjoy!
*For how to peel and cut a butternut squash, click here. You can also buy pre-cut squash at many grocery stores, such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
Fall’s here… which means I’m craving heartier foods. I saw this recipe in the New York Times last week and thought I’d give a modified version a try.
If you use canned beans, remember to rinse them very well. Never use the water the beans are canned with–discard it and rinse well.
White Bean, Mushroom, and Zucchini Stuffed Peppers
serves three
3 red, yellow and/or green bell peppers (yellow and red are sweeter)
3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 ounces sliced white mushrooms (about 1 cup)
1 zucchini, diced
15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinse
1/2 c short grain brown rice, cooked
1/2 cup vegetable broth
freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice off top of each pepper and discard. Remove veins and seeds from each pepper cavity.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and zucchini and increase heat to medium-high. Cook until mushrooms are golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in the beans, basil, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in brown rice. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Fill each pepper with bean mixture and arrange in a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Add 2 tablespoons water to dish. Top each pepper with parmesan cheese. Bake until peppers are very tender and topping is golden, about 45 minutes.
I’m currently obsessed with Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I got it a while ago and have been slowly plodding through. There are some great recipes included, written by Barbara’s daughter, Camille. (You can find them online here).
I decided to make her Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies this weekend. I’m not a big proponent of hiding vegetables in food a la Jessica Seinfeld, especially if it’s designed to trick kids to eat more vegetables. It seems to me that this method only reinforces that vegetables are icky… because otherwise why would they have to be hidden?
BUT I decided that zucchini would enhance the cookies–much like they do in zucchini bread. And I was right. The cookies are great–a nice moist texture, flavorful, and chocolate-y.
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Camille Kingsolver
makes approx. 2 dozen
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1/3 c honey [I substituted agave nectar]
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 c white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg [I didn't have any, so put in extra cinnamon
1 c finely shredded zucchini
12 oz chocolate chips
Combine flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the egg, butter, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients with the mixture. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Drop by spoonful onto a greased baking sheet, and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. [I baked them 10 minutes].
Continuing with my recent obsession with both fresh corn and quinoa, this week I decided to try a recipe from Judith Finlayson’s Complete Whole Grains Cookbook. It’s been sitting on my shelf since December, but I never got around to flipping through it. It’s actually a great resource–unlike a like of whole food-esque cookbooks, it has healthy recipes for meat, seafood, etc. There were a ton of recipes in there that I plan on trying.
For those of you don’t know/weren’t raised in the South, corn pudding is a side dish that is made with fresh corn, eggs, and milk. It’s like a souffle, but not as fluffy. This week’s recipe is a play on that dish. I wasn’t sure what the texture would be like, but I was pleased with the results. I served it with dinosaur (or lacinto) kale sauteed in olive oil and garlic. I’m anxious to see how this will keep–I imagine the pudding will be either much better or much worse tomorrow!
Chile-Spiked Quinoa Pudding with Corn
3 c cooked quinoa [I used half red quinoa, half white]
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano [I didn't have any, so skipped this]
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 tsp pepper
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced [I used 2]
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes with juice
1 c corn kernels [I used 2 ears--about 1.5 cups]
3 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a shallow, 8-cup (2L) baking dish.
1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onion and bell pepper. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Stir in chipotle pepper. Add quinoa and mis well. Stir in tomatoes with juice and corn. Remove from heat.
3. In a small bowl, combine beaten eggs with about 1/2 c warm water. Gradually return to pot, mixing well. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake in preheated oven until pudding sets and top is crispy and browned, about 45 minutes.
…After I spooned each serving onto the plate, I topped it with some shredded smoked gouda cheese. It was the only cheese I had on hand, but the flavors actually worked quite well together.
I got impatient (and hungry), so pulled it out before it was super crispy on top. Next time, I’ll definitely let it crisp up more–those were the best parts of the dish.
Update: The leftovers were great… I heated them in a pan to let them get a bit more crispy. I froze a few portions (the recipe makes a lot!), so I’ll let you if they freeze/defrost well or not.
